Method and article of manufacture for resynchronizing client/server file systems and resolving file system conflicts

• US 5,774,717 A
• Filed: 12/15/1995
• Issued: 06/30/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Porcaro, Thomas Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Lintz, Paul R.
• Application Number:
  US08/572,926
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 395/800, 395/618, 395/619, 395/181, 395/610
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1435 using file system or storage system metadata
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method for resolving file system conflicts between a client file system and a server file system after the client file system has been disconnected from the server file system. Changes to the client file system are replayed for application to the server file system. Conflicts between the proposed changes and the current state of the server file system are detected and actions conditioned on the conflict type are presented to a user for selection. User selection and conflict type are used to determine the conflict resolution to apply to the client data during application. All conflicts are resolved as they are detected. The resynchronization process is controllable by the user from a display panel that presents the replay status and allows user interaction to monitor and alter the replay of transactions. The novel interface allows detailed control of the resynchronization.

Claims

1. A method for resynchronizing a client file system with a server file system after a period of disconnection, the method comprising the steps of:

detecting a conflict between a client file system and a server file system;

testing the conflict to determine the conflict type;

presenting, for user action at the time of conflict detection a display of conflict resolution options, the display being selected in response to the conflict type;

receiving user action input selecting one or more conflict resolution options;

resolving the detected conflict in response to the conflict type and user action input; and

continuing resynchronizing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each conflict type is resolved by presenting an operator interaction panel for that conflict type and wherein the user actions are selected from the interaction panel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the conflict types include:

a STORE conflict in which a client STORE transaction conflicts with the status of a file on the server file system;

a CREATE conflict in which a client CREATE transaction conflicts with an existing file system name on the server;

a MKDIR conflict in which a client MKDIR transaction conflicts with an existing file system name on the server;

a RENAME conflict in which a client RENAME transaction conflicts with an existing file system name on the server;

a REMOVE conflict in which a client REMOVE transaction conflicts with the status of a file on the server; and

a RMDIR conflict in which a client RMDIR transaction conflicts with the status of a directory on the server.

4. A method of providing operator interaction to a process of synchronizing a client file system with a server file system in a computer system having a processor means, memory means and a display, the method comprising the steps of:

displaying a transaction status indicator on said display for each of a plurality of client file system transactions as said process of synchronizing is performed;

displaying a plurality of selectable user actions on said display;

receiving a user selection of one of said selectable user actions; and

changing the synchronizing process in response to said user selection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the changes in the synchronization process include:

freezing the replay log and causing the synchronization process to proceed in single step mode one transaction at a time;

releasing the frozen replay log and causing the synchronization process to proceed continuously;

suspending the synchronization process for resumption at a later time;

skipping a replay log transaction in single step mode for resumption at a later time; and

discarding a replay log transaction in single step mode.

6. A computer program product having a computer readable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for resynchronizing a client file system with a server file system after a period of disconnection , said computer program product comprising:

computer program product means for causing a computer system to detect a conflict between a client file system and a server file system;

computer program product means for causing a computer system to test the conflict to determine the conflict type;

computer program product means for causing a computer system to present for user action at the time of conflict determination a display of conflict resolution options, the display being selected in response to the conflict type;

computer program product means for causing a computer system to receive user action input selecting one or more conflict resolution options;

computer program product means for causing a computer system to resolve the detected conflict in response to the conflict type and user action input; and

computer program product means for causing a computer system to continue synchronization processing.