Method and apparatus for managing coherency in object and page caches

• US 5,829,022 A
• Filed: 04/15/1996
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Xerox Company Limited (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Hayata, Hiroshi, Watanabe, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, Tod R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thai, Tuan V.
• Application Number:
  US08/632,069
• Time in Patent Office: 925 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1, 395/445, 395/449, 395/614, 395/481, 395/471, 365/49, 711/118, 711/122, 711/144, 711/141, 711/146, 711/154, 707/100, 707/103
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/289 Object oriented databases

Abstract

To reduce process time by simplifying the cache status and to improve the execution efficiency of the application program in the separate region conversion system that is capable of maintaining the hit rate of the cache at high level. When an access request is made to the object and if the object is not stored in the object cache, the page containing the object is read from the database and is stored in the page cache, and the object is read from the page and stored in the cache. The status of the page cache describing the status of the page stored in the page cache is stored in the page status storage device and at the same time the status of the object cache describing the status of the object stored in the object cache is stored in the object status storage device. By establishing a relationship between the status of the page cache and the status of the object, if the status of the page cache and the corresponding status of the object cache are not consistent, the status synchronizing device executes a synchronization process to make these status consistent.

Claims

1. A database management apparatus comprising:

a page cache to store a page having a fixed length containing an object read from a database storing the object;

an object cache that stores the object read from the page stored in the page cache;

a page status information storage device to store page cache status information indicating whether the page stored in the page cache and the page on the database corresponding to the page are consistent;

an object status information storage device to store object cache status information indicating whether the object stored in the object cache and the object on the database corresponding to the object are consistent; and

a status information synchronizing device to execute a synchronization process in order to make the page cache status information stored in the page status storing device corresponding to the page stored in the page cache consistent with the object cache status information stored in the object status information storage device corresponding to the object that is read from the page and stored in the object cache, wherein the status information synchronizing device comprises;

a database determination device to determine whether the page to be stored in the page cache containing the object for which the access request is received consistent with the page in the database corresponding to the pages and

a status information updating device that sets the page status information of the page to invalid status indicating inconsistency with the database when the database determination device determines inconsistency and sets the object status information that is stored in the object status information storage device corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache to the invalid status that is a status not guaranteeing consistency with the corresponding object in the database.

2. The database management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the status information synchronizing device executes the synchronization process to make the page status information stored in the page status information storage device consistent with the object status information stored in the object status information storage device based on the results of determining whether the page stored in the page cache is consistent with the page on the database corresponding to the page.

3. The database management apparatus of claim 2, wherein the status information synchronizing device sets the object status that corresponds to all of the objects read from the page and stored in the object cache to an invalid status indicating that the objects do not necessarily correspond with corresponding objects in the database when the page status stored in the page status information storage device is set to an invalid status indicating that the page stored in the page cache is inconsistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page.

4. The database management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the page cache stores the page in a storage format that is suitable to store the data, the object cache storing the object in a computable format that is suitable to process data, the database management apparatus further comprises a conversion device to read the object in storage format from the page cache, to convert the format to computable format and to store the format in the object cache.

5. The database management apparatus of claim 1, wherein the page status information storage device contains, as a page status information, a valid status that indicates that the page stored in the page cache is consistent with the page stored in the database corresponding to the page, an invalid status that indicates inconsistency and a unlock status that indicates that the access request is not received for the object contained in the page, wherein the object status information storage device contains, as object status information, a valid status that indicates that the object stored in the object cache is consistent with the object stored in the database corresponding to the object, an invalid status that indicates inconsistency and an uninitialized status that indicates that a region is secured in the object cache to read an object.

6. The database management apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the status information synchronizing device receives an access request for the object, the status information synchronizing device makes the page status information that is stored in the page status information storage device corresponding to the page stored in the page cache including the object for which the access request is received consistent with the object status information that is stored in the object status information storage device corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache.

7. A database management apparatus comprising:

a database reading device to read a page that includes data of a fixed length containing the object for which the access request is received from a database in response to the access request to the object stored in the database that stores the object;

a page cache to store the page read by the database reading device;

a page cache reading device to read the object for which the access request is received from the page stored in the page cache;

an object cache to store the object read by the page cache reading device;

a page status information storage device to store the page status information indicating whether the page stored in the page cache is consistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page;

an object status information storage device to store the object status information indicating whether the object stored in the object cache is consistent with the object in the database corresponding to the object, and

a status information synchronizing device to execute a synchronization process that makes the page status information stored in the page status information storage device corresponding to the page stored in the page cache consistent with the object status information stored in the object status information storage device corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache, wherein the status information synchronizing device comprises;

a database determination device to determine whether the page to be stored in the page cache containing the object for which the access request is received consistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page, and

a status information updating device that sets the pare status information of the page to invalid status indicating inconsistency with the database when the database determination device determines inconsistency and sets the object status information that is stored in the object status information storage device corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache to the invalid status that is a status not guaranteeing consistency with the corresponding object in the database.

8. The database management apparatus of claim 7, wherein the database management apparatus further comprises a server and a client, the server comprising:

a first receiving device to receive an object access request for the database that stores the object,

a database reading device, and

a first sending device to send the page read by the reading device to the client, the client comprising;

a second sending device to send an object access request from the database to the server, and

a second receiving device that receives the page sent by the first sending device of the server in response to the access request sent by the second sending device and writes the page in the page cache, the page cache reading means, the page status information storage device, and the status information synchronization device.

9. A database management method to be applied to a database management apparatus having a page cache to store a page that comprises data of a fixed length containing an object read from the database that stores the object and an object cache to store the object read from the page cache, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving an access request for the object in the database;

determining whether the page in the page cache containing the object for which the access request is received is consistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page;

declaring the page in the page cache invalid in the case of inconsistency;

declaring the object read from the page in the object cache invalid;

reading the page in the database containing the object for which the access request is received to write to the page cache;

declaring the page in the page cache valid;

reading the object for which the access request is received from the page on the page cache;

converting the read object to the object in computable format;

storing the object in the computable format to the object cache; and

declaring the stored object in the object cache valid.

10. A database management apparatus comprising:

page cache means for storing a page having a fixed length containing an object read from a database storing the object;

object cache means for storing the object read from the page stored in the page cache means;

page status information storage means for storing page cache status information indicating whether the page stored in the page cache means and the page on the database corresponding to the page are consistent;

object status information storage mans for storing object cache status information indicating whether the object stored in the object cache means and the object in the database corresponding to the object are consistent; and

status information synchronizing means for executing a synchronization process to make the page cache status information stored in the page status storing means corresponding to the page stored in the page cache means consistent with the object cache status information stored in the object status information storage means corresponding to the object that is read from the page and stored in the object cache means, wherein the status information synchronizing means comprises;

database determination means for determining whether the page to be stored in the page cache means containing the object for which the access request is received consistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page, and

status information updating means for setting the page status information of the page to be invalid status indicating inconsistency with the database when the database determination means determines inconsistency and sets the object status information that is stored in the object status information storage means corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache means to the invalid status that is a status not guaranteeing consistency with the corresponding object in the database.

11. The database management apparatus of claim 10, wherein the status information synchronizing means executes the synchronization process to make the page status information stored in the page status information storage means consistent with the object status information stored in the object status information storage means based on the results of determining whether the page stored in the page cache means is consistent with the page on the database corresponding to the page.

12. The database management apparatus of claim 11, wherein the status information synchronizing means sets the object status that corresponds to all of the objects read from the page and stored in the object cache means to an invalid status indicating that the objects do not necessarily correspond with corresponding objects in the database when the page status stored in the page status information storage means is set to an invalid status indicating that the page stored in the page cache means is inconsistent with the page in the database corresponding to the page.

13. The database management apparatus of claim 10, wherein the page cache stores the page in a storage format that is suitable to store the data, the object cache means storing the object in a computable format that is suitable to process data, the database management apparatus further comprises conversion means for reading the object in storage format from the page cache means, for converting the format to computable format and for storing the format in the object cache means.

14. The database management apparatus of claim 10, wherein the page status information storage means contains, as a page status information, a valid status that indicates that the page stored in the page cache means is consistent with the page stored in the database corresponding to the page, an invalid status that indicates inconsistency and a unlock status that indicates that the access request is not received for the object contained in the page, wherein the object status information storage means contains, as object status information, a valid status that indicates that the object stored in the object cache means is consistent with the object stored in the database corresponding to the object, an invalid status that indicates inconsistency and an uninitialized status that indicates that a region is secured in the object cache means to read an object.

15. The database management apparatus of claim 10, wherein when the status information synchronizing means receives an access request for the object, the status information synchronizing means makes the page status information that is stored in the page status information storage means corresponding to the page stored in the page cache means including the object for which the access request is received consistent with the object status information that is stored in the object status information storage means corresponding to the object read from the page and stored in the object cache means.