Generic schema for storing configuration information on a server computer

• US 6,052,720 A
• Filed: 05/14/1998
• Issued: 04/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Slaughter, Gregory L., Schmidt, Jeffrey A., Traversat, Bernard A., Tracey, William J., Saulpaugh, Tom, Woodward, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US09/079,500
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 364/DIG. 1 MS File, 364/DIG. 2 MS File, 709/200, 709/203, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/082 the condition being updates or upgrades of network functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/45 Network directories; Name-to-address mapping
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for providing a data framework and associated client/server protocol for storing and exchanging data among computers in a network. A data schema having an n-way tree-type structure with a root node layer, intermediate node layers, and a data layer for storing configuration data is described. The intermediate node layers contain a multitude of nodes containing categorical information relating to components and various aspects of the computer network. Following a tree structure, each intermediate node and root node has branches emanating to nodes below it. These subordinate nodes are referred to as children nodes. The data node layer is at the bottom of the tree and contains actual specific configuration data relating to components and other aspects of the computer network, such as information regarding users registered to use the network. Certain portions of the intermediate nodes and data nodes make up persistent dataspaces in which the actual specific configuration data in the data nodes is modified on either a client or a server computer, and is stored on the server computer. This allows the associated specific information to be nonvolatile and accessible by a multiplicity of client computers. The client/server protocol allows configuration data to be transferred between a client and server and for the maintenance of the connection between the client and the server. Configuration data and user profiles are stored on a server computer thereby minimizing the amount of memory needed by the client computer, which can be a device with low memory capabilities such as network computers, PDAs, or smart cards. The protocol also includes a method of coalescing configuration data before sending it to a client computer thereby reducing the memory requirements of the client computer.

Claims

1. A data framework for storing data relating to a computer network including a plurality of client computers connected to at least one server computer, the framework comprising:

a root node level;

at least one intermediate node level including a plurality of intermediate nodes subordinate to the root node level storing categorical information relating to the computer network;

a data node level subordinate to the intermediate node level storing specific values relating to the computer network; and

a plurality of persistent dataspaces including at least one such intermediate node from the intermediate node level and such associated specific values as stored in a data node level, where data in each persistent dataspace can be modified on each such client computer or the server computer and stored on the server computer, the associated specific values being nonvolatile and accessible by any client computer from any other client computer.

2. A data framework as recited in claim 1 further comprising a client data framework that resides on the client computer and a server data framework that resides on the server computer.

3. A data framework as recited in claim 2 wherein user preferences are stored in the server data framework thereby allowing a user on the network to use any one of the client computers from the plurality of client computers and access user preferences associated with the user.

4. A data framework as recited in claim 1 further comprising a plurality of transient data areas for storing configuration data derived when the client computer is enabled.

5. A data framework as recited in claim 2 wherein client platform and client profile information is stored in the server data framework.

6. A data framework as recited in claim 1 wherein the client computer is a network computer.

7. A data framework as recited in claim 1 wherein the plurality of persistent dataspaces further comprises a plurality of data entries each having a name, a list of related nodes, property names and associated property values.

8. A data framework for arranging and storing configuration information relating to a plurality of client computers, the data framework residing on a server computer in a computer network, the data framework comprising:

a root node;

a plurality of intermediate node levels each intermediate node level having at least one intermediate node storing categorical information associated with the computer network; and

configuration information associated with a plurality of intermediate nodes, the configuration information relating to the plurality of client computers and residing on the server computer thereby enabling the server computer to propagate client computer profiles and preferences when requested by a client computer.

9. A data framework as recited in claim 8 wherein the plurality of intermediate node levels includes a top intermediate node level having a plurality of top intermediate nodes.

10. A data framework as recited in claim 9 wherein each top intermediate node in the plurality of top intermediate nodes defines a dataspace including a plurality of data entries.

11. A data framework as recited in claim 10 further comprising a machine dataspace and a users dataspace.

12. A data framework as recited in claim 11 wherein the machine dataspace and the users dataspace are persistent dataspaces thereby causing data entries in the dataspace to be nonvolatile.

13. A data framework as recited in claim 12 wherein the machine dataspace is populated with computer configuration data relating to a plurality of computer types and the users dataspace is populated with user configuration data relating to a plurality of network users.