Enabling target servers to control determination of full user synchronization

• US 6,209,032 B1
• Filed: 10/19/1998
• Issued: 03/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Smith, Stanley Alan, Dutcher, David Paul, Sinclair, William H. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): WINDER, PATRICE L
• Application Number:
  US09/175,046
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 707/201, 209/224, 209/225, 209/229, 209/223, 209/248, 209/208
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method for enabling target servers in a network server environment to control determination of a full synchronization update on a target server from a central server. Administrative privileges are used to establish a link on the target server to force a request from the target server back to the central server for initialization of a full synchronization on the target server. The request will be such that the central server will determine full synchronization is necessary based on the status of the managed server.

Claims

1. In a client server computer network comprised of a central server, a plurality of managed servers, and in which network full synchronization of managed server records is controlled by said central server based on criteria established by said central server, a method for full synchronization of managed server records, including the steps of:

inputting, via an administrative interface at said managed server, data that will be interpreted by the central server as meeting the criteria for full synchronization;

periodically sending a status update pulse from the central server to managed servers on the network;

sending, in response to said status update pulse, in a return request from a managed server to the central server, said data;

sending, in response to said return request, from said central server to said managed server, update records for full synchronization of said managed server.

2. In a client server computer network comprised of a central server, a plurality of managed servers, at least some of which managed servers are non-native with respect to said central server, and in which network full synchronization of managed server records is controlled by said central server based on criteria established by said central server, a method for full synchronization of managed server records, including the steps of:

inputting, via an administrative interface at a non-native managed server, data that interpreted by the central server as meeting the criteria for full synchronization;

periodically sending a status update pulse from the central server to managed servers on the network;

sending, in response to said status update pulse, in a return request from the non-native managed server to the central server, said data;

sending, in response to said return request, from said central server to said non-native managed server, update records for full synchronization of said non-native managed server.

3. The computer as recited in claim 19, wherein the native operating system is IBM OS/2.