System and method for providing collaborative replicated objects for synchronous distributed groupware applications

• US 6,425,016 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1997
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Prakash, Atul, Strom, Robert Evan, Banavar, Guruduth Somasekhara, Ward, Michael James, Miller, Kevan Lee
• Primary Examiner(s): Oberley, Alvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAO, SUE X
• Application Number:
  US08/863,782
• Time in Patent Office: 1,883 Days
• Field of Search: 709/315, 709/101, 709/107, 709/205, 709/310, 345/331, 345/332, 345/330, 345/329, 345/751, 707/8, 707/10, 717/4
• US Class Current: 719/310
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A system and method featuring a collection of model objects which hold data to be shared, and supporting interfaces to read and write the data, to create and destroy collaboration relationships and to attach “view objects” containing application code which will be automatically notified of value changes. Each user environment is provided with a model object control entity, referred to herein as a Collaboration Manager, which creates model objects, executes transactions, and creates association objects related to the collaboration. A concurrency control mechanism records the reads and updates of the data and of collaboration relationships within a single transaction site and guarantees that they are applied atomically and consistently to both the local and to all remote replica objects of the collaboration.

Claims

1. A collaboration of distributed user sites having shared computer information comprising:

a local user site having a collaboration manager for creating at least one model object, for interacting with collaboration managers at other of said distributed user sites and for executing transactions for reading and writing said at least one local model object created by said collaboration manager for responding to requests pertaining to said shared computer information, interface means for reading and writing said at least one local model object and at least one programming interface for attaching programmer-specified pessimistic and optimistic view object to said at least one local model object; and

a plurality of remote user sites each having at least one remote model object and having at least one of an optimistic and pessimistic view object attached to said remote model object,

wherein said at least one local model object and said at least one remote model object maintain said shared computer information.

2. The collaboration of claim 1 wherein one of said local user and said plurality of remote user sites has an original version of said share computer information and the remaining user sites maintain replicated versions of said shared computer information.

3. The collaboration of claim 2 wherein one of said local user and said plurality of remote user sites is the primary site for controlling updates to said shared computer information.

4. The collaboration of claim 1 wherein said plurality of remote user sites comprises a plurality of remote user sites each having a dedicated collaboration manager for creating objects and executing transactions among objects, at least one remote model object created by said dedicated collaboration manager for responding to requests pertaining to said shared computer information, and interface means for reading and writing said at least one remote model object at said remote user site.