Apparatus and method for incremental updating of archive files

• US 6,535,894 B1
• Filed: 06/01/2000
• Issued: 03/18/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Violet, Scott R., Muller, Hans E., Schmidt, Rene W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi; Diane D.
• Application Number:
  US09/585,662
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10,203,200-1,204,202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

According to aspects of the present invention, an original archive file having one or more entries is created, where each entry in the original archive file is itself a file, and where each entry in the archive file may comprise any file type, including an archive file. The original archive file is transmitted to a client computer. Subsequently, a target archive file is created, wherein one or more of the entries in the target archive file are typically expected to be identical to one or more entries in the original archive file. Given the original archive file and the target archive file, a difference archive file is created. The difference archive file comprises an index file describing the changes between the original archive file and the target archive file, and also comprises a set of entries corresponding to the entries in the target archive file that are not contained in the original archive file. The difference archive file is transmitted to the client computer, instead of requiring that the entire target archive file be transmitted. At the client computer, the difference archive file is applied to the original archive file to produce a synthesized archive file, wherein the synthesized archive file is functionally identical to the target archive file, and wherein each entry in the synthesized archive file is identical to a corresponding entry in the target archive file.

Claims

1. A method for updating archive files, comprising:

creating an original archive file;

transmitting said original archive file to a client computer system;

creating a target archive file, wherein at least one entry in said target archive file has a file name that is identical to the file name of one of the entries in said original archive file, and wherein at least one entry in said target archive has file contents that are identical to the file contents of one of the entries in said original archive file;

generating a difference archive file as a function of said original archive file and said target archive file, wherein said difference archive file comprises and index file entry and a set of entries corresponding to each entry in said target archive file having file contents not identical to the file contents of any entry in the original archive file and not identical to the file contents of any other entry in the target archive file;

transmitting said difference archive file to said client computer system; and

applying said difference archive file to said original archive file to generate a synthesized archive file, wherein said synthesized archive file comprises a set of entries, and wherein each of said entries in said synthesized archive file has an identical file name and identical file contents as the corresponding entry in said target archive file.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein each of said original archive file, said target archive file, said difference archive file and said synthesized archive file comprises one or more JAR files.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a data communication network.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said data communication network is the network of networks commonly referred to as the Internet.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a CD-ROM disk.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a data communication network.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said data communication network is the network of networks commonly referred to as the Internet.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a CD-ROM disk.

9. A computerized system for updating archive files, comprising:

means for creating an original archive file;

means for transmitting said original archive file to a client computer system;

means for creating a target archive file, wherein at least one entry in said target archive file has a file name that is identical to the file name of one of the entries in said original archive file, and wherein at least one entry in said target archive has file contents that are identical to the file contents of one of the entries in said original archive file;

means for generating a difference archive file as a function of said original archive file and said target archive file, wherein said difference archive file comprises and index file entry and a set of entries corresponding to each entry in said target archive file having file contents not identical to the file contents of any entry in the original archive file and not identical to the file contents of any other entry in the target archive file;

means for transmitting said difference archive file to said client computer system; and

means for applying said difference archive file to said original archive file to generate a synthesized archive file, wherein said synthesized archive file comprises a set of entries, and wherein each of said entries in said synthesized archive file has an identical file name and identical file contents as the corresponding entry in said target archive file.

10. The system according to claim 9 wherein each of said original archive file, said target archive file, said difference archive file and said synthesized archive file comprises one or more JAR files.

11. The system according to claim 10, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a data communication network.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein said data communication network is the network of networks commonly referred to as the Internet.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a CD-ROM disk.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a data communication network.

15. The according to claim 14, wherein said data communication network is the network of networks commonly referred to as the Internet.

16. The system according to claim 9, wherein said difference archive file is transmitted to said client computer system via a CD-ROM disk.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for updating archive files, the method comprising:

creating an original archive file;

transmitting said original archive file to a client computer system;

creating a target archive file, wherein at least one entry in said target archive file has a file name that is identical to the file name of one of the entries in said original archive file, and wherein at least one entry in said target archive has file contents that are identical to the file contents of one of the entries in said original archive file;

generating a difference archive file as a function of said original archive file and said target archive file, wherein said difference archive file comprises and index file entry and a set of entries corresponding to each entry in said target archive file having file contents not identical to the file contents of any entry in the original archive file and not identical to the file contents of any other entry in the target archive file;

transmitting said difference archive file to said client computer system; and

applying said difference archive file to said original archive file to generate synthesized archive file, wherein said synthesized archive file comprises a set of entries, and wherein each of said entries in said synthesized archive file has an identical file name and identical file contents as the corresponding entry in said target archive file.