System and method for tracking records in a distributed computing system

• US 6,738,797 B1
• Filed: 09/24/1999
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Martin, Paul A
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/381,729
• Time in Patent Office: 1,698 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/217, 709/205, 709/201, 709/223, 379/9.04, 379/9.06, 379/14, 379/112.01, 379/114.01, 379/114.03, 707/104.1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/462 Lookup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing

Abstract

A distributed computing system used for controlling a telecommunications network includes a number of computers interconnected by a data communications network each computer storing a plurality of data records. The computers are programmed to access records held on other computers and are programmed to move the record to another computer. Each computer is further arranged to store a table of data indicating the computer on which that record may currently be stored, and to update that table when the record is moved. Each computer is further programmed to store a log of the identities of the other computers which have accessed the record, and the computers are further programmed so that after moving the record, the computer sends a location updating message to at least one further computer determined in accordance with the log.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising a plurality of computers interconnected by a data communication network, each storing a plurality of data records, each being programmed to access a record held on another, each being programmed to move a record to another said computer, in which each computer is arranged to store a table of data storing, for all records on all said computers, data indicating the computer on which that record may currently be stored, and to update that table when a said record is moved, in which each said computer is arranged to store, for each said record held thereon, a log of the identities of other computers which have accessed that record and is arranged, on moving a said record, to send a location updating message to at least one further said computer determined in accordance with that log, and in which each said computer is further arranged to send said location updating message at a later time to at least one further said host computer which is not determined in accordance with said log.

2. A system according to claim 1 in which said later time comprises a periodically recurring time.

3. A computing system according to claim 1 arranged to control a telecommunications network.

4. A computing system according to claim 3, in which said records comprise records each storing data relating to a corresponding telephone subscriber.

5. A computing system according to claim 3, in which said records comprise records each storing data relating to a corresponding telephone terminal device.

6. A computing system according to claim 3, in which said records comprise records each storing data relating to a corresponding telephone routing device.

7. A method of moving a data record from a first computer to a second within a distributed computer network comprising a plurality of further computers, comprising the step of determining which of said plurality have accessed said record, and selectively transmitting a location update message to a subset of said plurality in accordance with said determining, and further comprising transmitting said location update message to further computers of said plurality not within said subset, at a later time than the selective transmission to said subset.

8. A method according to claim 7 in which said later transmission comprises a message including location update data for multiple said records.

9. A method according to claim 7 in which said later time is a periodically recurring time.