Scalable Content management system and method of using the same

• US 6,804,674 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2001
• Issued: 10/12/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hsiao, Hui-I, Williams, Robin
• Primary Examiner(s): KINDRED, ALFORD W
• Application Number:
  US09/909,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20030018624A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-5, 707/6, 707/10, 707/100-102, 707/104.1, 715/5.3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/134 Distributed indices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A scalable content management system manages searches from a local content manager and a plurality of remote content managers. A single scalable content manager manages data in a content repository or file system and its associated metadata in the same content repository or in a database, which will greatly simplify both content management logic and client application logic. The system architecture enables users to add scalable content managers as needed, which allows users to easily scale up the scalable content manager system, in both data size and user connection, as business grows. With the present scalable system architecture, a multi-node content management system will appear to be a single content management system to users, providing location transparency.

Claims

1. A scalable content management system, comprising:

a local content manager;

one or more remote content managers that are networked with the local content manager, and that can be selectively added or removed;

the local content manager provides an integrated primary content and metadata management function

the local content manager further concurrently searches data, in a local content repository and associated local metadata that are stored in the same content repository or the local database, as a unified search; and

if needed, at least one of the remote content managers concurrently manages a remote file system and associated remote metadata.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a remote content repository and an associated remote metadata repository that is local to the at least one of the remote content managers.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the local content managers and the remote content managers manages a specific local index structure.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the local content manager includes an authentication manager that manages an authentication process.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the local content manager further includes a parallel query manager that receives a query.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the parallel query manager includes a local interface that receives a local query originating from the authentication manager and that generates a corresponding local search result.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the parallel query manager further includes a non-local interface that receives a query originating from a remote content manager.

8. The system of claim 7, further including a communications manager that transmits the query originating from the remote content manager to the non-local interface of the parallel query manager.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein if a local query is not satisfied by the data in the local content repository and associated local metadata, the local query is forwarded to one or more remote content managers via the non-local interface and the communications manager, to generate a corresponding remote search result.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the parallel query manager merges the local search result and the non-local search result, that are initiated by the local query, into a combined query search result.

11. A scalable content management method, comprising the steps of:

a local content manager for concurrently searching data stored in a local content repository and associated local metadata, as a unified search;

one or more remote content managers that are networked with the local content manager, and that can be selectively added or removed; and

if needed, at least one of the remote content managers concurrently managing a remote content repository and associated remote metadata.

12. The method of claim 11, further including the step of storing the remote data and the associated remote metadata in a remote content repository or a database that is local to the at least one of the remote content managers.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of having the local content manager concurrently search data stored in the local content repository and associated local metadata includes managing a specific local index structure.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the local content manager includes an authentication manager for managing an authentication process.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the local content manager further includes a parallel query manager for receiving a query.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the parallel query manager receives a local query originating from the authentication manager and generating a corresponding local search result.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the parallel query manager further includes receiving a query originating from a remote content manager.

18. The method of claim 17, further including conveying the query originating from the remote content manager to the parallel query manager.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein if a local query is not satisfied by the data in the local content repository and associated local metadata, forwarding the local query to one or more remote content managers, to generate a corresponding remote search result.

20. The method of claim 19, further including merging the local search result and the non-local search result into a combined query search result.

21. A scalable content management system, comprising:

local content manager means for concurrently searching data stored in a local content repository or file system and associated local metadata, as a unified search;

a remote content manager means that can be selectively added or removed; and

at the remote content manager means concurrently managing a remote data system and associated remote metadata.

22. The method of claim 21, further including means for storing the remote data and the associated remote metadata locally relative to the remote content manager means.