Automatically configuring a server into a master or slave server based on its relative position in a server network

• US 6,889,248 B1
• Filed: 04/12/2000
• Issued: 05/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Scheer, Lyle
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, WEN TAI
• Application Number:
  US09/547,699
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 700/90, 700 95- 96, 700115-116, 710/100, 710/107, 710/110, 710/104, 709/200, 709208-209, 709/210, 379/142.12, 379/111, 340/825, 340/2.26, 340/2.24, 340/2.21, 340/2.2, 340/2.1, 713/1, 713/100
• US Class Current: 709/209
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A server network is described. In one embodiment, the server network comprises a global master server, a local master server and one or more slave servers. The local master server is coupled to the central master server via a first network and is synchronized to the global master server. The one or more slave servers are coupled to the local master server via a second network to perform manufacturing tasks to facilitate building products. The global master, local master and slave servers are programmed the same and configurable to different tasks, including automatically configurable as a master or server based on the interface of the server to which they are coupled.

Claims

1. A server network comprising:

a global master server;

a local master server coupled to the global master server via a first network and synchronized thereto, wherein the local master server is automatically configurable as a slave server with respect to the global master server based on an interface between the local master server and the global master server; and

one or more slave servers coupled to the local master server via a second network to perform manufacturing tasks to facilitate building products, the global master, local master, and slave servers being programmed the same, the one or more slave servers automatically configurable as one or more slave servers with respect to the local master server based on an interface between the local master server and each of the one or more slave servers, and the local master server being automatically configurable as a master server with respect to the one or more slave servers based on the interface between the local master server and each of the one or more slave servers,

wherein the interface is for signaling to each associated server of its relative position in the network without further signaling for server configuration.

2. The server network defined in claim 1, wherein one of the global master, local master, and slave servers is operable to program another server.

3. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein communication over the first network is secure.

4. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein communication over the first network is encrypted.

5. The server network defined in claim 1, wherein communication over the first network is secured via Secure Shell (SSH).

6. The server network defined in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of local master servers coupled to the global master server via the first network, wherein each of the plurality of local master servers operates with respect to the global master server asynchronously when communication via the first network is unavailable and synchronously when communication via the first network is available.

7. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein the first network comprises an Internet.

8. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein the first network comprises a virtual private network.

9. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein the first network comprises a physical private network.

10. The server network defined in claim 1 wherein the second network comprises a local area network (LAN).