System and method for updating a cache

• US 7,000,074 B2
• Filed: 05/26/2004
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Wootton, Steven Marlow
• Primary Examiner(s): Peugh, Brian R.
• Application Number:
  US10/853,250
• Publication Number:
  US 20040220924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• Field of Search: 711/133, 711/154, 711/159, 711/167, 709/216, 709/201, 709/203, 707/205, 707/206
• US Class Current: 711/133
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0815 Cache consistency protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99957 Garbage collection

Abstract

A system and method designed to reduce network congestion. In one aspect, a system according to the invention includes a server and two or more clients. Each client has software that runs on the client. The software requires data that is stored at the server. Advantageously, the software maintains a cache for storing the required data after the data is retrieved by the software from the server. Once the required data is in a cache, the software need not retrieve the required data from the server; the software can retrieve the required data from the software'"'"'s cache. To ensure that the data that is stored in the cache does not become stale and to avoid network overload, the software updates its cache at a random point in time.

Claims

1. A method for launching applications on a workstation, the method comprising:

determining an identifier associated with a policy;

retrieving application information associated with the identifier, wherein the application information is retrieved from a cache;

launching the applications on the workstation using the retrieved application information;

generating a random number; and

updating the cache after an amount of time associated with the random number has elapsed, wherein the cache is updated based on the policy with updated application information from a server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a user identifier and a workstation identifier, and the policy comprises at least one of a user policy associated with the user identifier and a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifier comprises a workstation identifier and the policy comprises a workstation policy configured according to at least one system capability.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising, prior to updating the cache, verifying that at least one system requirement associated with the updated application information is met by the at least one system capability.

5. A storage medium for storing a machine readable code, the machine readable code being executable to launch applications on a workstation according to the steps of:

determining an identifier associated with a policy;

retrieving application information associated with the identifier from a cache;

launching the applications on the workstation using the retrieved application information;

generating a random number; and

updating the cache after an amount of time associated with the random number has elapsed, wherein the cache is updated with updated application information associated with the policy.

6. The storage medium of claim 5 wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a user identifier and a workstation identifier, and the policy comprises at least one of a user policy associated with the user identifier and a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier.

7. The storage medium of claim 6 wherein the applications are associated with at least one of the user policy and the workstation policy.

8. The storage medium of claim 5 wherein the identifier comprises a workstation identifier and the policy comprises a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier configured according to at least one system capability.

9. The storage medium of claim 8, the machine readable code further being executable according to additional step of, prior to updating the cache, verifying that at least one system requirement associated with the updated application information is met by the at least one system capability.

10. A method for updating a cache associated with a user on a workstation, the method comprising:

determining an identifier associated with a policy;

generating a random number; and

updating the cache after an amount of time associated with the random number has elapsed, wherein the cache is updated with information associated with the policy.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a user identifier and a workstation identifier, and the policy comprises at least one of a user policy associated with the user identifier and a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the information is application information related to an application associated with at least one of the user policy and the workstation policy.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the identifier comprises a workstation identifier and the policy comprises a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier configured according to at least one system capability.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising, prior to updating the cache, verifying that at least one system requirement associated with the information is met by the at least one system capability.

15. A storage medium for storing a machine readable code, the machine readable code being executable to update a cache associated with a user on a workstation according to the steps of:

determining an identifier associated with a policy;

generating a random number; and

updating the cache after an amount of time associated with the random number has elapsed, wherein the cache is updated with information associated with the policy.

16. The storage medium of claim 15 wherein the identifier comprises at least one of a user identifier and a workstation identifier, and the policy comprises at least one of a user policy associated with the user identifier and a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier.

17. The storage medium of claim 16 wherein the information is application information related to an application associated with at least one of the user policy and the workstation policy.

18. The storage medium of claim 15 wherein the identifier comprises a workstation identifier and the policy comprises a workstation policy associated with the workstation identifier configured according to at least one system capability.

19. The storage medium of claim 18, the machine readable code further being executable according to additional step of, prior to updating the cache, verifying that at least one system requirement associated with the information is met by the at least one system capability.