System and method for web or file system asset management

• US 7,162,477 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 01/09/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mukherjee, Rajat
• Primary Examiner(s): Breene; John E.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US09/390,154
• Time in Patent Office: 2,685 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102, 709/203, 709217-219, 709/230, 714/4, 715/513
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/904 Browsing; Visualisation therefor for navigating the web G06F16/954; browsing optimisation for the web G06F16/957
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9566 URL specific, e.g. using aliases, detecting broken or misspelled links
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for managing assets in a file system or plural Web servers includes crawling the assets to identify the assets in the system and any reference pointers, such as hyperlinks in the Web context, to other assets in the system. Metadata representing the assets and pointers is stored in a database that is linked to the assets, such that, e.g., backing up of the database causes the assets to be backed up. Any broken pointers such as hyperlinks that point to non-existent Web pages are addressed. Then, the database and the links between the database and the underlying assets are used to manage subsequent modifications, additions, and deletions to, e.g., assets on a Web server, such that it can be ensured that when a user clicks on a hyperlink, a “file not found” message is avoided.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing assets on plural Web servers, comprising the acts of:

crawling the Web servers to identify assets and hyperlinks therein;

storing data representative of the assets and hyperlinks in a database; and

using the database, ensuring that when a user browser selects a hyperlink represented in the database, the user is not presented with a “

file not found”

message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the acts of:

determining that any hyperlink is a broken hyperlink when the hyperlink points to an asset not represented in the database;

undertaking action to address broken hyperlinks, the integrity of the hyperlinks being preserved once the hyperlinks are addressed.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the undertaking act includes modifying an asset on the Web server or adding an asset to the Web server such that when a user browser selects a hyperlink in an asset on one of the Web servers, the user is not presented with a “

file not found”

message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the using act further includes:

linking the data representative of the assets and hyperlinks resident in the database to the corresponding assets on the Web servers.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising the acts of:

determining that a user is attempting to create a new asset on one of the Web servers;

receiving the new asset;

copying the new asset to a Web server;

crawling the new asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein; and

storing data representative of the assets and hyperlinks in the database.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the acts of:

determining that a user is attempting to modify an existing asset in one of the Web servers;

unlinking the existing asset from the database;

allowing the user to update the existing asset to render a modified asset, a copy of the existing asset being retained;

crawling the modified asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein;

storing data representative of the assets and hyperlinks of the modified asset in the database; and

relinking the modified asset and existing asset with the database.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is remote from the Web servers.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically backing up the assets and hyperlinks when the database is backed up.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising automatically recovering backed up assets and hyperlinks to their respective Web servers when the database is recovered.

10. A computer system for managing assets in a data repository such as at least one Web server or at least one file system, comprising:

computer readable code means for identifying the assets and for identifying reference pointers in the assets to other assets in the data repository;

computer readable code means for determining that a reference pointer is a broken reference pointer when the reference pointer refers to an asset not present in the data repository, such that a system manager can address the broken reference pointers, wherein the data repository includes at least one file system or at least two Web servers, and the system further comprises;

computer readable code means for linking the assets to a database containing metadata representative of the assets and reference pointers, such that backups of the database automatically cause the associated assets to be backed up on the file system or web servers;

wherein at least one of the code means is stored on a computer-readable medium.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein broken reference pointers are addressed using computer readable code means such that subsequent computer-based selections of the reference pointers are not possible or, if possible, do not result in “

file not found”

messages.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

computer readable code means for determining that a user is attempting to create a new asset on one of the Web servers;

computer readable code means for receiving the new asset;

computer readable code means for copying the new asset to a Web server;

computer readable code means for crawling the new asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein; and

computer readable code means for storing data representative of the assets and hyperlinks in the data base.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

computer readable code means for determining that a user is attempting to modify an existing asset in one of the Web servers;

computer readable code means for unlinking the asset from the database;

computer readable code means for allowing the user to update the asset to render a modified asset;

computer readable code means for crawling the modified asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein;

computer readable code means for storing data representative of the assets and hyperlinks of the modified asset in the database; and

computer readable code means for relinking the database with the modified asset.

14. A computer readable medium including at least one program of instructions readable by a Web server to undertake method acts comprising:

crawling the web server to identify assets and hyperlinks therein;

sending metadata representative of the assets and hyperlinks to a database, whereby when a user browser selects a hyperlink represented in the database, the user is never presented with a “

file not found”

message.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 14, wherein the method acts further comprise:

determining that a user is attempting to create a new asset the Web server;

receiving the new asset;

copying the new asset to a Web server;

crawling the new asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein; and

storing metadata representative of the assets and hyperlinks in the database.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the method acts further comprise:

determining that a user is attempting to modify an existing asset in the Web server, such that the asset can be unlinked from the database in response;

allowing the user to update the asset to render a modified asset;

crawling the modified asset to identify assets and hyperlinks therein;

sending metadata representative of the assets and hyperlinks of the modified asset in the database, such that the database can be relinked with the modified asset.

17. A computer readable medium including a program of instructions to undertake method acts comprising:

receiving, in a database, data representative of assets and hyperlinks from plural web server;

maintaining the database such that when a user browser selects a hyperlink represented in the database, the user is never presented with a “

file not found”

message.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method acts further comprise:

determining whether any hyperlink is a broken hyperlink when the hyperlink points to an asset not represented in the database; and

facilitating action to address broken hyperlinks.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method acts further include:

linking the data representative of the asset and hyperlinks resident in the database to the corresponding assets on the Web servers.