Intelligent client architecture computer system and method

• US 7,536,421 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2004
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Landmark Technology Partners Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Landmark Technology Partners Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsinman, Igor, McGill, Robert E., Mazur, Jamie
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Hung Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEUNG, HUBERT G
• Application Number:
  US10/974,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235018A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,664 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2322 using timestamps
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/466 Transaction processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A collision detection and data synchronization mechanism operates to expand the speed and capability of distributed applications. The execution environment employs collision detection and data synchronization to distribute data objects to appropriate network nodes to support local processing. The collision detection and data synchronization mechanism defines the set of processes and algorithms used to track distributed data objects and to manage changes to the distributed objects throughout a network of intelligent computing devices. Data and code are distributed to local computing devices necessitating tracking and synchronizing updates. The system and method ensures that data updates received during the course of a local transaction do not unwillingly affect the results of other transactions by notifying the local computing devices of changes to the data that are subject of the transaction. These conflicts are then resolved in the applications, and notification of the resolution is sent to the remaining intelligent computing devices.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network, the method comprising:

requesting data resident in a remote computing device by a process running on a local computing device;

providing the requested data from the remote computing device to the local computing device;

copying the requested data from the remote computing device into a transaction data cache and a main data cache of the local computing device and delivering the copied data to the transaction;

managing the transaction using the copied requested data from the transaction data cache, thereby accumulating changes in the data stored in the transaction data cache;

updating the main data cache with data changes made at the remote computing device by other users or automatic processes;

detecting local data collision conflicts based upon comparisons of the main data cache and the data changes stored in the transaction data cache;

resolving the local data collision conflicts;

transporting results of local data collision conflict resolutions to the remote computing device;

detecting remote data change collision conflicts based upon comparisons of the results of the local data collision conflict resolutions and data items changed by the other users or automatic processes on the remote computing device;

resolving the remote data collision conflicts;

detecting remote database collision conflicts based upon comparisons of the results of the local data collision conflict resolutions and a persistent data store on the remote computing device;

resolving the remote database collision conflicts;

updating the persistent data store on the remote computing device using a result of the remote database collision conflict resolutions;

transmitting the result of the remote database collision conflict resolutions to the local computing device and other computing devices affected by the remote data collision conflicts;

and updating local data based upon the results of the remote data collision conflict resolutions.

2. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, where prior to the step of requesting data resident in a remote computing device, the local computing device performs a local resource check of a local file system.

3. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, where prior to the step of requesting data resident in a remote computing device, the local computing device performs a local resource check of a local data cache.

4. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, further comprising requesting data from multiple remote devices.

5. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 4, further comprising checking a directory of the multiple remote devices to locate the requested data from the multiple remote devices and using an address provided by the directory to resolve to the remote computing device containing the requested data from the multiple remote devices.

6. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 5, wherein database management software residing on the remote computing device that received the request for data resident in the remote computing device is used to retrieve the requested data.

7. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 5, wherein database management software resides on a second remote computing device connected to the remote computing device receiving the request for data resident in the remote computing device is used to retrieve the requested data.

8. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein the request for data resident on the remote computing device is formed using a data model and object model that is duplicated between the local computing device and the remote computing device thereby employing a syntax determined from the local data model to request the data resident on the remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device uses an exact copy of the local data model to interpret the request for data resident on the remote computing device.

9. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein the remote computing device registers interest in the requested data retrieved by the local computing device that requested the data and updates the interest to a persistent storage device.

10. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 9, wherein the updates to the persistent storage device is indexed by a local computing device session identifier and a data identifier related to the requested data delivered to the local computing device.

11. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein after providing the requested data from the remote computing device to the local computing device, the local computing device stores the requested data in a local memory data cache.

12. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein after providing the requested data from the remote computing device to the local computing device, the local computing device stores the requested data in a local file system.

13. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein the accumulated changes in the data stored in the transaction data cache further comprises a log of the data indicating a before value, an after value, and a date and a time stamp for individual data items.

14. The method for synchronizing data for a transaction in a distributed applications network of claim 1, wherein the step of detecting local data collision conflicts based upon comparisons of the main data cache and the data changes stored in the transaction data cache further comprises:

the local computing device notifying the transaction that a conflict occurred; and

the local computing device notifying the transaction of conflicting values of a data item.

15. A method of implementing synchronized distributed objects comprising:

requesting data in a remote computing device by a local computing device to be used in a requested transaction;

receiving the data request at the remote computing device;

transporting the requested data from the remote computing device to the local computing device;

receiving the requested data at the local computing device;

copying the requested data to a main cache and to a transaction cache data store of the local computing device;

delivering the copied requested data to the requested transaction;

registering the copied requested data on the local computing device as used by the requested transaction;

performing the requested transaction;

updating the transaction cache data store to reflect changes made to the copied requested data by a local user or other users or automatic processes performing the requested transaction on the local computing device;

updating the main cache with data changes made at the remote computing device by the other users or the automatic processes;

detecting a data collision conflict by comparing the changes made to the copied requested data by the requested transaction to local data storage resources by the local computing device;

notifying the requested transaction that the data collision conflict occurred and notifying the requested transaction of conflicting values of the requested data;

resolving the local data collision conflicts;

transporting results of the local data collision conflict resolutions to the remote computing device;

detecting remote data change collision conflicts based upon comparisons of the results of the local data collision conflict resolutions and data item changes made by the other users or the automatic processes;

resolving the remote data change collision conflicts;

detecting remote database collision conflicts based upon comparison of the results of the local data collision conflict resolutions and a persistent data store on the remote computing device;

resolving the remote database collision conflicts;

updating the persistent data store on the remote computing device by transmitting the results of the remote database collision conflict resolutions to the local computing device and other computing devices affected by the remote database collision resolutions; and

updating local data based upon the remote database collision conflict resolutions.

16. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, where prior to the step of requesting data resident in a remote computing device, the local computing device performs a local resource check of a local file system.

17. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, where prior to the step of requesting data resident in a remote computing device, the local computing device performs a local resource check of a local data cache.

18. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, further comprising requesting data from multiple remote devices.

19. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 18, further comprising checking a directory of the multiple remote devices to locate the requested data from the multiple remote devices and using an address provided by the directory to resolve to the remote computing device containing the requested data from the multiple remote devices.

20. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein the request for data in the remote computing device is formed using a data model and object model that is duplicated between the local computing device and the remote computing device thereby employing a syntax determined from the local data model to request the data in the remote computing device, and wherein the remote computing device uses an exact copy of the local data model to interpret the request for data in the remote computing device.

21. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 20, wherein database management software residing on the remote computing device that received the data request is used to retrieve the requested data.

22. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 20, wherein database management software residing on a second remote computing device connected to the remote computing device receiving the data request is used to retrieve the requested data.

23. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein the remote computing device registers interest in the requested data retrieved by the local computing device that requested the data and updates the interest to a persistent storage device.

24. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 23, wherein the updates to the persistent storage device is indexed by a local computing device session identifier and a data identifier related to the requested data delivered to the local computing device.

25. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein prior to copying the requested data to a transaction cache data store, the local computing device stores the requested data in a local memory data cache.

26. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein prior to copying the requested data to a transaction cache data store, the local computing device stores the requested data in a local file system.

27. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein updating the transaction cache data store to reflect changes made to the copied data further comprises a log of the data indicating a before value, an after value, and a date and a time stamp for individual data items.

28. The method of implementing synchronized distributed objects of claim 15, wherein the requested data is copied to a transaction data cache separate from the main cache of the local computing device and separate from a main local data storage area on the file system of the local computing device.