Method and system for managing data

• US 7,765,230 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2005
• Issued: 07/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: Allen, John R., Taylor, Scott D., Chilukuri, Swathi, Heinz, Kathy K., Mistry, Rohinton N.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham; Khanh B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEEMA, AZAM M
• Application Number:
  US11/291,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,699 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/781
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2069 Management of state, configuration or failover
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2082 Data synchronisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/82 Solving problems relating to consistency

Abstract

Method and system for validating data residing on different servers is provided. The method includes providing a first user interface from a first location, said first user interface providing access to data residing on a server in the first location, a substantial copy of said data made available on a server in a second location; re-directing a user to a second user interface from the second location upon an event in the first location, said second user interface providing access to the validated data on the server in the second location; and initiating a validation mode for validating the substantial copy of the data on the server at the second location upon the event in the first location. A Validator module identifies one or more data added or updated to a metadata on the server at the second location based on said validation parameters; and verifies existence of said identified data in one or more data files on the server at the second location based on said validation parameters.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to data residing on different servers comprising:

providing a first user interface from a first location, said first user interface providing access to a first data in a first file system and a first metadata associated with the first data in the first file system, the first data and the first metadata residing on a first server in the first location;

providing a second server in a second location, said second server including a second data in a second file system and a second metadata associated with said second data in the second file system, said second data being a substantial copy of said first data;

responsive to a change in the first data or the first metadata, updating the second file system with the change;

responsive to an event occurring in the first location such that the first server is unavailable, re-directing a user from the first user interface from the first location to a second user interface from the second location, said second user interface providing access to the second data, wherein the second user interface operates in a read-only mode to prevent any user updates of the second data or the second metadata, and wherein the re-directing includes preventing user access to the first user interface;

supplying a plurality of validation parameters to a validator module;

validating the second data using the validator module upon the event in the first location, wherein the step of validating the second data comprises accessing the second data and the second metadata in the second file system, determining whether the second file system contains both the second data and the second metadata, and responsive to a determination that the second file system does not contain both the second data and the second metadata, reporting the determination;

identifying a data file added or updated to the second server from the first server based on the validation parameters to form an identified data file; and

verifying the existence of said identified data file on the second server based on the validation parameters.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the event in the first location is a failure of said server located in said first location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second metadata includes one or more attributes of data files in said second file system, said attributes including one or more of a filename, a file type, a file create date, a file created by, a file size, a last update date, a last update time, a last updated by, a last access date, a last access time, a last accessed by, and a format.

4. The method of claim 1, further including the validator module modifying the second metadata to remove references to the identified data file responsive to the identified data file not existing on the second server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said validation parameters include one or more of a start date for validating the second data, a start time for validating the second data, an end date for validating the second data, an end time for validating the second data, wherein the data file is identified when the data file was added or updated to the second server from the first server between the start time on the start date and the end time on the end date.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the Validator module modifying the second metadata when the second file system contains the second metadata and does not contain the second data so that the second metadata is synchronized with the second data.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the Validator module deleting any portion of the second data when the second file system contains the second data and does not contain the second metadata.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the Validator module deleting any portion of the second metadata when the second file system contains the second metadata and does not contain the second data.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an incomplete task that was supposed to have copied the first data to the second file system and restarting the incomplete task and running it to completion once the first file system recovers from the event.

10. A system for providing access to data residing on different servers, the system comprising:

a first server configured to store and provide access to a first data in a first file system and a first metadata associated with the first data in the first file system, the first data and the first metadata residing in a first location;

a first user interface configured to access said first data;

a second server in a second location, said second server being configured to store and provide access to a second data in a second file system and a second metadata associated with said second data in the second file system, said second data being a substantial copy of said first data, said second server being connected to the first server using a network connection, and said second file system being updated with a change responsive to the change occurring in the first data or the first metadata;

a second user interface configured to access said second data responsive to an event occurring in the first location such that the first server is unavailable, said second user interface being connected to the second server, wherein the second user interface operates in a read-only mode to prevent any user updates of the second data or the second metadata, and wherein after the event in the first location access to the first user interface is prevented; and

a Validator module configured to receive a plurality of validation parameters and validate said second data by accessing the second data and the second metadata in the second file system, determine whether the second file system contains both the second data and the second metadata, and reporting the determination of the Validator module being accessible by the second server; and

wherein the Validator module is further configured to identify a data file added or updated to the second server from the first server based on the validation parameters, and to verify the existence of said identified data file on the second server based on the validation parameters.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the event in the first location is a failure of said first server.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein said second metadata includes one or more attributes of data files in said second file system, said attributes including one or more of a filename, a file type, a file create date, a file created by, a file size, a last update date, a last update time, a last updated by, a last access date, a last access time, a last accessed by, and a format.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the Validator module is configured to modify the second metadata to remove references to said identified data file responsive to the said identified data file not existing on the second server.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein said validation parameters include one or more of a start date for validating the second data, a start time for validating the second data, an end date for validating the second data, an end time for validating the second data, wherein the data file is identified when the data file was added or updated to the second server from the first server between the start time on the start date and the end time on the end date.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the Validator module is further configured to modify the second metadata when the second file system contains the second metadata and does not contain the second data so that the second metadata is synchronized with the second data.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the Validator module is further configured to delete any portion of the second data when the second file system contains the second data and does not contain the second metadata.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the Validator module is further configured to delete any portion of the second metadata when the second file system contains the second metadata and does not contain the second data.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the Validator module is further configured to initialize in response to detecting the event.