Conflict management in a versioned file system

• US 7,953,770 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2007
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Hiranniah, Girish B., Halstrick, Christian K., Sohn, Matthias E., Kempin, Edwin, Zivkov, Sasa
• Primary Examiner(s): Lu; Kuen S
• Application Number:
  US11/736,875
• Publication Number:
  US 20080263107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,504 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/203, 707/809, 707/831
• US Class Current: 707/809
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files

Abstract

Multiple files in a versioned file system are grouped to form a fusion unit on a server. The fusion unit is exposed to a client as a browsable folder having separate files. When the server receives an indication of a change to file belonging to the fusion unit, the server determines whether the change to the file causes a conflict on the fusion unit. If the change does cause a conflict, then the conflict is reported; otherwise the fusion unit is updated to incorporate the change.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

grouping a plurality of files as a single version unit to form a fusion unit on a server;

exposing the fusion unit to a client as a browsable folder having separate files;

receiving an indication of a change to a file belonging to the fusion unit;

determining whether the indicated change to the file causes a conflict for the fusion unit; and

reporting the conflict for the fusion unit if the indicated change to the file causes the conflict for the fusion unit, else updating the fusion unit on the server to incorporate the indicated change to the file, wherein the conflict can only exist for the fusion unit.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein if the change to the file causes a conflict, the method further comprising reconciling the conflict with the fusion unit based at least in part on a conflict resolution policy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is a design time repository (DTR) server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein updating the fusion unit on the server to incorporate the change to the file comprises storing a new version of each fusion unit file, including the changed file.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from the client to check-out the file belonging to the fusion unit;

generating a working copy of the fusion unit on the server in response to the request;

receiving a changed copy of the file from the client;

determining whether the changed copy of the file conflicts with the working copy of the fusion unit; and

reporting any conflicts between the changed copy of the file and the working copy of the fusion unit.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising checking-out the fusion unit to the client in response to the request to check-out the file.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising providing a version history for a file belonging to the fusion unit in response to a version history request.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprising locking the file against check-out until the file is checked-in.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising checking-out a different file belonging to the fusion unit to a different client before the locked file is checked-in.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

deleting a member of the fusion unit by checking-out the fusion unit, deleting the member of the fusion unit, and checking-in the fusion unit.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

assigning a new version to the fusion unit in response to checking-in the fusion unit.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium having content stored thereon to provide instructions to result in an electronic device performing operations including:

grouping a plurality of files as a single version unit to form a fusion unit on a server;

exposing the fusion unit to a client as a browsable folder having separate files;

receiving an indication of a change to a file belonging to the fusion unit;

determining whether the indicated change to the file causes a conflict for the fusion unit; and

reporting the conflict for the fusion unit if the indicated change to the file causes the conflict for the fusion unit, else updating the fusion unit on the server to incorporate the indicated change to the file, wherein the conflict can only exist for the fusion unit.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein if the change to the file causes a conflict, the article of manufacture further having content to provide instructions to result in the electronic device performing additional operations including reconciling the conflict with the fusion unit based at least in part on a conflict resolution policy.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein the server is a design time repository (DTR) server.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein updating the fusion unit on the server to incorporate the change comprises storing a new version of each fusion unit file, including the changed file.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 12, further having content stored thereon to provide instructions to result in the electronic device to perform operations including:

receiving a request from the client to check-out the file belonging to the fusion unit;

generating a working copy of the fusion unit on the server in response to the request;

receiving a changed copy of the file from the client;

determining whether the changed copy of the file conflicts with the working copy of the fusion unit; and

reporting any conflicts between the changed copy of the file and the working copy of the fusion unit.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising content to cause the electronic device to perform operations including checking-out the fusion unit to the client in response to the request to check-out a file.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising content to cause the electronic device to perform operations including providing a version history for a file belonging to the fusion unit in response to a version history request.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising content to cause the electronic device to perform operations including locking the file against check-out until the file is checked-in.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, further comprising checking-out a different file belonging to the fusion unit to a different client before the locked file is checked-in.