Method and system for updating an archive of a computer file

• US 8,019,731 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2010
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Forster, Karl D.
• Primary Examiner(s): TRUONG, CAM Y T
• Application Number:
  US12/888,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 356 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/667
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/83 the solution involving signatures

Abstract

A method and system for updating an archive of a computer file to reflect changes made to the file includes selecting one of a plurality of comparison methods as a preferred comparison method. The comparison methods include a first comparison method wherein the file is compared to an archive of the file and a second comparison method wherein a first set of tokens statistically representative of the file is computed and compared to a second set of tokens statistically representative of the archive of the file. The method further includes carrying out the preferred comparison method to generate indicia of differences between the file and the archive of the file for updating the archive of the file.

Claims

1. A system for updating an archive of a computer file, comprising:

a hard disk configured to store a file on a client computer;

a byte differencing engine configured to generate one or more first indicia of difference between individual bytes in the file stored in the hard disk and corresponding individual bytes associated with an archive of the file, wherein the one or more first indicia of difference generated with the byte differencing engine includes one or more of the individual bytes in the file stored in the hard disk that are different from the corresponding one or more individual bytes associated with the archive of the file;

a block differencing engine configured to generate one or more second indicia of difference between a first set of tokens that statistically represent the file stored in the hard disk and a second set and of tokens that statistically represent the archive of the file, wherein the one or more second indicia of difference generated with the block differencing engine includes one or more multiple byte blocks in the file stored in the hard disk that are different from one or more corresponding multiple byte blocks associated with the archive of the file;

a condition analysis subsystem configured to automatically select either the byte differencing engine or the block differencing engine to update the archive of the file based on whether one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy a predetermined condition, wherein the condition analysis subsystem is configured to automatically select the block differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy the predetermined condition or the byte differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer do not satisfy the predetermined condition; and

a processor configured to convey either the one or more first indicia of difference or the one or more second indicia of difference from the client computer to a server computer to update the archive of the file in response to the condition analysis subsystem selecting either the byte differencing engine or the block differencing engine to update the archive of the engine includes one or more of the individual bytes in the file stored in the hard disk that are different from the corresponding one or more individual bytes associated with the archive of the file.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the condition analysis subsystem is configured to automatically select the byte differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy the predetermined condition or the block differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer do not satisfy the predetermined condition.

3. A method for updating an archive of a computer file, comprising:

storing a file on a client computer;

selecting either a byte differencing engine or a block differencing engine to update an archive of the file, wherein a condition analysis subsystem automatically selects either the byte differencing engine or the block differencing engine based on whether one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy a predetermined condition;

generating one or more first indicia of difference between the file and the archive of the file to update the archive of the file, wherein the generating the one or more first indicia of difference includes;

comparing, in response to the condition analysis subsystem selecting the byte differencing engine, individual bytes in the file stored on the client computer with corresponding individual bytes associated with the archive of the file to generate the one or more indicia first of difference;

comparing, in response to the condition analysis subsystem selecting the block differencing engine, a first set of tokens that statistically represent the file stored on the client computer with a second set and of tokens that statistically represent the archive of the file to generate one or more second indicia of difference; and

conveying either the one or more first indicia of difference generated with the byte differencing engine or the one or more second indicia of difference generated with the block differencing engine from the client computer to a server computer, wherein the server computer uses the one or more first indicia of difference conveyed from the client computer to update the archive of the file;

wherein the one or more first indicia of difference generated with the byte differencing engine includes one or more of the individual bytes in the file stored in the hard disk that are different from the corresponding one or more individual bytes associated with the archive of the file,

wherein the one or more second indicia of difference generated with the block differencing engine includes one or more multiple byte blocks in the file stored in the hard disk that are different from one or more corresponding multiple byte blocks associated with the archive of the file,

wherein the condition analysis subsystem automatically selects the block differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy the predetermined condition or the byte differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer do not satisfy the predetermined condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the byte differencing engine identifies one or more of the individual bytes in the file stored on the client computer that are different from the corresponding one or more individual bytes associated with the archive of the file to generate the one or more first indicia of difference.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the block differencing engine identifies one or more multiple byte blocks in the file stored on the client computer that are different from one or more corresponding multiple byte blocks associated with the archive of the file to generate the one or more second indicia of difference.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the condition analysis subsystem automatically selects the byte differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer satisfy the predetermined condition or the block differencing engine in response to determining that the one or more criteria associated with the client computer do not satisfy the predetermined condition.