Selective durability in a directory database

• US 8,180,733 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Rathi, Pradeep Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): BETIT, JACOB F
• Application Number:
  US12/407,075
• Publication Number:
  US 20100241676A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,153 Days
• Field of Search: 707/634
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity

Abstract

Selective durability in a directory database is presented. A directory database that provides durability processing includes a mechanism where selective attributes for directory resources can turn durability processing off. So, when a directory transaction is encountered having a durability processing turned off, the directory database processes that directory transaction without first flushing the directory transaction from memory to storage.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving a turn-durability-off setting for an attribute of a resource managed by a directory, interacting with an administrator via a front-end interface to the directory that selectively provides the turn-durability-off setting for one of several attributes assigned to the resource where the other attributes of the resource lack the turn-durability-off setting and therefore include durability processing when processed by a directory database for other directory transactions;

updating a listing to assign the turn-durability-off setting to the attribute;

subsequently detecting a directory transaction that alters the attribute; and

passing the directory transaction to the directory database for processing and instructing the directory database to process the directory transaction without flushing the directory transaction from memory to storage in response to the turn-durability-off setting included in the listing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further includes receiving an additional setting for the resource indicating that the resource can have durability turned back on depending upon subsequent directory transactions taken on the resource.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein updating further includes accessing the listing as a data structure maintained by the method separately from the directory database.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein passing further includes communicating with the directory database at a database layer of communication within the directory database.

5. A method performed by one or more processors executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving a turn-durability-off setting for an attribute of a resource managed by a directory;

accessing a listing as another resource maintained within the directory database and updating the listing to assign the turn-durability-off setting to the attribute;

subsequently detecting a directory transaction that alters the attribute; and

passing the directory transaction to the directory database for processing and instructing the directory database to process the directory transaction without flushing the directory transaction from memory to storage in response to the turn-durability-off setting included in the listing.

6. A method performed by one or more processors executing instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, the method comprising:

receiving a directory transaction for execution against a directory database;

determining that the directory transaction is a volatile transaction to data associated with an attribute of a resource managed by the directory database;

acquiring a setting for the attribute indicating that durability is to be turned off for the directory transaction that modifies the attribute, wherein acquiring further includes indexing an identifier for the attribute into a listing and determining that an entry for the identifier within the listing indicates that durability is to be turned off via a presence of the setting within the entry; and

passing the directory transaction to the directory database for execution indicating to the directory database that the directory transaction is to be performed without flushing the directory transaction from memory to storage.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein receiving further includes intercepting the directory transaction from a database layer of the directory database before the directory database has an opportunity to execute the directory transaction.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein determining further includes recognizing the directory transaction as including one or more of the following:

a write operation, a delete operation, and a modify operation.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein acquiring further includes detecting an identifier for the attribute with the volatile transaction and locating the identifier in a listing of other attributes that are to have durability turned off thereby implying the setting.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein passing further includes instructing the directory database to do a full entry log for the directory transaction when the directory database uses a differential approach to reconstruct the results of the directory transaction and when subsequent directory transactions associated with the attribute can permissibly and selectively turn durability back on.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein passing further includes providing the directory transaction and an instruction to process the directory transaction without flushing from the memory to the storage at a database layer of the directory database.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising, processing the method as an agent service of the directory database.

13. A system including one or more processors and instructions stored on a non-tangible computer-readable storage medium, the instructions adapted to be executed by the one or more processors, comprising:

a directory database implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of a network;

a directory agent implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on a processor of the network;

wherein the directory database interacts with the directory agent to process directory transactions, and wherein when the directory agent determines that a particular directory transaction is associated with a setting for an attribute of a resource that is to have durability processing turned off, and wherein the directory agent passes the particular directory transaction to the directory database with an instruction to process the particular directory transaction without flushing it from memory to storage, and wherein the directory agent determines that the setting is set for the attribute by locating an entry in a listing for an identifier associated with the attribute.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the listing is maintained within the directory database.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the listing is maintained by the directory agent independent of the directory database.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the setting was originally provided by an administrator that selectively provided the setting for the attribute when other attributes associated with the resource did not include the setting ensuring that other directory transactions that utilize the other attributes have the durability processing turned on, thus, the other directory transactions are to be flushed from the memory to the storage by the directory database before processed by the directory database.

17. A system including one or more processors and instructions stored on a non-tangible computer-readable storage medium, the instructions adapted to be executed by the one or more processors comprising:

a directory database implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on one or more processors of a network;

a directory agent implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on a processor of the network;

wherein the directory database interacts with the directory agent to process directory transactions, and wherein when the directory agent determines that a particular directory transaction is associated with a setting for an attribute of a resource that is to have durability processing turned off, and wherein the directory agent passes the particular directory transaction to the directory database with an instruction to process the particular directory transaction without flushing it from memory to storage, wherein the directory agent also instructs the directory database to do a full entry log on the particular directory transaction because subsequent directory transactions that utilize the attribute turn the durability processing back on.

18. A system including one or more processors and instructions stored on a non-tangible computer-readable storage medium, the instructions adapted to be executed by the one or more processors, comprising:

a directory agent interface implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on a processor of a network; and

a directory agent implemented in a computer-readable storage medium and to execute on the processor or another processor of the network;

wherein the directory agent interface interacts with an administrator to selectively provide a setting for particular attributes of resources, where other attributes for the resources lack the turn-durability off setting and therefore include durability processing when processed by the directory database for other directory transactions, the setting indicates that durability processing for a directory database is to be turned off, and wherein the directory agent inspects directory transactions directed to the directory database and when a particular directory transaction includes the setting for one of the particular attributes, the directory agent instructs the directory database to process the particular directory transaction without flushing that particular directory transaction from memory to storage.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the directory agent interface maintains a listing of the particular attributes having the setting for the directory agent to access and inspect.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the directory agent interface updates entries in the directory database for resources to include the setting on the particular attributes.