Implementing synchronization of state information between instances of an application as well as between different applications in an efficient, scalable manner

• US 10,057,343 B2
• Filed: 05/29/2013
• Issued: 08/21/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Howard, Curtiss J., Kaplinger, Todd E., Nagy, William A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pollack, Melvin H
• Application Number:
  US13/904,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20140358988A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 707617
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2038 with a single idle spare processing component
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0802 Addressing of a memory level in which the access to the desired data or data block requires associative addressing means, e.g. caches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for implementing synchronization of state information in an efficient, scalable manner. A shared state server receives a request from a client device to access a scope containing state information. The scope is distributed over a partition(s) via the use of a “data grid” thereby increasing scalability. The shared state server relays the request to a data grid server responsible for maintaining the data grid comprised of an in-memory cache and partitions outside of the in-memory cache. The request includes a key associated with a value corresponding to the requested state information. The data grid server obtains the value associated with the key from its data grid and sends it to the shared state server to be relayed to the requesting client device. In this manner, the state information is stored in a scalable manner thereby improving the efficiency in synchronizing state information.

Claims

1. A method for implementing synchronization of state information in an efficient, scalable manner, the method comprising:

receiving a request relayed from a first server, wherein said request is a request from a first client device to obtain state information stored in a scope, wherein said scope is distributed over one or more partitions, wherein said request comprises a key associated with a value corresponding to said state information;

identifying one of said one or more partitions storing said value associated with said key;

obtaining said value from said one of said one or more partitions; and

sending, by a processor, said value to said first server to be relayed to said first client device.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

identifying said one of said one or more partitions storing said value associated with said key in response to said value not being stored in an in-memory cache.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said in-memory cache resides on a second server, wherein said one of said one or more partitions resides on a third server.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein said in-memory cache comprises a plurality of containers, wherein said plurality of containers store portions of data in said in-memory cache, wherein each of said plurality of containers comprises a virtual machine that stores one or more data objects.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said key is prefixed with a company namespace.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising:

identifying a shard of said one of said one or more partitions storing said value associated with said company namespace; and

obtaining said value from said shard of said one of said one or more partitions.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein said state information comprises one of the following:

user-wide state information, device-wide state information and application-specific state information.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an update to said state information from said first client device; and

notifying one or more other client devices regarding said update to said state information that have access to said scope.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an update to said state information used by a first application from said first client device, wherein said state information comprises common information shared between said first application and a second application; and

notifying a second client device regarding said update to said common information to be used by said second application of said second client device.