Network interface for distributed intelligence database system

• US 20080046438A1
• Filed: 09/11/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: IBM International Group BV (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Almy, Steven, Utter, David, Zane, Barry, Hinshaw, Foster
• Granted Patent: US 9,037,533 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/922 Communications
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A database appliance in which two or more internetworked data storage units are used to coordinate the storage and retrieval of database records. One or more central database processing units are also associated with the data storage units. A network infrastructure provides the ability for the central database processors and storage processors to communicate as network nodes, with the network infrastructure using a communication protocol. A software application for executing database operations executes in a distributed fashion with portions of the database application executing on at least one central database processor and other portions executing on the data storage processors. At least a portion of the database application is implemented within and/or coordinated by a communication process that is executing the communication protocol. This coordination takes place such that data blocks are passed between the communication process and at least one portion of the database application process by passing data block reference information. In accordance with other aspects of the present invention, the communication process may have at least portions of the database application process executing within it. These database application operations executing within the same context as the communication process may include database operations such as join, sort, aggregate, restrict, reject, expression evaluation, statistical analysis or other operations.

Claims

1. A distributed data processing system for executing database operations comprising:

(a) two or more data storage processors for coordinating and processing the storage of database records;

(b) at least one central database processor for processing database operations;

(c) a network infrastructure providing for network connection of the data storage processors and at least one central database processor as network nodes to support communication of data among network nodes, the network infrastructure using a communication protocol;

(d) a communication process responsible for communicating data blocks in one or more messages communicated among network nodes;

(e) an application process for executing database operations, with portions of the application process executing on the data storage processors, and portions of the application process executing on at least one central database processor; and

(f) at least part of the communication process having at least some of the application process executing within it.

2. A system as in claim 1 wherein a data storage processor also serves as a central database processor.

3. A system as in claim 1 wherein a portion of the application process executes in a network interface component.

4. A system as in claim 1 wherein the communication process in a receiver performs operations on received data packets prior to forwarding them to an application process executing on the receiver.

5. A system as in claim 4 wherein the operations are database operations.

6. A system as in claim 5 wherein the database operations are selected from a group consisting of join, sort, aggregate, restrict, reject, expression evaluation or statistical analysis.

7. A system as in claim 4 wherein the operations are checksum operations.

8. A system as in claim 1 wherein the communication process in a receiver processes data packets to determine routing information prior to passing them to an application layer process.

9. A system as in claim 1 wherein the application process executes in a central processing unit in the central database processor.

10. A system as in claim 1 wherein the communication process executes in a network interface component associated with the central database processor.

11. A system as in claim 10 wherein multiple network interface components are associated with the central database processor to provide a Massively Parallel Processor (MPP) architecture for processing parts of database queries.

12. A system as in claim 1 wherein source data and database primitive operation results from the communication process are stored in a common memory accessible to a network interface component executing the communication process as well as to an application process executing on a central database processor.