Method and arrangement in a distributed system

• US 7,099,865 B1
• Filed: 12/14/1999
• Issued: 08/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Andersson, Christoffer, Johansson, Staffan, Jannok, Daniel
• Primary Examiner(s): Rimell, Sam
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chojnacki, Mellissa M.
• Application Number:
  US09/461,110
• Time in Patent Office: 2,450 Days
• Field of Search: 371/5, 371/39, 707 1- 10, 707200-206, 707219-222, 717/11
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H04L 41/0846 based on copy from other elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database

Abstract

A method and arrangement in a distributed system for synchronizing configuring data at a receiving unit with corresponding source configuring data. The configuring data and the source configuring data are arranged in one or preferably several groups of data. Reference checksums are calculated (201) for each data group. The receiving unit determines (202) whether the content in each data group of the configuring data at the receiving unit matches the corresponding reference checksum. The receiving unit requests (203) the source unit to transfer copies to the receiving unit of the source configuring data in those data groups for which a mismatch is detected. The requested data is downloaded (204) from the source unit to the receiving unit.

Claims

1. In a wireless telecommunications system, a method of synchronizing configuring data, which is utilized for proper operation of a base station and is stored in a base station database with corresponding configuring data stored in one or more source units each unit having a database for storing configuring data, the base station database and the source unit databases each being arranged in a single data group or a plurality of data groups within each database, the method comprising the steps of:

calculating a reference checksum for each of the data groups in the base station database and the source unit database, wherein the data groups in the base station database correspond with the data groups in the one or more source units;

monitoring all base station data groups;

comparing a calculated checksum of each data group in the base station database to the reference checksum of each corresponding data group in the one or more source units; and

requesting a copy of the base station data group for which a mismatch is found, to be downloaded to the base station database from the corresponding one or more source units upon detecting a mismatch between the corresponding one or more source units data group'"'"'s reference checksum and the corresponding calculated checksum.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

subsequent to the step of calculating reference checksums, downloading the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to the base station, wherein the reference checksum in each data group in the corresponding one or more source units database is calculated using the content of the corresponding one or more source units configuring data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to corresponding calculated base station data group checksums is initiated upon detecting operation disturbances in the base station.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of comparing the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to the corresponding calculated base station data group checksums further comprises repeating the comparison on a regular basis.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising repeating the comparison on a regular basis having a predetermined time interval between each comparison.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising performing the comparison for each data group in the base station database, wherein an individual time interval between comparisons is predetermined for each data group.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

performing checksum calculations of the configuring data for each base station data group; and

comparing the calculated checksums to the reference checksums received from the corresponding one or more source units.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the base station data groups are classified according to the need for the content of each data group, wherein the configuring data in a data group classified as more urgent is downloaded to the base station prior to downloading configuring data in a data group classified as less urgent and copies of the corresponding one or more source unit'"'"'s configuring data for each data group are downloaded as needed in order according to the classification of the data group, wherein a source unit comprises a mobile switching center (MSC).

9. In a wireless telecommunications system, a system for synchronizing configuring data stored in a base station database with corresponding configuring data stored in a corresponding one or more source units database, the base station database and the corresponding one or more source units database each being arranged in a single data group or a plurality of data groups within each database, the system comprising:

means for calculating a reference checksum for each of the data groups in the base station database and the corresponding one or more source units database;

means for monitoring all base station data groups;

comparison means for comparing a calculated checksum of each data group in the base station database to the reference checksum of each corresponding data group in the corresponding one or more source units database; and

means for requesting a copy of the corresponding one or more source units data group for which a mismatch is found, to be downloaded to the base station database from the corresponding source unit data group upon detecting a mismatch between the corresponding source unit data group'"'"'s reference checksum and the corresponding calculated checksum.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for downloading the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to the base station, wherein the reference checksum in each data group in the corresponding one or more source units database are calculated using the content of the corresponding one or more source units configuring data.

11. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for initiating comparison of the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to the corresponding calculated base station data group checksums upon detecting operation disturbances in the base station.

12. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for repeating the comparison of the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums to the corresponding calculated base station data group checksums on a regular basis.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the means for repeating the comparison of the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums further comprises means for repeating the comparison on a regular basis having a predetermined time interval between each comparison.

14. The system of claim 12, further comprising means for performing the comparison for each data group in the base station database, wherein an individual time interval between comparisons is predetermined for each data group.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

means for performing checksum calculations of the configuring data for each base station data group; and

means for comparing the calculated checksums to the corresponding one or more source units data group reference checksums received from the corresponding one or more source units.

16. The system of claim 9, further comprising means for classifying the base station data groups, wherein the base station data groups are classified according to the need of the content of each data group, wherein the configuring data in a data group classified as more urgent is downloaded to the base station prior to downloading configuring data in a data group classified as less urgent and copies of the corresponding one or more source units configuring data for each data group are downloaded as needed in order according to the classification of the data group, wherein a source unit comprises a mobile switching center (MSC).