System and method for the synchronization of a file in a cache

• US 8,645,318 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2013
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ip Ot Sub Ulc
• Original Assignee: Open TEXT SA (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Thomas, David, Wells, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US13/875,913
• Publication Number:
  US 20130246350A1
• Time in Patent Office: 278 Days
• Field of Search: 707/609, 709/203
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0804 with main memory updating G06F12/0806 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0866 for peripheral storage systems, e.g. disk cache
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/184 implemented as replicated file system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/1024 Latency reduction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/154 Networked environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/163 Server or database system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/263 Network storage, e.g. SAN or NAS
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/264 Remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2212/463 File
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• 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: Y10S 707/951 Calendar or scheduling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/959 Network
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for file synchronization. One embodiment of the system of this invention includes a software program stored on a computer readable medium. The software program can be executed by a computer processor to receive a file from a server; store the file as a cached file in a cache; determine if the cached file has been modified; and if the cached file has been modified, communicate the cached file directly to the database.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a computer processor;

a network interface operable to connect to a network;

a computer readable storage medium storing a software program executable to provide a cache manager on a client computer, the cache manager configured to;

store a file received over the network from a database server as a cached file in a local cache of the client computer;

determine that the cached file has been modified by a local application based on information indicating a change to the cached file received from an operating system of the client computer; and

communicate the modified cached file to the database server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache manager is further configured to:

interface with the operating system to receive automatic change notifications; and

receive the information indicating the change to the cached file at the cache manager in an automatic change notification.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache manager is further configured to:

poll a file system of the operating system; and

receive the information indicating the change to the cached file in response to a poll.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein polling the file system comprises polling the file system for file attributes of the cached file, including a timestamp.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the cache manager is further configured to poll the file system according to a schedule selected based on system resources of the client computer.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the cache manager comprises a user space application running in a background that is configured to store the modified cached file to the database without user interaction in the cache manager.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache manager is further configured to determine that a newer version of the file is available at the database server and notify a user of the client computer that the newer version of the file is available.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the cache manager is configured to cause the operating system to open the cached file in an application associated with a file type of the cached file.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium providing computer executable program instructions executable to provide a cache manager on a client computer having an operating system, the cache manager configured to:

store a file received over a network from a database server as a cached file in a cache at the client computer;

determine that the cached file has been modified by a local application based on information indicating a change to the cached file received from the operating system; and

communicate the modified cached file to the database server.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the cache manager is further configured to:

interface with the operating system to receive automatic change notifications; and

receive the information indicating the change to the cached file at the cache manager in an automatic change notification.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the cache manager is further configured to:

poll a file system of the operating system by the cache manager; and

receive the information indicating the change to the cached file in response to a poll.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein polling the file system of the operating system comprises polling the file system for file attributes of the cached file, including a timestamp.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the cache manager is further configured to poll the file system according to a schedule selected based on system resources of the client computer.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the cache manager comprises a user space application running in a background that is configured to store the modified cached file to the database without user interaction in the cache manager.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the cache manager is further configured to determine that a newer version of the file is available at the database server and notify a user of the client computer that the newer version of the file is available.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the cache manager is configured to cause the operating system to open the cached file in an application associated with a file type of the cached file.

17. A method for file synchronization:

receiving a file from a database server over a network at a client computer, the client computer having an operating system with a file system;

storing, by a cache manager, the file as a cached file in a cache at the client computer;

determining, by the cache manager, that the cached file has been modified by a local application based on information indicating a change to the cached file received from the operating system; and

communicating, by the cache manager, the modified cached file to the database server.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

interfacing with the operating system to receive automatic change notifications; and

receiving the information indicating the change to the cached file at the cache manager in an automatic change notification.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

polling a file system of the operating system by the cache manager; and

receiving the information indicating the change to the cached file in response to a poll.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein polling the file system of the operating system comprises polling the file system for file attributes of the cached file, including a timestamp.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising polling the file system of the operating system according to a schedule, wherein the schedule is selected based on system resources of the client computer.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the cache manager comprises a user space application running in a background that is configured to store the modified cached file to the database without user interaction in the cache manager.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising determining, by the cache manager that a newer version of the file is available at the database server and notifying a user of the client computer that the newer version of the file is available.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising prompting, by the cache manager, the operating system to open the cached file in an application associated with a file type of the cached file.