Database updates induced communication in a communication network
According to the subject matter disclosed herein, an application miming on a network communication subsystem is assigned with at least one respective database, where data inputs received by the application induce a database update in the respective database. A database update automatically induces packaging of the updated data in a network message followed by transmission of the message to one or more other network communication subsystems connected to the same network. Likewise, in the other direction, an incoming network data-update message, received by the network communication subsystem, initiates a chain of events that cause a database update, which may ultimately affect the data provided to an application miming at the application layer.
1 . A communication system for communicating between platforms in a fleet of platforms, where each platform comprises a network communication subsystem, the system comprising a
first network communication subsystem of a first platform connected over a communication network to one or more other network communication subsystems of one or more other platforms;
the first network communication subsystem comprising:
a processing circuitry configured to execute a first application;
a first database configured to communicate with the first application;
a database manager configured to manage operations in the first database; and a first network communication device configured to communicate with the first database and with other network communication subsystems;
wherein propagation of data updates of the first application to one or more applications executed on one or more other network communication subsystems, respectively, is executed through database updates that are automatically induced by updates at the first application, without database queries being issued for propagating the data updates, by either the first application of the applications executed at the other network communication subsystems;
the database manager is configured, following a data update at the first application, to automatically execute a database update at the first database according to the data update;
the first network communication device is configured in response to the database update to automatically
generate a network data-update message comprising data indicative of the database update; and to
transmit the first network data-update message over the communication network to the one or more other network communication subsystems.
2 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein responsive to receiving a second network data-update message transmitted by a second network communication subsystem and indicative of a data update that occurred at a second application executed at the second network communication subsystem, the network communication device is configured to respond to the second network data-update message by:
extracting the data from the second network data-update message; and
updating the database with the extracted data;
the database manager is configured to automatically respond to the database update by providing the data pertaining to the database update to the first application, thereby performing automatic data update to the first application induced by the database update and not by the first application or the second application.
3 . The communication system of claim 2 , wherein the first application and the second application are identical or operationally compatible.
4 . The communication system of claim 2 , wherein automatic updates to the first application are performed while the first application is in standby mode.
5 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first application is operatively connected to one or more input interfaces, each interface configured for receiving data input from a respective data source.
6 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first network data-update message further includes metadata identifying a respective database entry that has been updated in the database.
7 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first application is indirectly connected for data transmission to the first network communication device via a database layer comprising the database and the database manager.
8 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the first application is connected to a database interface configured to monitor data updates made at the first application and automatically update the database, without awareness of the first application.
9 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the network is a wireless network.
10 . The communication system of claim 9 , wherein the network is an RF (radio frequency) network.
11 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the platforms in the fleet include any one of an aerial, ground or marine vehicles.
12 . The communication system of claim 1 wherein the platforms in the fleet are aerial vehicles, and the fleet is an aerial vehicles fleet.
13 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the database manager is further configured to forward data indicative of the database update to the first network communication device.
14 . The communication system of claim 1 , wherein the database manager is configured to identify a difference between updated data corresponding to the data update and corresponding old data stored in the database before the update; and wherein the data indicative of the database update includes a re-constructible part of the data corresponding to the difference instead of the entire data.
15 . A communication system comprising:
a first network communication subsystem connected over a communication network to one or more other network communication subsystems;
the first network communication subsystem and the one or more other network communication subsystems are each divided into a plurality of layers including an application layer, a database layer, and a network layer; wherein transmission of data updates between the application layer and the network layer is performed through the database layer;
propagation of data updates of the first application to one or more applications executed on one or more other network communication subsystems, respectively, is executed through database updates that are automatically induced by updates at the first application, without database queries being issued, for propagating the data updates by either the first application of the applications executed at the other network communication subsystems
wherein, in the first network communication subsystem:
the application layer comprises: a first processing circuitry configured to execute a first application; the database layer comprises a first database; the network layer comprises a first network communication device configured to communicate with the first database and with other network communication subsystems;
the database layer is configured, to automatically respond to the data update, made at the first application, by automatically executing a database update at the first database according to the data update;
the first network communication device is configured to automatically respond to the database update by:
generating a network data-update message comprising data indicative of the database update; and
transmitting the network data-update message over the communication network to the one or more other network communication subsystems;
wherein, in at least a second network communication subsystem of the one or more other network communication subsystems:
a respective application layer comprises: a second processing circuitry configured to execute a second application; a respective database layer comprises a second database; a respective network layer comprises a second network communication device configured to communicate with the second database and with other network communication subsystems;
the second network communication device is configured to automatically respond to receiving the network data-update message transmitted by the first network communication device, by:
extracting the data from the network data-update message;
executing a database update at the second database according to the extracted data; and
the respective database layer is configured to automatically respond to the database update made to the second database by providing the data pertaining to the database update to the second application at the respective application layer, thereby performing automatic data update to the second application induced by the database update.
16 . A method of sharing data updates between network nodes connected over a communication network wherein each node comprises a respective application layer, database layer and network layer, the method comprising:
automatically propagating data updates of a first application executed at a first application layer of a first network node to one or more other application layers executed on one or more other network nodes, respectively, through database updates that are automatically induced by updates at the first application, without database queries being issued for propagating the data updates by either the first application or the applications executed at the other application layers, comprising:
at the database layer of the first network node
in response to a data update made at the first application executed at the first application layer, automatically executing a database update-according to the data update;
at the network layer of the first network node:
in response to the database update, automatically: generating a first network data-update message comprising data indicative of the database update; and
transmitting the first network data-update message over the communication network to at least one other network node connected over the communication network.
17 . The method of claim 16 further comprising:
at the network layer of the first network node:
receiving a second network data-update message transmitted by a second network node indicative of a data update that occurred at a second application executed at the second network node;
extracting the data from the second network data-update message;
at the database layer of the first network node:
executing a second database update in the database using the extracted data; and
following the second database update made to the database, automatically updating the first application with data pertaining to the database update, thereby performing an update to the first application induced by the second database update.
18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the first application and the second application are identical or operationally compatible.
19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein automatic update to the first application is performed while the first application is in standby mode.
20 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first network data-update message further includes metadata identifying a respective database entry that has been updated in the first database.
21 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the network is a wireless network.
22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the network is an RF (radio frequency) network.
23 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first network node is mounted onboard a vehicle and the communication network is used for communication between vehicles in a fleet.
24 . The method of claim 23 wherein the vehicle is an aircraft.
25 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising: at the first network node, identifying a difference between updated data corresponding to the data update and corresponding old data stored in the first database before the update; and wherein the data indicative of the database update includes a re-constructible part of the data corresponding to the difference.
26 . The method of claim 16 comprising: monitoring the first application layer and in response to detecting a data update occurring at the first application, automatically updating the database, without involvement of the first application.
27 . A first network communication subsystem connectible over a communication network to other network communication subsystems;
the first network communication subsystem comprising:
a processing circuitry configured to execute a first application;
a first database configured to communicate with the first application;
a database manager configured to communicate with the first database, and a first network communication device configured to communicate with the first database;
wherein propagation of data updates of the first application to one or more applications executed on one or more other network communication subsystems, respectively, is executed through database updates that are automatically induced by updates at the first application, without database queries being issued for propagating the data updates by either the first application or the applications executed at the other network communication subsystems;
the database manager is configured, in response to a data update at the first application, to automatically update the first database according to the data update;
the first network communication device is configured in response to the update at the database to automatically;
generate a network data-update message comprising data indicative of the database update; and
transmit the first network data-update message over the communication network to the one or more other network communication subsystems.
28 . The first network communication subsystem of claim 27 ,
wherein responsive to receiving a second network data-update message transmitted by a second network communication subsystem and indicative of a data update that occurred at a second application executed at the second network communication subsystem, the network communication device is configured to respond to second network data-update message by:
extracting the data from the second network data-update message; and
updating the database with the extracted data;
the database manager is configured to automatically respond to the database update by providing the data pertaining to the database update to the first application, thereby performing automatic data update to the first application induced by the database update and not by the first application or the second application.
29 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium tangibly embodying a program of instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of sharing data updates between network nodes connected over a communication network, wherein each node comprises an application layer a database layer and a network layer the method comprising at a first network node connected to the communication network:
automatically propagating data updates of a first application executed at a first application layer of the first network node to one or more other application layers executed on one or more other network nodes, respectively, through database updates that are automatically induced by updates at the first application, without database queries being issued for propagating the data updates by either the first application of the applications executed at the other application layers, comprising:
at the database layer of the first network node;
in response to a data update made at a first application executed at the first application layer, automatically updating a database according to the data update;
at the network layer of the rat network node;
in response to the database update, automatically;
generating a first network data-update message comprising data indicative of the database update; and
transmitting the first network data-update message over the communication network to at least one other network node connected over the communication network.
30 . The non-transitory computer readable storage of claim 29 , wherein the method further comprising: monitoring the first application layer and in response to detecting a data update occurring at the first application, automatically updating the database, without involvement of the first application.