IP Library Patent Application 11643333
Patent Application
App. No. 11/643,333

Trusted index structure in a network environment

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US None
App. No.
11/643,333
Abstract

Methods and apparatuses of a trusted index structure in a network environment. In one embodiment, a data processing system includes a master device and at least one slave device to communicate with each other through a network; and a master lock status of a shared storage device to determine the master device.

Claims (45)

1 . A data processing system, comprising:

a master device and at least one slave device to communicate with each other through a network; and

a master lock status of a shared storage device to determine the master device based on an algorithm.

2 . The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein the algorithm is at least one of a heartbeat messaging, a first-in-time assertion, and a preferred client analysis.

3 . The data processing system of claim 2 , wherein the master lock status to release a master lock when the master device is disabled.

4 . The data processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a shared storage volume of the shared storage device having a content structure, a trusted index structure, and a master list of changes generated by the master device.

5 . The data processing system of claim 4 , wherein the master device to intermittently update the trusted index structure of the shared storage volume with entries in the master list of changes.

6 . The data processing system of claim 5 , wherein the master list of changes are generated by scanning the at least one slave list of changes intermittently for published change list entries.

7 . The data processing system of claim 4 , wherein the trusted index structure to reference both a meta-data library and a content library of the content structure.

8 . The data processing system of claim 7 , wherein the meta-data library to include internally maintained meta-data and published meta-data.

9 . The data processing system of claim 8 , wherein the meta-data library also to include a new meta-data generated based on business rules.

10 . The data processing system of claim 9 , wherein the master list of changes to include changes made to various content files by different slave devices.

11 . The data processing system of claim 10 , wherein the various content files are created by different application programs and include different internally maintained meta-data.

12 . The data processing system of claim 11 , wherein the content structure is searched for particular ones of the internally maintained meta-data, the content, the published meta-data, and the new meta-data.

13 . The data processing system of claim 1 , further comprising a first notification module of each of the at least one slave device to notify the master device when a change-list entry is published by any of the at least one slave device.

14 . The data processing system of claim 13 , further comprising a second notification module of the master device to notify each of the at least one slave devices when the master list of changes is published by the master device.

15 . The data processing system of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one slave devices include a search module, a local index data structure, a meta extractor module, a change-list management module, a change-list structure, a notification module, and a prioritization module.

16 . The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein a change-list generator of the change-list management module of a particular slave device of the at least one slave device to create a change-list entry in the change-list structure of the particular slave device based on an operation to a content file by the particular slave device.

17 . The data processing system of claim 15 , further comprising a change-list updater of the change-list management module to update the local index structure when a particular slave device of the at least one slave device receives the master list of changes from the master device.

18 . The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the prioritization module to separate, within the change-list structure, change-list entries of at least two sessions of the master device based on physical station addresses associated with each of the at least two sessions.

19 . The data processing system of claim 15 , wherein the meta-data extractor module to update the local index data structure with internally maintained meta-data, content, and published meta-data of a particular content file modified by at least a particular slave device.

20 . A method of a slave device, comprising:

performing an operation on a content file associated with the slave device;

receiving notification of changes to the content file;

generating a change-list packet of the received notification; and

writing the change-list packet to a shared storage device.

21 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising transforming into a master device when the slave device transmits a signal to a master lock status of the shared storage device before other slave devices and when the master lock status is unlocked.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the master lock status uses an algorithm chosen from a group comprising at least one of a heartbeat messaging, a first-in-time assertion, and a preferred client analysis to determine whether the slave device becomes the master device.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the master device to intermittently transmit a master list of changes to replace a trusted index structure of the shared storage device.

24 . The method of claim 20 , wherein the content file is stored on the shared storage device, along with other content files modifiable by other slave devices.

25 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising automatically generating a new meta-data based on at least one business rule.

26 . The method of claim 25 , wherein the notification includes changes to the new meta-data as well as changes to internally maintained meta-data and published meta-data.

27 . The method of claim 26 , further comprising searching the shared storage device for particular ones of the new meta-data, the internally maintained meta-data, and the published meta-data.

28 . The method of claim 20 , further comprising receiving notifications from the master device when a master list of changes is published.

29 . A method of a master device, comprising:

processing at least one change list entry generated by at least one slave device;

updating a master list of changes based upon the at least one change list entry;

optionally prioritizing entries in the master list of changes based upon an algorithm; and

updating a trusted index structure intermittently.

30 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the master device wherein the at least one change-list entry indicates changes associated with an internally maintained meta-data, a published meta-data, and a newly generated meta-data associated with a content file.

31 . The method of claim 29 , further comprising intermittently receiving notifications from the at least one slave device of new change-list entries generated by the at least one slave device.

32 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the optionally prioritizing further includes separating, within the master list of changes, change-list entries of at least two sessions of the master device based on physical station addresses associated with each of the at least two sessions.

33 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the change-list entry, the master list of changes, and the trusted index structure reference at least internally maintained meta-data, content, and published meta-data in a shared storage device.

34 . The method of claim 33 , further comprising searching the shared storage device for particular ones of the internally maintained meta-data, the content, and the published meta-data.

35 . The method of claim 29 , wherein the algorithm is based on at least one of a time stamp, a session identifier, and a status of the packet.