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 The system of claim 1 , wherein the cache manager is further configured to determine that a newer version of the file is available at the database server and notify a user of the client computer that the newer version of the file is available.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