Stand-in Computer file server providing fast recovery from computer file server failures
US5608865A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Mar 14, 1995 |
| Grant date | Mar 4, 1997 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Mar 14, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F11/2038
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An Integrity Server computer for economically protecting the data of a computer network's servers, and providing hot standby access to up-to-date copies of the data of a failed server. As the servers' files are created or modified, they are copied to the Integrity Server. When one of the servers fails, the Integrity Server fills in for the failed server, transparently providing the file service of the failed server to network clients. The invention provides novel methods for managing the data stored on the Integrity Server, so that the standby files are stored on low-cost media such as tape, but are quickly copied to disk when a protected server fails. The invention also provides methods for re-establishing connections between clients and servers, and communicating packets between network nodes, to allow the Integrity Server to stand-in for a failed server without requiring reconfiguration of the network clients.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.