Novell, Inc.

Layne C Izatt

Dale Robert Olds

Ranjan Prasad

Brian Lee Jarvis

Mark Andrew Hinckley

A system and method for synchronizing database information over a communications network distributed among a plurality of servers. The system allows each server to track the state of a replica on each of the servers, and changes to the servers are communicated between the servers along with their states. The states may be stored as an array of timestamps, the timestamps each indicating a time at which the replica on each server was updated. In a network wherein two servers (a first and third server) cannot communicate directly, a first network server transmits a change to an intermediate (a second) server including its state information. The second server transmits the change to the third server, and the third server updates its replica. The third server transmits its state information to the second server, and the timestamp information is conveyed to the first server. The state information of the third server may be transmitted to the second server during later updates of the third server's replica. The first server, by receiving the third server's state information, can determine that the change in replica information was performed on the third server. The synchronization system and method may be used to transmit changes, such as those involved in a partitioning operation.

System and method for synchronizing database information

System and method for implementing a forward compatibility syntax in a directory services environment is described. In one embodiment, data comprising an attribute according to a new syntax that is supported by newer servers, but not by older servers, is separated into data with respect to which referential integrity is not a concern (hereinafter &ldquo;blob data&rdquo;) and data with respect to which referential integrity is a concern (hereinafter Distinguished Names (&ldquo;DNs&rdquo;)). The two types of data are then combined according to a forward compatibility (&ldquo;FC&rdquo;) syntax that is supported by both older and newer servers. Only certain, newer, servers understand and convert between the FC syntax and the actual new syntax; older servers are capable of supporting the FC syntax without needing to understand it.

Method of implementing a forward compatibility network directory syntax

Methods and systems for managing replicated objects in a partitioned hierarchical database are disclosed. One method combines partition-wide object identifiers in order according to ancestry to form a database-wide object identifier that identifies a target object relative to all other objects in the database. Each partition-wide object identifier includes a replica identifier and at least one integer value. Suitable integer values include timestamp values, event counter values, random values, and GUID values. Other methods use the identifiers to access objects after a single object or a subtree of objects has been renamed or moved.

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Orem, UT, United States of America

Layne C Izatt