JP2002024074A - Method and device for transmitting file among computers - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a file transmitting method among computers capable of independently operating computers other than a file master even when no file master is started, dispensing with access to the file master or other computers when a file is only referred to and reducing a network load. SOLUTION: In a file transmitter among computers among files consisting of plural computers connected by a network and to use one of them as a file maser computer, management process parts 4 to be executed by the respective computers 1 to 3 and a storage part 6 to store files of the respective computers are provided, the file master computer manages synchronization of the files on the respective computers and the files are shared while enabling independent operations of the respective computers by combining management process parts to be operated on the file master computer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transmitting a file between computers, and more particularly to a method for managing and operating a file shared by a plurality of computers connected to a network.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a network file system (NFS) of Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a typical technique for sharing files on a network. In this system, a computer serving as a file server is provided, and files are shared by exposing file access of the computer to other computers by remote procedure call (RPC). In this method, file data is transferred every time a file is handled. For example, a method of suppressing the data transfer amount as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-52036 has been considered.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a shared data management method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 6-52036. In the figure, 22 is a host computer,
23 is a data management file, and 24a to 24n are workstations connected to the network. Each of the workstations 24a to 24n has a keyboard 25, a mouse 26, a screen display unit 27, a control unit 28, and a storage unit 29.

Next, the operation will be described. When an arbitrary computer (for example, 24a) accesses the data management file 23, the control unit 28 of the workstation 24a searches whether the file exists on its own machine. If not, the host computer 22 is inquired about which computer the file exists.
When the computer in which the file exists is determined, the control unit 28 of the workstation 24a transfers the file from the computer in which the file exists, stores the file in the storage unit 29 of the own machine, and makes the file usable.

[0005]

In the conventional file sharing method as described above, when there is no file in the storage unit of each computer, a meeting with the host computer occurs. Therefore, when the host computer is not operating or when the computer storing the file to be accessed is not operating, the file cannot be accessed. Also, the host computer must be running, even if it is only used for reference. If a file using file sharing is used for a part that determines the operation of the computer, each computer can be operated independently. Could not work.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and reduces the access to a host computer by placing a copy of the file on each computer while sharing the file between the computers. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method and an apparatus for transmitting files between computers, which enable each computer to operate independently even when a host computer or another computer is not operating.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting a file between computers, the method comprising: transmitting a file between a plurality of computers connected via a network; And a management process unit operating on the file master computer is combined to share files while enabling each computer to operate independently.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting a file between computers in the first aspect of the invention, which notifies that the file has been edited and stored by another computer.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transmitting a file between computers according to the first or second aspect of the present invention.
Computers that have not joined the network at the time the file was transmitted will automatically acquire the file when they join the network.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of transmitting a file between computers according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, wherein a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a destination computer to be transmitted. Things.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a file transmission device between computers, comprising a plurality of computers connected by a network, one of which is a file master computer. And a storage unit for storing files of the respective computers, wherein the file master computer manages synchronization of files on the respective computers, and operates on the file master computer. By combining the units, files can be shared while enabling each computer to operate independently.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the file transmission device between computers according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the management process unit includes a file transfer unit for transferring a file to another computer; Update date and time comparing means for confirming file identity.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided the file transmission device between computers according to the fifth or sixth aspect of the invention.
It is provided with a notifying means for notifying that it has been edited and saved by another computer, and a storage means for temporarily storing the transferred file.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the file transmission device between computers according to any one of the fifth to seventh aspects, when each computer is started, the update date and time of the file in the file master are compared, and the same file is compared. If not, it is provided with a startup file transfer means for transferring a file from the file master.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in the file transmission apparatus between computers according to any one of the fifth to eighth aspects, a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a transmission destination computer. Things.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Embodiment 1 FIG. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the figure, 1 to 3 are computers connected to a network, 1 is a file master computer, 4 is a management process unit operating on each computer, 5 is an application process unit for accessing a file, and 6 is a storage unit (file). is there.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the management process unit 4. As shown in FIG. In the figure, reference numeral 7 denotes a file transfer unit to another computer, and 8 denotes a file update date / time comparison unit with another computer (used for checking file identity).

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. After the application process unit 5 edits and updates the file, the management process unit 4 notifies the management process unit 4 of the file update (step S1). The management process unit 4 records that the file has been updated as internal information of the process. (Step S2). Next, the application process unit 5 requests the management process unit 4 to transfer the updated file to another computer (step S3). The management process unit 4 performs file update date / time comparison means 8 for each file notified of the update.
To determine whether the file is the same as the file in the file master, that is, whether or not a file that has been updated and has not been transferred exists in the file master (step S4). If not, the file is transferred using the file transfer means 7 (step S5).

On the other hand, when the transfer to the file master has failed (N in step S6), an error is notified to the application process unit 5 at that time (step S7).
No further transmission takes place. This is based on the basic principle that the file on the file master is formal and the files on the other computers are temporary copies.

On the other hand, if there is no file that has been updated and has not been transferred in the file master in step S4, the process proceeds to step S8. If the file transmission to the file master succeeds, the management process unit 4 uses the file update date / time comparison unit 8 to determine whether or not the files are the same for each computer that executes the file transfer to a device other than the file master. It is determined whether or not a file that has been updated and has not been transferred exists in the computer (step S8). If the file exists, that is, if it is not the same, the file is transferred using the file transfer means 7 (step S8). S9). If the transfer has failed (N in step S10), the failed computer is recorded (step S11).

On the other hand, if there is no file that has been updated in step S8 and has not been transferred, the process proceeds to step S12. Step S12
In step S8, it is determined whether there is a computer to which a file has not been transferred.
And the above operation is repeated, and if there is no remaining, the process proceeds to step S13.

If the transfer of the file to all the computers is successful (Y in step S13), the management process unit 4 notifies the application process unit of the success of the transmission (step S15). When there is a computer that failed in the transfer (N in step S13), the computer name is notified to the application process unit 5 (step S14). If the transmission fails, the application process unit 5 can complete the file transmission by requesting the management process unit 4 to transmit the file again.

As described above, in the present embodiment, files are shared between a plurality of computers connected via a network while enabling independent operation of each computer. Therefore, even if the file master is not activated. Other computers can operate independently. In addition, if only a file is referred to, access to the file master or another computer does not occur, and the network load can be reduced.

Embodiment 2 FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 2 of the present invention. In the figure, reference numeral 9 denotes a computer connected to a network, but here, only the computer 9 as a file master computer is typically shown. Reference numeral 10 denotes a management process unit operating on the computer 9, reference numeral 11 denotes an application process unit for accessing a file, reference numeral 12 denotes a notification unit as notification means for notifying that the file has been transferred to the application process unit 11, and reference numeral 13 denotes an application process. A receiving unit that receives a transfer notification on the unit 11 side, a storage unit (file) 14, and a temporary storage unit 15 as storage means for temporarily storing the transferred file.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the management process unit 10. As shown in FIG. In the figure, 16 is a file transfer unit to another computer, 17 is a file update date / time comparison unit with another computer (used for checking file identity), and 18 is a temporary storage unit. Accordingly, the management process unit 10 can perform the file re-reading process at the time of transfer by being notified that the application process unit 11 has transferred the file.

Next, the operation will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At the time of file transmission, the management process unit 10 of the computer that has received the file
Checks whether the application process unit 11 requests notification of file transparency (step S1).
6) If requested, the notification unit 12 of the management process unit 10
Notifies the receiving unit 13 of the application process unit 11 that the transmission has been performed (step S17).
When receiving the notification, the receiving unit 13 of the application process unit 11 temporarily suspends the processing of the part using the file in the application process unit 11 and then stores it in the management process unit 10 from the temporary storage unit 15. The management process unit 10 moves the file to the unit 14.
(Step S18).

The management process unit 10 moves the file from the temporary storage unit 15 to the storage unit 14 (step S19), and thereafter, the application process unit 11 rereads the updated file (step S20), and has been suspended. Resume processing. If the application process unit 11 has not requested the notification of the file transmission in step S16, the process is continued without interruption.

The reason why the file is temporarily stored in the temporary storage unit 15 is that if the file in the direct storage unit 14 is overwritten, the application process unit may cause a malfunction 11, and the file is transmitted before the file is transmitted. The reason why the notification is not performed is to prevent the operation of the application process unit from being inadvertently interrupted for a relatively time-consuming process such as data transfer on the network.

As described above, in the present embodiment, when a file is transmitted / transferred, the application process unit is notified that the file has been edited / saved by a computer. Even when a file is updated, processing corresponding to the update can be performed dynamically.

Embodiment 3 FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing Embodiment 3 of the present invention. In the present embodiment, the start time file for transferring the file from the file master to the management process unit 19a of the computer 19 is compared with the update time of the file in the file master when each computer is started. An update process unit 20 at the time of activation as a transfer unit is provided. Thus, even if the computer is not running at the time of file transfer, the file can be obtained from the file master by starting up the computer.

As described above, in this embodiment, even if the computer is not running at the time when the file transmission is performed again, the file of the file master is acquired at the time of startup, that is, the file is transmitted to the network when the file is transmitted. By automatically acquiring a file when a computer that has not entered the network joins the network, the contents of the shared file can be made the same without the application process section explicitly performing file transparency again.

Embodiment 4 FIG. It should be noted that the first to the first embodiments
In 3, the method of transmitting a file is described, but the target of transmission may be limited to a specific computer. Thereby, a file transfer function to a specific computer can be realized.

As described above, in this embodiment, the file transfer function can be realized by limiting the computers to be transmitted. That is, by designating a transparent destination computer, a file can be transferred only to a specific computer.

[0034]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, in a file transmission method for performing file transfer between a plurality of computers connected by a network, the synchronization of files on each computer is managed, and Since the files are shared while combining the management process units operating on the master computer and enabling each of the above computers to operate independently, other computers can operate independently even if the file master is not running. In addition, if only a file is referred to, there is no access to the file master or another computer, and the network load can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the fact that the file has been edited and saved by another computer is notified.
There is an effect that processing corresponding to the update can be dynamically performed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a computer that has not joined the network at the time the file has been transmitted automatically acquires the file when the computer joins the network. This has the effect that the contents of the shared file can be made the same without retransmitting the file.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a destination computer to be transmitted, a file transfer function can be realized.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, a file transmission apparatus between computers, each of which is constituted by a plurality of computers connected by a network and one of which is a file master computer, is executed by each computer. A management process unit, and a storage unit for storing files of the respective computers, wherein the file master computer manages synchronization of files on the respective computers, and a management process unit operating on the file master computer is combined. However, since the files are shared while enabling the above-mentioned computers to operate independently, other computers can operate independently even if the file master is not running, and if only the file is referred to. Access to the file master and other computers Seth does not occur, there is an effect that it is possible to reduce the network load.

Further, according to the invention of claim 6, the management process unit includes a file transfer unit for transferring a file to another computer and an update date / time comparison for confirming the file identity with another computer. Therefore, even if the file master is not running, the other computers can be operated independently, and the network load can be reduced.

According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a notifying means for notifying that the data has been edited and stored by another computer, and a storage means for temporarily storing the transferred file. Thus, even when a file is updated on a computer, the processing corresponding to the update can be performed dynamically.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the startup file transfer means for comparing the update date and time with the file of the file master when each computer is started, and transferring the file from the file master if they are not the same file is provided. With such a configuration, there is an effect that the contents of the shared file can be made the same without the application process unit explicitly retransmitting the file.

Further, according to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a transmission destination computer, it is possible to contribute to the realization of a file transfer function.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating functions of a management process unit according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining an operation according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing functions of a management process unit according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining an operation according to the second embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram for explaining a conventional shared data management method.

[Explanation of symbols]

1-3, 9, 19 Computer, 4, 10, 19a
Management process unit, 5, 11 application process unit, 6, 14, 21 storage unit, 7, 16 file transfer unit, 8, 17 file update date / time comparison unit, 12 notification unit, 13 reception unit, 15 temporary storage unit, 18 temporary Storage means, 20 Update process section at startup.

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. A file transmission method for transferring a file between a plurality of computers connected by a network, wherein the management of a file on each computer is managed, and a management process unit operating on a file master computer is combined. A file transmission method between computers, wherein files are shared while enabling independent operation of the computers. 2. The method of transmitting a file between computers according to claim 1, wherein notification is made that the file has been edited and stored by another computer. 3. The file transmission between computers according to claim 1, wherein a computer which has not joined the network at the time when the file has been transmitted enters the network automatically. Method. 4. The method of transmitting a file between computers according to claim 1, wherein a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a destination computer to be transmitted. 5. A file transmission device between computers comprising a plurality of computers connected by a network, one of which is a file master computer, wherein: a management process unit executed by each computer; A storage unit for storing files, wherein the file master computer manages synchronization of files on each of the computers, and combines a management process unit operating on the file master computer to perform independent operations of each of the computers. A file transmission device between computers, wherein a file is shared while enabling it. 6. The management process unit includes a file transfer unit for transferring a file to another computer and an update date / time comparison unit for checking the identity of a file with another computer. 6. The apparatus for transmitting files between computers according to claim 5. 7. The apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising: a notifying unit for notifying that the file has been edited and stored by another computer, and a storage unit for temporarily storing the transferred file. File transmission device between computers. 8. A start-up file transfer means for comparing the update date and time with the file of the file master when each computer is started, and transferring the file from the file master if the files are not the same file. 5-
8. The apparatus for transmitting a file between computers according to any one of 7 above. 9. The apparatus for transmitting files between computers according to claim 5, wherein a file is transferred only to a specific computer by designating a destination computer to be transmitted.