JPH11175417A - Automatically updating device using www server - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To always maintain a self-environment in the latest state by detecting whether software that is an object is updated based on address information of the software and down-loading it when it is updated. SOLUTION: When a client 1 (101) deletes data A, this coefficient becomes 'deletion'. When the data A is not updated inside a client machine although the data A is updated on a WWW server and is notified to a user, and when a file or the like while is related to the data A is not accessed on the client machine, the numeric value of a WWW data use frequency coefficient is reset to a small value. A server 1 (102) maintains between a 'WWW data information part' and a 'client data information part'. When the WWW data use frequency coefficient in the data A is 'deletion', an information part about the data A of the 'client data information part' is entirely eliminated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a system for always keeping application software and data on a personal computer up to date.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-146857, as a mechanism provided in traveling software, data designated by a user is searched by each designated server, and the data is retrieved. If is updated, the data itself or the difference of the data is stored in the user's personal computer.

[0003]

In the above technique, in order to update data, it is necessary for the user to consciously designate a program or data that the user needs. Therefore, there is a problem that the user must constantly monitor the update status of the data on the network in order to bring the data to the latest state.

Another problem is that the updated data is stored directly in a limited user's personal computer.

[0005]

According to the present invention, a network is provided.
When accessing software on a network, address information of the software is acquired and stored. Based on this information, it is detected whether or not the target software has been updated. If the software has been updated, download is performed. In this way, for the user, the data is updated only by the act of first downloading.

In the present invention, the downloaded data is
Storage means for temporarily storing data. Updated data
The server first stores only the information on the update in the server to which the user is directly connected, and then, after confirming the update with the user, transmits the update to the user's personal computer. Is stored. In this way, it is possible for the user to select whether or not to update the data, thereby saving the hard disk.

[0007]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (1) Embodiment 1 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a system configuration of an operating environment according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes a personal computer that represents a user;
It is. Reference numeral 102 denotes a WWW server to which the client 1 is directly connected, and is referred to as server 1. 103, 104
Is a personal computer connected to the server 1 at the same level as the client 1, which is independent of each other. 106-1
08 is a server that forms the same level as the server 1 but forms an independent network, and is called servers 2, 3, and 4, respectively. A system that connects these servers via some kind of line and enables data exchange between them is called WWW.
Or, it is called the Internet (105).

FIGS. 2 and 3 show tables constituting the present invention. The server 1 (102) has a data information section for implementing the present invention, and includes a "WWW data information section" (FIG. 2) for managing information of other servers on the Internet, and 102 respectively. Client computers (101, 10) on the network under the management of the server 2
3, 104) having information about each of them. Each will be described.

FIG. 2 shows that clients 1, 2, and 3 under the control of the server 1 (102) are respectively conscious of the user or unconscious, such as plug-in software, and are downloaded to other clients on the WWW. Servers (servers 2, 3,
4) This is a table for managing data existing on the table.
The table is managed for each file, and a group is composed of the following items.

[0011] WWW data A name (201), WWW
Upper data A address (202), latest update date and time (20
3), data size (204), version (20)
5), SAM check variable (206), update flag (207) The specific contents of the above items are as follows.

· WWW data A name (201): WW
A name for identifying the data of W data, sometimes a file name.

Data A address on WWW (202):
Data storage location of WWW data. Consists of a server name and a file path name.

Latest update date and time (203): The latest update date and time of WWW data.

Data size (204): File size of data on WWW.

Version (205): Version number of WWW data.

SAM check variable (206): WW
Variables uniquely generated from the characteristics of data on W.

Update flag (207): A flag indicating that the data on WWW has been updated.

FIG. 3 is a table for managing the use status and update status of the data on the WWW for each of the client personal computers managed by the server 1 (102).

A group is composed of the following items, and exists for each downloaded data.

WWW data A name (302), WWW
Upper data A update flag (303), WWW upper data use frequency coefficient (304).

The specific contents of the above items are as follows.

WWW data A name (302): The name of WWW data used by the client.

WWW data A update flag (30
3): A flag for determining whether data on the WWW used by the client has been updated.

The data use frequency coefficient on WWW (30
4): A coefficient indicating whether or not the WWW data used by the client is frequently used. Information on this data is used as a material for determining the period of storage in the hard disk of the server.

Hereinafter, the flow of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 4 shows a flow that occurs in the present invention when a client directly managed by the server 1 (102), that is, the client 1 (101) downloads the data on the WWW when using the data on the WWW.

First, when the client 1 (101) starts downloading, the browser software and the server 1 (10)
2) detects specified data from the WWW specified by the URL specified by the client 1 (101). The detected data is sent to the client 1 (101) via the server 1 (102), and the client 1 starts using the data. Up to this point, the flow of data exchange on the normal Internet has been described. In this flow, the detected data is sent to the client and the data information is acquired at the same time (405), and is stored in the “WWW data information section” in FIG. 2 and the “client data information section” in FIG. 3 (406). . SAM of "WWW data information section"
The check variables are calculated and obtained on the server 1 for each data. The operation up to this point is the first action performed by the client.

5 and thereafter, a mechanism for automatically updating data used by the client 1 will be described.

FIG. 5 shows whether the data in another server on the WWW used by the client has been updated regardless of the operation (operation or non-operation) of the client directly managed by the server 1. Explains the task of investigating and loading data information into your hard disk. First, when the server 1 (102) is in an idling state, a series of operations of the present invention is started (501).
"WWW data address (2
02) ”, the corresponding data is detected (502). 2
The respective elements Nos. 04 to 206 are compared, and if the data has been updated (503), the information relating to the update of the data is taken into the own hard disk (504), and "WWW
The content of each item of the "data information section" is updated (505).
At this time, the update flag (207) is turned on.

Up to this point, the processing in which the server 1 fetches update data from another WWW server regardless of the state of the client.

FIGS. 6 to 8 show processing up to data update of the client 1. FIG.

All data updates (603) of the client 1 (101) based on the information of the server 1 (102) are performed when both are in the idling state (60).
1, 602). In addition, the client information is updated (702) only when the update flag is ON (701) in the "WWW data information section" in FIG. 2, and the flag is turned OFF for the update work that has been completed ( 70
3). Hereinafter, a specific method of updating data on the client side will be described with reference to FIG.

In the "client data information section" of FIG. 3, if there is WWW data in use (801) and data that has not been updated (802), the data is updated by the user first. An inquiry is made as to whether or not this is the case using a pop-up window (803). If the user wishes to update, the target address is detected from the “WWW data information section” (804), and the server 1
Access another server on the WW, load actual data, and send data to client 1 (80
5). Then, the updated flag in FIG. 3 is turned ON (8
06). This is the end of the data update operation.

The above is the flow of the present invention until the client environment is automatically updated to the latest using the idling state. However, having the following two functions in addition to the above is also a characteristic part of the present invention.

The first feature relates to a method for maintaining the information section data stored in the server 1.

FIG. 12 shows a case where the client 1 (102) directly managed by the server 1 (102) deletes or stops using the programs and data obtained by the first download from the user. "WWW data information section" (FIG. 2) and "client data information section" (FIG. 3)
It shows the mechanism to delete from. Server 1 (1
02) always monitors the operation of the client 1 (101) and keeps the WWW data use frequency coefficient (307) of FIG. 3 always up to date. When the data A has been deleted by the client 1 (1201), this coefficient becomes "delete" (1102). If the data A is updated on the WWW server and the data is not updated inside the client machine despite the notification to the user (1203), and the data A is related to the data A on the client machine. If a certain file is not accessed (1204), the numerical value of the WWW data use frequency coefficient (307) is reset to a small value. Based on the WWW data use frequency coefficient (307) thus kept up to date, the server 1 performs maintenance of the "WWW data information section" (FIG. 2) and the "client data information section" (FIG. 3). I do. When the WWW data use frequency coefficient (307) is “deleted” in the data A, the data A in the “client data information section” (FIG. 3)
Related information sections (302) to (304) are deleted. When the data A no longer exists for all the clients under the control of the server 1, the server 1 deletes the item of the data A in the "WWW data information section" (FIG. 2). As described above, by constantly monitoring the usage status, it is possible to prevent unnecessary data from being stored on the server 1.

A second feature is that the environment of a plurality of clients directly managed by the server 1 can be easily maintained in the same environment.

FIG. 9 shows an arrangement in which address information of a client to be kept in the same environment is stored as a part of the "client data information section" (907) to (91).
0). By using this method, the server 1 does not need to have “client data information section” for the number of clients. The name (address) of the client to be kept in the same environment is received from the client side, and is additionally stored in the “client data information section”. (FIG. 10) At the same time as the data update of the client 1 shown in FIGS.
The registered other clients are updated based on the same environment address information. (FIG. 11)

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention,
If the data that the user once downloaded by downloading becomes obsolete, the data is automatically updated to the new data with the announcement without always searching for the data and confirming that the data has been updated. Can be kept up to date.

Further, the maintenance of the data portion storing the information on the update can be automatically performed according to the usage status of the downloaded data by the user.

Finally, by using the present invention, the environment of the client machine directly managed by the server can be easily kept the same.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an environment in which the present invention operates.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a table constituting the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a table constituting the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a table constituting the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

101, 103, 104, 109 ... client
Computer, 102... WWW server, 106-1
08 ... server

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. An automatic data updating apparatus via a network connecting an information processing apparatus and a server, first storage means for storing access information necessary for accessing data, and based on the access information. Detecting means for detecting whether the data has been updated, a second storage means for storing update information when the data has been updated, and updating the data based on the update information. An automatic data updating apparatus comprising: an update determining means for determining; and a data updating means for storing updated data in the information processing apparatus. 2. The automatic data updating device according to claim 1, further comprising: a use status detection unit that detects the use status information of the data; and a determination unit that determines whether to automatically update the data based on the use status information. An automatic data updating device, further comprising: 3. A data automatic updating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said specifying means specifies a plurality of information processing apparatuses for unifying the update state of data, and said third storage means stores address information of said specified information processing apparatus. An automatic data updating apparatus, further comprising a data updating unit for updating data based on the address information.