Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery – Data processing system error or fault handling – Reliability and availability
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-24
2003-04-08
Beausoliel, Robert (Department: 2184)
Error detection/correction and fault detection/recovery
Data processing system error or fault handling
Reliability and availability
C714S006130, C714S005110
Reexamination Certificate
active
06546500
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a computer to automatically set a region which needs recovery based on self-diagnosis results obtained in self-maintenance and a region which need not undergo such recovery, and a recording medium which records therein a computer program which provides a general-purpose computer with such function.
The present invention relates also to a computer to automatically set backup region for storing backup data required in self-maintenance when storing the backup date in either a backup region in, for example, a hard disk device for storing backup data having a high use frequency so as to read the data out quickly or a backup region in, for example, an external auxiliary storage for storing, for example, as compressed, backup data having a low use frequency, and a recording medium which records therein such a computer program that provides a general-purpose computer with such function.
The present invention relates also to a computer network system such as a client/server system which realizes the above-mentioned function by a plurality of computers interconnected over a computer network to a computer connected to such a computer network system, and also to a recording medium which records therein a computer program which enables a general-purpose computer to function as such a computer.
A self-maintenance system for a computer beforehand saves a copy of data (application files, data files, etc.) in a backup region as backup data, so that if, for example, some data is found to have been damaged or is infected with a computer virus based on results of self-diagnosis, some data may be rewritten with the data saved in the backup region so as to immediately recover the data.
There has been, on the other hand, prevailing such a computer network system as a client/server system with a plurality of computers interconnected over a network, accompanied by improvements in performance of personal computers. In a client/server system, a mistake in user's operations or simple mistake in configuration may trigger a trouble which influences the whole network system, wherein maintenance work itself becomes impossible and the system down may occur until the trouble is eliminated. Such a possibility increases as the number of computers connected to the network increases, so that the larger the network system is, the larger the economical loss becomes. Therefore, self-maintenance is more important in such a network system as a client/server system than in a stand-alone computer, which is used independently.
Further, in such a system as a client/server system which uses a plurality of computers as clients and servers, an important issue in recent years is an infection with a computer virus. That is, if a computer virus invade a computer of one of a plurality of clients in a client/server system, all the clients and the servers are infected over the network, thus causing a serious loss. To guard against this, it is very important to carry out system maintenance effectively in order to operate the client/server system appropriately. This is basically true also with a standalone computer.
With such a situation given as a background, not only for respective computers of a client/server system but also for a stand-alone computer backup work as part of maintenance is undergone, more specifically a copy of data (application files, data files, etc.) used by each computer is saved as backup data. By thus saving such backup data and performing self-maintenance, it is possible to immediately recover data in each computer if the data is damaged or the computer is infected with a virus.
In self-maintenance for a stand-alone computer of a conventional type or each computer connected to such a computer network system as a client/server system, time required for the self-maintenance is reduced by specifying beforehand data which need not be recovered so as to be handled as something not subject to the self-maintenance. Conventionally, however, data not subject to self-maintenance has been set manually, so that although, for example, a user-created working file, a temp folder, etc., which can be easily recognized as something not subject to self-maintenance can be set to that effect, the other data needs sophisticated knowledge and know-how to set as something not subject to self-maintenance.
Besides, each computer recently has an increasingly large scale of the OS or the client OS or file size of application software as well as increasingly complicated contents, thus requiring longer time for self-maintenance, and not only an ordinary user but even a system manager can hardly determine whether a region should be subject to self-maintenance or not. Therefore, load on working increases and also whole required working time becomes longer, thereby to lower availability of a stand-alone computer and of network system such as a client/server system.
Furthermore, recently each computer has an increasingly large scale of the OS or the client OS or file size of application software as well as increasingly complicated contents, thus requiring an even larger capacity of backup regions than the conventional one. With this, there are some cases where each computer requires a few hundreds of mega-bytes or even one giga-byte or more as a capacity of the backup region. Furthermore, such a computer network system as a client/server system may require a vast capacity of memory to set all of backup regions of a plurality of client computers in a server computer, which may be difficult to secure sometimes.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a stand-alone computer, a computer network system such as a client/server system interconnecting a plurality of computers over a network, and a computer used in such a system capable of, in self-maintenance, setting regions subject to self-maintenance and those not subject to self-maintenance without a need of specifying a region clearly known not to be subject to self-maintenance, or investigating the OS and application software, or reviewing settings by referring to information stored by an individual. It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium for recording a computer program which enables a general-purpose computer to realize such a computer.
It is further another object of the present invention to provide a stand-alone computer, a computer network system such as a client/server system interconnecting a plurality of computers over a network, and a computer used in such a system having a reduced backup data storage capacity by backing up frequently-used backup data and not-immediately-required backup data in different storage media. It is further another object of the present invention to provide a storage medium which stores therein a computer program that enables a general-purpose computer to realize such a computer.
In short, a stand-alone computer or a computer connected to such a computer network system as a client/server system according to the present invention comprises: means for summing up recovery-result logs accompanied by self-diagnosis results for each data piece; an analysis-condition file for setting conditions for analysis; means for analyzing whether the results obtained by summing up the recovery-result logs for each data piece satisfy the conditions; and means for setting, when the results satisfy the conditions, a file of interest as a one not subject to subsequent recovery.
Also, in short, a stand-alone computer or a computer connected to a computer network system such as a client/server system according to the present invention automatically classifies frequently-used backup data and not-immediately-required backup data to back up the frequently-used backup data in a storage medium of a relatively high read out speed, and to back up the not-immediately-required backup data, even as compressed, in a storage medium of a relatively low read out speed.
A computer according to the present invention comprises: a bac
Beausoliel Robert
Duncan Marc M
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