Distributed Cache Repository for Network Downtime Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) systems face challenges with partial and complete site failures, leading to inaccessible databases and delays in processing electronic health records, and they lack efficient management solutions for large datasets, resulting in increased costs and reduced availability during network downtime.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for managing content in networked repositories during network downtime, involving a cache repository that stores content from a content source, replicates it to an active repository, and then to a backup repository, allowing content retrieval from either active or backup repositories based on connectivity, and enabling prefetching and efficient storage management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If XDS systems rely on stable network connection to share and access electronic health records, then data consistency and centralization are improved, but system availability and accessibility deteriorate during network failures
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides the centralized XDS architecture into distributed components: local cache repositories at each facility, regional backup repositories, and central active repositories. This segmentation allows local access during network failures while maintaining eventual data consistency through asynchronous synchronization when connectivity is restored.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements local cache repositories at each healthcare facility that store copies of electronic health records locally. This local quality enhancement enables facilities to access and share records within their local network even when disconnected from the central system, improving ease of operation during network failures.
2Reliability
If XDS systems implement centralized database management, then data integrity and control are improved, but system vulnerability to failures and downtime increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements beforehand cushioning by creating redundant copies of electronic health records in multiple locations before failures occur. Local cache repositories and regional backup repositories are pre-populated with data copies, providing a cushion against central system failures and ensuring continued availability during downtime.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extensively uses copying to distribute data across multiple repositories. Local cache repositories copy records from the central system, backup repositories copy from active repositories, and these copies enable continued operation during failures while maintaining data integrity through controlled synchronization.
3Quantity of substance
If XDS systems store huge amounts of data in database servers, then comprehensive record keeping is improved, but storage costs and maintenance complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large centralized database into distributed storage across multiple facilities. Each local cache repository stores a portion of the data locally, backup repositories store copies regionally, and the central system maintains the master copy. This segmentation reduces the burden on any single server and distributes storage complexity across multiple manageable units.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds spatial dimensionality to storage management by distributing data across multiple geographic locations and repository types (local cache, regional backup, central active). This dimensional approach transforms the problem from managing one large centralized database to managing multiple smaller distributed repositories, reducing complexity.
4Ease of operation
If XDS systems implement redundant repository structures for disaster recovery, then system availability during failures is improved, but network traffic and synchronization overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic action by synchronizing data between repositories at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. Local cache repositories are updated periodically from the central system, and backup repositories are synchronized periodically from active repositories, reducing network overhead while maintaining availability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-synchronizing data to local cache repositories and backup repositories before failures occur. This preliminary population of local copies ensures immediate availability during outages without requiring real-time network communication, reducing synchronization overhead during actual failure events.
Data Source
AI summary
A non-transitory readable storage medium storing one or more instructions that, when executed by the computer, cause the computer to perform a method of managing content and associated metadata in a network by a cache repository. The method comprises receiving content and associated data from a content source located in a local network of an edge facility; storing the content in the cache repository located in the local network of the edge facility; sending the content to an active repository remote from the local network of the edge facility for storage; and determining if a connection to the remote repository can be established in the network. If the connection to the active repository can be established, the method includes retrieving by the cache repository the content from the active repository; and if the connection to the active repository cannot be established, the method retrieves the content from the backup repository.