Abstract:
A data backup device for providing backup of user data for a plurality of data management devices and a system having the same are disclosed. The system includes at least one data management device for transferring user data via a network and the data backup device connected to the data management device(s) via the network. The data backup device has a user database for storing the user data transferred via the network from the data management device and a utility for directing the user data from the data management device to be stored in the user database. By using the system, backup of user data from the data management devices can be provided, in addition, the user data backup can be picked to use under different conditions by using different interfaces such as FTP, socket and trigger interfaces.

Description:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to data backup, more particularly, to a system for providing user data backup and a data backup device used in the system. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    Nowadays, it is very convenient that an administrator may manage user data from remote user devices via network. To achieve such a remote management for user data, a data management device is required. The data management device is a relay-like equipment which has a plurality of serial ports. Each port of the data management device is connected with a user device such as a personal computer (PC), a router, a probe, a thermometer or the like. Herein, the user device can be any device providing user data. The data management device collects the user data and converts the user data into a data form so that the user data can be transferred over the network. For example, the data management device packs and converts the user data into network-acceptable data packages. The data management device then transfers the data packages to a remote console via Internet, for example. 
         [0003]    As mentioned, user data from the user device are transferred to the console through the data management device. Usually, the data management device contains a buffer with a very limited capacity, 64K, for example. Accordingly, the data management device will discard the user data once the user data is used or transmitted. That is, the data management device will not keep any backup of the user data. However, there can be many situations that certain pervious communication context is required to be recurred. If a certain previous context is to be reproduced, the previous user data is necessary. Furthermore, the user data might be lost after the user data is transferred out of the data management device. For example, an application executed at the console receives and handles the user data transferred from the data management device. If the application aborts or fails, the user data will be lost. Therefore, there is a need to provide backup for the user data. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0004]    The present invention is to provide a data backup device for providing backup of user data for a plurality of data management devices and a system comprising the data backup device. By using the system, backup of user data from the data management devices can be provided, in addition, the user data backup can be picked for various applications under different conditions. 
         [0005]    In accordance with the present invention, the system for providing user data backup comprises at least one data management device for transferring user data via a network and a data backup device connected to the data management device(s) via the network. The data backup device comprises a storage for storing the user data transferred via the network from the data management device and a utility for directing the user data from the data management device to be stored in the storage in a specific format, such as a binary file. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0006]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration showing a system for providing user data backup in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration showing an application example of the system in accordance with the present invention; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration showing another application example of the system in accordance with the present invention; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration showing a further application example of the system in accordance with the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
       [0010]    The present invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the above appending drawings. 
         [0011]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration showing a system for providing user data backup in accordance with the present invention. As shown, in the system, there may be a plurality of data management devices (DMD)  10 . Each data management device  10  has multiple serial ports  12 , for example,  8 ,  16  or even  32  ports. The data management device  10  is connected with user devices (not shown) such as personal computers, routers, probes, thermometers, or the like to receive user data via the ports  12 . The data management device  10  receives the user data from the user device, then converts the user data into a form which is acceptable by network communication. That is, the data management device  10  packs the user data from the user devices into data packages which can be transferred over a network  20  (e.g. Internet). 
         [0012]    In accordance with the present invention, the system includes a data backup device  30 , which can be implemented by means of a personal computer, for example. The data backup device  30  listens to receive the user data transferred over the network  20  by a network port  31 , which is a UDP (User Datagram Protocol) or TCP (Transmission Control Protocol) port. 
         [0013]    The data backup device  30  has a utility  32  and a storage such as a user database  33 . The utility  32  adds identification information such as a network address of the source user device and/or network address of the data management device as well as timestamp to the user data, and then stores the user data to the user database  33  for backup. Before being stored into the user database  33 , the utility  32  may formats the user data into a proper form such as a binary file. In one example, user data from one same data management device  10  are stored in one binary file. In addition, the utility  32  can encrypt the user data. The utility  32  can also classify the user data according to the source attributes, for example. 
         [0014]    The data backup device  30  further has at least one interface to provide a path for a user to get the backup user data. In the present embodiment, the data backup device  30  has three interfaces  34 ,  35 ,  36 , which are respectively FTP (File Transfer Protocol) interface, Socket interface and Trigger interface. The interfaces are constructed based on TCP (Transmission Control Protocol)/IP (Internet Protocol), and are implemented in software. For example, these three different interfaces  34 ,  35 ,  36  can be implemented by three different processes or threads, which can be built in the utility  32 . The details of the interfaces will be further described later. It is noted that these three interfaces are described herein for the sake of exemplarity rather than limitation. Other types of interfaces can also be used for providing different paths for users to get the backup user data stored in the user database  33  under various situations. 
         [0015]      FIG. 2  is a schematic illustration showing an application example of the system in accordance with the present invention, in which a data backup device  40  of the system has an FTP interface  44 . User data from routers  5  are sent to a data backup device  40  by data management devices  10 , respectively, via a network (not shown). A utility  42  of the data backup device  40  stores the coming user data into a user database  43  as binary files. As mentioned, the data backup device  40  has the FTP interface  44 . When it is required to transfer user data to a remote FTP server  48 , a connection is established between the FTP server  48  and the FTP interface  44 , and the FTP interface  44  picks the required user data from the user database  43  and transfers the same to the FTP server  48 . 
         [0016]    The FTP interface  44  is used when the user data is to be transferred in a non-real time manner. For example, the FTP interface  44  checks the files in the user database  43  in a polling mode to see if there is any newly coming user data. If there is new user data, the FTP interface  44  connects to the remote FTP interface  48 , inputs username and password automatically to transfer the new user data to the FTP server  48 . In a word, the FTP interface  44  transfers non-real time user data files from the data backup device  40  to the FTP server  48  automatically. 
         [0017]    In one example, if a user wants to know the performance of the three routers  5 . The routers  5  generate performance reports and send the performance reports to the remote data backup device  40  by the data management device  10  over the network. In one example, each router  5  may generate the performance report every five minutes. That is, the data backup device  40  receives three new reports from the three routers  5  every five minutes. These three reports contain the performance data of the respective routers  5  for the last five minutes. In the meanwhile, the utility  42  has a timer (not shown). The timer notifies the FTP interface  44  to check if there are newly coming data files every five minutes. If so, the FTP interface  44  establishes the connection to the FTP server  48  and transfers the contents of the new data files to the FTP server  48 . 
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustration showing another application example of the system in accordance with the present invention, in which a data backup device  50  of the system has a socket interface  55 . The socket interface  55  is used when the user data is required in a real time mode or urgent situation. As shown, the socket interface  55  is connected to a socket server  58 . It is noted that the connection between socket  55  and the socket server  58  is always maintained to allow data flowing therethrough. That is, the communication tunnel between the socket interface  55  and the socket server  58  keeps to be connected even if there is no user data coming. Once a new user data enters a user database  53  of the data backup device  50 , that is, a utility  52  stores newly coming user data to the user database  53 , the socket interface  55  will pass the new user data to the socket server  58  immediately. In this example, there are three probes  6 , each of which samples medical data such as blood pressure, heartbeat or the like from a patient, sending user data (i.e. the medical data) to the respective data management devices  10 . The data management devices  10  pass the user data to the data backup device  50 . The utility  52  stores the user data into the user database  53  for backup. In addition, the utility  52  notifies the socket interface  55  to transfer the newly coming user data to the socket server  58  without any delay. By this way, a remote doctor may know the conditions of the patients well by the socket server  58  in real time, for example. 
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a schematic illustration showing another application example of the system in accordance with the present invention, in which a data backup device  60  of the system has a trigger interface  66 . The trigger interface  66  can be deemed as a special kind of the socket interface. In the viewpoint of communication, the trigger interface  66  operates in a similar way as that of the socket interface  55  of  FIG. 3 . That is, the trigger interface  66  keeps connection with a remote socket server  68 . The different between the trigger interface  66  and the socket interface  55  is that the trigger interface  66  sends the user data to the socket server  68  only when one or more predetermined conditions are satisfied. That is, the trigger interface  66  has a function as a filter. The trigger interface  66  only transfers user data conforming to some standard(s). To filter user data, the data backup device  60  further as a condition buffer  67  to save configuration data of trigger conditions. 
         [0020]    In the example shown in  FIG. 4 , there are three thermometers  7  disposed in different server rooms to detect the room temperatures therein. The respective thermometers  7  transmit the temperature data as user data to the data backup device  60  through the data management devices  10  over the network. A utility  62  stores the data into a user database  63 . The trigger interface  66  picks any new user data and compares the new user data with configuration data stored in the condition buffer  67  to check whether the temperature data meets the trigger condition defined by the configuration data or not. If so, the trigger interface  66  passes the temperature data to the socket server  68 . For example, the trigger condition is an upper limit of 50° C. If there is any temperature data exceeds such a limit, the temperature data will be sent to the socket server  68 . By this way, a user at the socket server end can find the abnormal high temperature at once. 
         [0021]    While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described in detail, various modifications and alterations can be made by persons skilled in this art. The embodiment of the present invention is therefore described in an illustrative but not restrictive sense. It is intended that the present invention should not be limited to the particular forms as illustrated, and that all modifications and alterations which maintain the spirit and realm of the present invention are within the scope as defined in the appended claims.