Patent ID: 7702769

Claim:
A method of data transfer in a hierarchical computer system in which a plurality of systems are interconnected in a hierarchical manner, comprising the steps of: managing management information including items which are associated with attribute information, wherein said attribute information indicates that one of three statuses is set, wherein a first status indicates that the items are managed by a current system, a second status indicates that the items are managed by an upper system, and a third status indicates that the items are common to the current system and the upper system, and wherein when first data including at least one item is sent from the upper system to a lower system via the current system to request data corresponding to said at least one item: receiving, in the current system, the first data including the at least one item from the upper system, the upper system being hierarchically above the current system; if said at least one item included in the received first data exists in said items included in a database of the current system, then updating attribute information of said at least one item that exists in said items included in said database of the current system from said attribute information indicative of items managed by the current system to attribute information indicative of items common to the upper system and the current system; and if said at least one item included in the received first data does not exist in said items included in said database of the current system, then adding said at least one item that does not exist to said database of the current system, then updating attribute information of said added at least one item to indicate said second status, and sending t he received first data from the current system to a lower system, the current system being hierarchically above the lower system, wherein the added at least one item is associated with attribute information indicative of items managed only by the upper system in a database of the upper system, wherein when second data including at least one item is sent from the lower system to the upper system via the current system in response to requesting the data corresponding to said at least one item: receiving, in the current system, the second data including said at least one item and the data corresponding to said at least one item from the lower system, wherein if said at least one item included in the received second data corresponds to said second status or said third status, the current system updates the data corresponding to said at least one item of the second data in the database of the current system, and the received second data is sent from the current system to the upper system, and wherein if said at least one item included in the received second data corresponds to said first status, the current system updates the data corresponding to said at least one item of the second data in the database of the current system, and the received second data is not sent from the current system to the upper system.