System and method for managing distributed files

A distributed file management system for managing files opened in different places, which can open a file online when a desired network communication among any of the different places is available, and which can open a file offline when the desired network communication is unavailable, the system comprising:

• a plurality of client computers for inputting information related to files opened;
• at least one branch application server linking to the client computers for opening a file offline;
• at least one branch database server linking to the at least one branch application server for storing information of any file opened;
• a central application server linking to the client computers for opening a file online;
• a central database server linking to the central application server and to the at least one branch database server, wherein the central database server can replicate information of files in the central database server to the at least one branch database server.

A distributed file management method for controlling information transmission between a central management information subsystem and at least one branch management information subsystem via an electronic communications network, the central management information subsystem comprising at least one client computer, a central application server and a central database server, and the at least one branch management information subsystem comprising at least one client computer, a branch application server and a branch database server, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) a client computer in one of the branch management information subsystems determining whether the electronic communications network linking said one of the branch management information subsystems and the central management information subsystem is available via the branch application server in said one of the branch management information systems;
• (b) if the electronic communications network is available, the client computer linking to the central application server and writing file information to the central database server via the central application server, the central database server then replicating opened file information to the database server of the at least one branch management information subsystem;
• (c) if the electronic communications network is unavailable, the client computer opening a file offline via the application server, writing information of the offline-opened file in the database server of said one of the branch management information subsystems, and meanwhile archiving an offline-opening record of the offline-opened file;
• (d) after the electronic communications network becomes available, the central application server replicating the offline-opened file to the central database server and recovering the offline-opened file into an online-opened file by changing an offline-opened file number of the offline-opened file into an online-opened file number;
• (e) the central application server storing the recovered file in the central database server, and the central database server replicating the recovered file to all the branch database servers.

A method for managing distributed files shared by a plurality of sites via MIS, comprising the steps of:

• providing a central management information subsystem with a central application server and a central database server;
• providing a plurality of branch management information subsystems each with a branch application server and a branch database server and a branch computer;
• linking the branch computer to the corresponding branch database server through the corresponding branch application server locally in each of said branch management information subsystems;
• linking the branch database servers to the central database server centrally;
• and
• linking the computers of said branch management information subsystems to the central application server centrally;
• wherein
• in an online state, newly opened files generated by the computers of the branch management information subsystems are directly stored into the central database server via said central application server, while in an offline state, newly opened files generated by the computers of the branch management information subsystems are temporarily locally stored respectively in the corresponding branch database servers via the corresponding branch application servers, and later transmitted to the central management information subsystem for transforming to an online opened file.