Avoiding conflict in update in distributed environment employing multiple clients

A method for avoiding conflicts in a distributed environment deploying a plurality of clients, each of which are communicatively linked to a server, which collects and stores a plurality of files in a tangible storage medium, wherein said plurality of files are updatable by the plurality of clients, said method comprising:

• transmitting, to the server from one of the clients, an instruction to copy a certain file for update, wherein said certain file is one of said plurality of files;
• receiving, at the one client, the copied file;
• upon update of the received file, generating, at the one client, update information on the update of the received file;
• and
• transmitting, to the server from the one client, the generated update information.

A server that is connected to a plurality of clients so as to be capable of data communication with the clients, wherein said server is operable to collect and store a plurality of files updated in some of the clients, wherein the server comprises hardware operable to execute computer program instructions, the server further comprising:

• a first receiving unit that receives update information on update of a copied one of the files from one of the clients, the update information generated if the one of the clients updates the copied file;
• an extracting unit that extracts a file containing a part related to the received update information;
• a copy judging unit that judges whether or not the extracted file has been copied and then transmitted to another client;
• and
• a second information transmitting unit that, if the copy judging unit judges that the extracted file has been copied and transmitted to the another client, transmits warning information to the another client to which the file has been transmitted, the warning information indicating that the file is updated in the one of the clients.

A client, which is one of a plurality of clients communicatively linked to a server, wherein said server is operable to collect and store a plurality of files updated in some of the clients including said client, wherein the client comprises hardware operable to execute computer program instructions, the client comprising:

• an instruction transmitting unit that transmits, to the server, an instruction to copy a certain file for update;
• a file receiving unit that receives the copied file;
• a generating unit that, upon update of the received file, generates update information on the update of the received file;
• and
• a first information transmitting unit that transmits the generated update information to the server.