Methods and apparatus for managing a database in a distributed operating environment

A computer implemented method for performing a data write operation to a database cache portion of a database being intended to reside in a computer system, the database cache portion suitable for concurrently maintaining data written thereto by a plurality of database clients, the database further including a persistent database portion operable for single client use only, the database operable to maintain data persistently for said plurality of database clients, the method including the computer controlled steps of:

• setting a cache dirty variable to a state that indicates that the database cache contains data which is intended to be maintained persistently by said database;
• incrementing by a predetermined value a transaction counter, the transaction counter indicating the number of active data write operations;
• writing the data to be maintained persistently by said database to the database cache after the transaction counter incrementing step;
• and
• decrementing the transaction counter by the predetermined value in conjunction with the data writing step.

A computer implemented method for managing a database resident in a computer system, the computer system being intended for use in a distributed object operating environment, the database including a database cache and a persistent database portion, the database operable to maintain data persistently for a plurality of clients, said database cache capable of maintaining concurrently data received from multiple clients, which clients intended said data to be maintained persistently by said database, said persistent database portion structured as a single client database, the method including the computer controlled steps of:

• performing a data write operation that writes data into said database cache, said data written into the cache being intended for storage in the persistent database portion;
• setting a cache dirty variable to a first state that indicates that the database cache includes data intended for storage in the persistent database portion;
• detecting that a cache dirty variable has been set to a first state that indicates that said database cache includes certain data received from at least one of said plurality of clients, said client intending said certain data to be maintained persistently by said database,
• performing a data commit operation which commits to said persistent database portion said certain data intended to be maintained persistently by said database;
• and
• after the performance of the data commit operation, setting said cache dirty variable to a second state that indicates that said database cache does not include data which must be committed to said persistent database portion.