Method of making protected changes to data stored in a database, as well as database system and network element equipped therewith

A database system comprising:

• a database (DB) containing changeable data in memory blocks each having a block number (BNO) assigned thereto;
• a control unit (CPU) for controlling write and read accesses to the database (DB);
• and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVM) connected thereto,
• wherein, in order to make protected changes to the data, the control unit (CPU) searches for a free memory block (BL*) in the database (DB) for new data (D*) intended to replace old data (D), temporarily stores the block number (BNO) of said memory block (BL*) in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVM), writes the new data (D*) into the free memory block (BL*), and checks whether the writing of the new data (D*) was disturbed, and
• wherein, if the writing was not disturbed, the control unit (CPU) erases the block number (BNO) of the memory block (BL*) containing the new data (D*) from the semiconductor memory (NVM) and deallocates the memory block (BL) containing the old data (D), or
• wherein, if the writing was disturbed, the control unit (CPU) continues to manage the free memory block (BL*) into which the new data (D*) were to be written as a free memory block (BL*).

A network element for a digital communications network with a database system comprising:

• a database (DB) containing changeable data in memory blocks each having a block number (BNO) assigned thereto;
• a control unit (CPU) for controlling write and read accesses to the database (DB);
• and a nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVM) connected to the control unit (CPU),
• wherein, in order to make protected changes to the data, the control unit (CPU) searches for a free memory block (BL*) in the database (DB) for new data (D*) intended to replace old data (D), temporarily stores the block number (BNO) of said memory block (BL*) in the nonvolatile semiconductor memory (NVM), writes the new data (D*) into the free memory block (BL*), and checks whether the writing of the new data (D*) was disturbed, and
• wherein, if the writing was not disturbed, the control unit (CPU) erases the block number (BNO) of the memory block (BL*) containing the new data (D*) from the semiconductor memory (NVM) and deallocates the memory block (BL) containing the old data (D), or
• wherein, if the writing was disturbed, the control unit (CPU) continues to manage the free memory block (BL*) into which the new data (D*) were to be written as a free memory block (BL*).