Temporary state preservation for a distributed file service which purges virtual circuit control information after expiration of time limit of inactivity

摘要

A distributed digital data processing system includes a server and a client that transmit messages over a virtual circuit in a network, the virtual circuit being defined by server virtual circuit information and client virtual circuit information. The server includes a server memory and a server interface. The server memory stores server virtual circuit control information and the server interface engages in message transfers over said network using the server virtual circuit control information in said server memory. The client includes a client memory, a client interface, and a purging mechanism. The client memory stores client virtual circuit control information that the client interface uses in connection with message transfers engaged by it over the virtual circuit. The purging mechanism enables the server memory to purge server virtual circuit control information relating to a virtual circuit if said virtual circuit has not been used for a predetermined period of time, thereby freeing up the memory space for server virtual circuit control information relating to other virtual circuits.