MULTI-PROCESSOR DATA SYNCHRONIZATION METHOD AND APPARATUS

Disclosed is a method and an apparatus that can provide backup CPU data synchronization in a time minimization process. All external messages received, that are to be processed by a primary CPU 12, are also stored in a message list 24 of the backup CPU 14. Check-point message data is intelligently stored in the backup CPU 14 by first deleting related external messages from backup message list 24 and then creating a record if none already exists and filling only those fields referenced in the check-point message. If a record does exist, only the check-point message data fields are altered in that existing record. When a data synchronization record is received by the backup CPU 14, a check is made to see if such a record has already been created by a check-point message. If not, a record is created in the backup CPU database 22 and all the fields are made to correspond with the received data synchronization record message. If such a record is found, only those fields not already containing data are filled from the received data synchronization record message. In this manner a single pass through the primary CPUs database 18 is sufficient to obtain data synchronization of the backup CPU 14.