Storage constrained synchronization engine

• US 10,360,235 B2
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Issued: 07/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Newhouse, Benjamin Zeis
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Debbie M
• Application Number:
  US15/903,585
• Publication Number:
  US 20180181634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/162 Delete operations erasing in storage systems G06F3/0652
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1815 Journaling file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/23 Updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2308 Concurrency control transaction processing G06F9/466
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2358 Change logging, detection, and notification replication G06F16/27
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2379 Updates performed during online database operations; commit processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A client application of a content management system provides instructions for synchronizing content items and placeholder items using a local file journal and updated file journal. The client application compares entries in the updated file journal to entries in the local file journal to determine modifications to make to content items or placeholder items stored in a shared content storage directory on the client device. Based on the result of the comparison, the client application replaces placeholder items with content items or replaces content items with placeholder items.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting, by a client device, a modification to a file path of a synchronized item stored in a shared content storage directory, wherein the synchronized item is a placeholder item, the synchronized item synchronized between the client device and a content management system;

responsive to detecting the modification to the file path, determining whether the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device; and

responsive to determining that the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device, generating for display, by the client device, a prompt comprising a plurality of selectable options including a first selectable option to maintain content data of the placeholder item on the content management system and a second selectable option to delete content data of the placeholder item from the content management system;

responsive to receiving a selection of the first selectable option from the prompt, refraining from executing on the modification to the file path; and

responsive to receiving a selection of the second selectable option from the prompt, executing on the modification to the file path.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronized item is determined to be a placeholder item based on a local sync type of the synchronized item.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the local sync type is included within metadata corresponding to the synchronized item and includes an indication that the synchronized item is a placeholder item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the modified file path is outside the content storage directory comprises determining whether the modified file path is within deleted file temporary storage.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first selectable option to maintain content data of the placeholder item on the content management system comprises an option to move the content data of the placeholder item out of the deleted file temporary storage.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first selectable option to delete content data of the placeholder item from the content management system comprises an option to delete the content data of the placeholder item from the deleted file temporary storage.

7. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

responsive to determining that the modified file path is within the deleted file temporary storage;

displaying the prompt, wherein the prompt includes an option to deny relocation of the placeholder item; and

responsive to receiving a user selection of the option to deny relocation of the placeholder item, storing the placeholder item at the file path instead of the modified file path.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a user selection of the first selectable option;

notifying the content management system to maintain blocks specified in a local blocklist corresponding to the placeholder item.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein notifying the content management system to maintain blocks specified in the local blocklist further comprises notifying the content management system to maintain the blocks for a predetermined period of time.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein notifying the content management system to maintain blocks specified in the local blocklist further comprises notifying the content management system to maintain the blocks for a user specified period of time.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

responsive to receiving a user selection of the second selectable option;

committing the placeholder item to the content management system using a local journal ID; and

modifying a local entry of the local journal ID to set a local deletion confirmation to indicate that the placeholder item is to be deleted during a hashing process on the client device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the prompt further includes an option to download content data of the placeholder item, and further comprising:

responsive to receiving a user selection of the option to download content data of the placeholder item;

requesting blocks indicated in a local blocklist corresponding to the placeholder item from the content management system;

downloading the requested blocks to the client device; and

storing the downloaded blocks at the modified filepath.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

committing the placeholder item to the content management system using a local journal ID; and

modifying a local entry of the local journal ID to set a local deletion confirmation to indicate that the placeholder item is to be deleted during a hashing process on the client device.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a client device, cause the client device to perform operations comprising:

detecting a modification to a file path of a synchronized item stored in a shared content storage directory, wherein the synchronized item is a placeholder item, the synchronized item synchronized between the client device and a content management system;

responsive to detecting the modification to the file path, determining whether the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device; and

responsive to determining that the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device, generating for display a prompt comprising a plurality of selectable options including a first selectable option to maintain content data of the placeholder item on the content management system and a second selectable option to delete content data of the placeholder item from the content management system;

responsive to receiving a selection of the first selectable option from the prompt, refraining from executing on the modification to the file path; and

responsive to receiving a selection of the second selectable option from the prompt, executing on the modification to the file path.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the synchronized item is determined to be a placeholder item based on a local sync type of the synchronized item.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the local sync type is included within metadata corresponding to the synchronized item and includes an indication that the synchronized item is a placeholder item.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein determining whether the modified file path is outside the content storage directory comprises determining whether the modified file path is within deleted file temporary storage.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first selectable option to maintain content data of the placeholder item on the content management system comprises an option to move the content data of the placeholder item out of the deleted file temporary storage.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second selectable option to delete content data of the placeholder item from the content management system comprises an option to delete the content data of the placeholder item from the deleted file temporary storage.

20. A system comprising:

a processor, and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

detecting, by a client device, a modification to a file path of a synchronized item stored in a shared content storage directory, wherein the synchronized item is a placeholder item, the synchronized item synchronized between the client device and a content management system;

responsive to detecting the modification to the file path, determining whether the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device; and

responsive to determining that the modified file path is outside the shared content storage directory and local to the client device, generating for display, by the client device, a prompt comprising a plurality of selectable options including a first selectable option to maintain content data of the placeholder item on the content management system and a second selectable option to delete content data of the placeholder item from the content management system;

responsive to receiving a selection of the first selectable option from the prompt, refraining from executing on the modification to the file path; and

responsive to receiving a selection of the second selectable option from the prompt, executing on the modification to the file path.