Synchronization of client machines with a content management system repository

• US 10,642,799 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2018
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyland UK Operations Limited (Hyland Software Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Alfresco Software Incorporated (Hyland Software Incorporated)
• Inventors: Melahn, Gregory, Gardner, Michael, Gauss, Ray, Glover, Steven, Kalsi, Harpritt, McErlean, Neil, Remmington, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Bowen, Richard L
• Application Number:
  US16/102,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20180357253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 631 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2365 Ensuring data consistency and integrity
• 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 synchronization queuing service associated with a content management system repository can record file events occurring to content items maintained at the content management system repository. The synchronization queuing service can receive a file synchronization request for information identifying a content item to which a client machine is subscribed. The synchronization queuing service can determine consistency or inconsistency of a client machine state of the content item relative to the content item at the content management system repository and can respond to client machine with a file event summary comprising information usable by the client machine to identify actions necessary to synchronize the client machine state of the content item the content item.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to implement a synchronization queuing service configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving, at the synchronization queuing service from a client machine subscribed to a content item maintained by a content management system repository, a file synchronization request comprising an identifier of the content item;

determining, based on the file synchronization request, whether a change to the content item in the content management system repository and/or a change to a local copy of the content item that is stored on the client machine occurred since a most recent synchronization of the local copy of the content item with the content item in the content management system repository; and

responding, based on determining the change to the content item and/or the change to the local copy, to the client machine with a file event summary, the file event summary comprising;

instructions for the client machine to directly contact the content management system repository when local copy of the content item is consistent with the current state of the content management system repository and/or when the synchronization queuing service determines the change to the content item in content management system repository.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the file synchronization request further comprises a list that includes a change made at the client machine to affect the local copy of the content item.

3. A computer program product as in claim 2, wherein the operations further comprise:

subscribing the client machine to the content item, the subscribing allowing the client machine to request that the synchronization service compare the change made at the client machine to the current state of the content management system.

4. A computer program product as in claim 2, wherein the file event summary further comprises an indication that the change made at the client machine is in conflict with the current state of the content management system repository.

5. A computer program product as in claim 2, wherein the file event summary further comprises an indication that the change made at the client machine is not in conflict with the current state of the content management system repository such that the current state of the content management system repository can be safely updated to reflect the change made at the client machine.

6. A computer program product as in claim 2, wherein the file event summary further comprises an indication that the change made at the client machine is no longer relevant to the current state of the content management system repository such the client machine can safely ignore the change made at the client machine.

7. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the recording further comprises receiving, by the synchronization queuing service, a message from at least one of the content management system repository, the client machine, and another client machine, the message comprising a description of a file event of the one or more file events;

and adding the file event to the data structure.

8. A computer program product as in claim 7, wherein the file event comprises at least one of a change to the content item in the content management system repository, a change to the local copy of the content item that is stored on the client machine, and a change to a directory structure containing the content time at the content management system repository.

9. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, by the synchronization queuing service, an update message from the content management system repository, the update message comprising a file event of one or more file events.

10. A computer program product as in claim 9, wherein the update message is published by the content management system repository as part of a content management system transaction for an operation relating to the file event, and wherein failure of the synchronization queuing service to receive the update message causes the content management system repository to roll back the operation.

11. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the content management system repository is implemented on one or more machines separate from the at least one programmable processor implementing the synchronization queuing service.

12. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the data structure maintained by the synchronization queuing service comprises a database of file events occurring for content items maintained at the content management system repository, and the recording comprises at least one of creating, updating, and deleting an entry in the database.

13. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

creating, by the synchronization queuing service, the file event summary using stored information associating the client machine identifier received in the file synchronization request with the content item to which the client machine is subscribed.

14. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the file synchronization request further comprises a request for synchronization information for any changes having occurred to the content item since the most recent prior synchronization between the client machine and the synchronization queuing service.

15. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the synchronization queuing service comprises a multi-part service arrangement implemented on a plurality of machines, the multi-part service arrangement comprising:

a subscription service, the subscription service reading the change to the content item and/or the change to the local copy and storing the change to the content item and/or to the local copy locally, the subscription service comprising a cache of metadata associated with a plurality of content items to which any of a plurality of managed client machines has subscribed; and

a synchronization service, the synchronization service managing a subset of the plurality of managed client machines, the subset comprising the client machine, the synchronization service performing operations comprising;

receiving the file synchronization request from the client machine,

accessing the change to the content item and/or the change to the local copy and cache of metadata stored locally by the subscription service, and

responding to the client machine with the file event summary.

16. A computer program product as in claim 15, wherein the cache of metadata comprises information about whether a state of the content item in the content management system repository has changed since the client machine last synchronized with the content management system repository.

17. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the file event summary comprises instructions that the client machine need not directly contact the content management system repository when the local copy of the content item is inconsistent with the current state of the content management system repository.

18. A system comprising computer hardware configured to provide operations of a synchronization queuing service, the operations comprising:

receiving, at the synchronization queuing service from a client machine subscribed to a content item maintained by a content management system repository, a file synchronization request comprising an identifier of the content item;

determining, based on the file synchronization request, whether a change to the content item in the content management system repository and/or a change to a local copy of the content item that is stored on the client machine occurred since a most recent synchronization of the local copy of the content item with the content item in the content management system repository; and

responding, based on determining the change to the content item and/or the change to the local copy, to the client machine with a file event summary, the file event summary comprising;

instructions for the client machine to directly contact the content management system repository when local copy of the content item is consistent with the current state of the content management system repository and/or when the synchronization queuing service determines the change to the content item in content management system repository.

19. A system as in claim 18, wherein the computer hardware comprises a programmable processor receiving instructions that cause the programmable processor to perform at least some of the operations.

20. A computer-implemented method for implementing a synchronization queuing service, the method comprising:

receiving, at the synchronization queuing service from a client machine subscribed to a content item maintained by a content management system repository, a file synchronization request comprising an identifier of the content item;

determining, based on the file synchronization request, whether a change to the content item in the content management system repository and/or a change to a local copy of the content item that is stored on the client machine occurred since a most recent synchronization of the local copy of the content item with the content item in the content management system repository; and

responding, based on determining the change to the content item and/or the change to the local copy, to the client machine with a file event summary, the file event summary comprising;

instructions for the client machine to directly contact the content management system repository when local copy of the content item is consistent with the current state of the content management system repository and/or when the synchronization queuing service determines the change to the content item in content management system repository.