Synchronization methods and systems

• US 20080168291A1
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Freedman, Gordon J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,761,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/375
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer readable media for synchronization tasks and non-synchronization tasks being executed concurrently. In one exemplary embodiment, a method includes executing at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread and executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread. The at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread may include operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

executing at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread;

executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

3. The method as in claim 2 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

4. The method as in claim 1 wherein the at least one synchronization processing thread is provided by a synchronization software component which is configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data from a first store and wherein the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread is provided by a user application which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data in the first store.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the synchronization software component acquires a lock on the first store.

6. The method as in claim 4 wherein the synchronization software component attempts to acquire a lock on the first store, and if it fails, the synchronization software component sends a message to the user application to obtain the lock on the first store.

7. The method as in claim 4 wherein the lock is a FLOCK Unix command.

8. The method as in claim 6 wherein the synchronization software component cancels synchronization for at least one data class if the user application fails to release the lock on the first store.

9. The method as in claim 4 wherein the synchronization software component is configured to synchronize structured data of a first data class and other synchronization software components are configured to synchronize structured data of other corresponding data classes.

10. The method as in claim 5 wherein the synchronization software component releases the lock after synchronization for a first data class is completed.

11. The method as in claim 10 wherein the first and the second data processing systems are synchronized in a peer-to-peer manner.

12. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

executing at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread;

executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread.

13. The medium as in claim 12 wherein the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

14. The medium as in claim 13 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

15. The medium as in claim 12 wherein the at least one synchronization processing thread is provided by a synchronization software component which is configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data from a first store and wherein the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread is provided by a user application which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data in the first store.

16. The medium as in claim 15 wherein the synchronization software component acquires a lock on the first store.

17. The medium as in claim 15 wherein the synchronization software component attempts to acquire a lock on the first store, and if it fails, the synchronization software component sends a message to the user application to obtain the lock on the first store.

18. The medium as in claim 15 wherein the lock is a FLOCK Unix command.

19. The medium as in claim 17 wherein the synchronization software component cancels synchronization for at least one data class if the user application fails to release the lock on the first store.

20. The medium as in claim 15 wherein the synchronization software component is configured to synchronize structured data of a first data class and other synchronization software components are configured to synchronize structured data of other corresponding data classes.

21. The medium as in claim 16 wherein the synchronization software component releases the lock after synchronization for a first data class is completed.

22. The medium as in claim 21 wherein the first and the second data processing systems are synchronized in a peer-to-peer manner.

23. A data processing system comprising:

means for executing at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread;

means for executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread.

24. The system as in claim 23 wherein the at least one user-level non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

25. A machine implemented method comprising:

executing at least one non-synchronization processing thread;

executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one non-synchronization processing thread.

26. The method as in claim 25 wherein the at least one non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

27. The method as in claim 26 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

28. The method as in claim 25 wherein the at least one synchronization processing thread is provided by a synchronization software component which is configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data from a first store and wherein the at least one non-synchronization processing thread is provided by a user application which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data in the first store.

29. The method as in claim 28 wherein the synchronization software component acquires a lock on the first store.

30. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

executing at least one non-synchronization processing thread;

executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one non-synchronization processing thread.

31. The medium as in claim 30 wherein the at least one non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.

32. The medium as in claim 31 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

33. The medium as in claim 30 wherein the at least one synchronization processing thread is provided by a synchronization software component which is configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data from a first store and wherein the at least one non-synchronization processing thread is provided by a user application which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data in the first store.

34. The medium as in claim 33 wherein the synchronization software component acquires a lock on the first store.

35. A data processing system comprising:

means for executing at least one non-synchronization processing thread;

means for executing at least one synchronization processing thread concurrently with the executing of the at least one non-synchronization processing thread.

36. The system as in claim 35 wherein the at least one non-synchronization processing thread includes operations to access a first database which is synchronized by the at least one synchronization processing thread during a synchronization operation between the first database on a first data processing system and a second database on a second data processing system.