FILE SYSTEM WATCHER IN THE PRESENCE OF DIFFERENT FILE SYSTEMS

• US 20090210454A1
• Filed: 02/18/2008
• Published: 08/20/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/18/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Murphy, Jim, Chung, Richard, Sagar, Akash
• Granted Patent: US 8,086,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/184 implemented as replicated file system

Abstract

The claimed subject matter is directed to a file system watcher in the presence of different file systems to allow synchronization of replicated files distributed among different file systems without compromising the features of each file system. To synchronize the distributed replications, a platform independent synchronization manager creates a file system watcher for each file system associated with a replication of the file. The file system watcher monitors each object for events affecting the object or the object'"'"'s constituent files, such as creation, deletion, change and rename. Notifications are sent to the synchronization manager, which consolidates the modifications and updates a locally stored replication, if necessary. The synchronization manager then sends a notification of an update to all other synchronization managers for all replications of the distributed file or folder. Synchronization is complete when the nonconforming synchronization managers acquire a replication of the locally stored replication and update their respective objects to conform therewith.

Claims

1. A method to synchronize electronic objects replicated among different file systems, the method comprising:

processing a received notification or event that a first replication of an electronic object of a first file system has been modified;

determining if a modification to the first replication of the electronic object has been made;

updating the first replication of the electronic object of the first file system in a local storage, if necessary; and

synchronizing the replications of the electronic object among the file systems upon which the electronic object is replicated without compromising features of the file systems.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein synchronizing the electronic object further comprises:

receiving notification that the first replication of the electronic object has been updated;

downloading the update replication of the first replication of the electronic object;

determining the change(s) to the first replication of the electronic object;

updating a second replication of the electronic object of the second file system with the determined changes without compromising the features of the second file system of the electronic object.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

establishing a common metadata among the multiple file systems; and

establishing a common storage infrastructure among the multiple file systems.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein a replication of the electronic object comprises one or more electronic files.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining if a modification to the first replication of the electronic object has been made is performed by a file system watcher.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing a received notification or event further comprises filtering events according to filters specific to the first replication of the electronic object.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing a received notification or event further comprises coalescing the received notifications.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the local storage for a first replication of the electronic object includes the specific metadata for the first replication of the electronic object.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein updating the first replication of the electronic object of a first file system further comprises:

comparing the modification to the first replication of the electronic object to the first replication of the electronic object stored in a local storage; and

adjusting the first replication of the electronic object stored in the local storage to reflect the update.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein a graceful degradation in functionality is achieved during synchronization between file systems of greater capability or complexity to file systems of lesser capability or complexity.

12. The system according to claim 10, wherein the synchronization manager further comprises a synchronization engine.

14. The system according to claim 10, wherein a file system watcher includes a filter specific to the electronic object the file system watcher is created for.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the local storage is a cache.

11. A system for synchronizing electronic objects replicated among multiple file systems, the system comprising:

one or more electronic objects of one or more file systems;

a synchronization manager; and

a local storage,

wherein the synchronization manager creates a file system watcher for a replication of the electronic object specific to each file system the electronic object is replicated upon, the file system watcher processes received notifications or events that the replication of the electronic object has been modified, the file system watcher determines if the modification to the replication of the electronic object has occurred, the file system watcher updates the replication of the electronic object in the local storage, the file system watcher notifies the synchronization manager that a replication of the electronic object has been updated, and the synchronization manager synchronizes the replications of the electronic object among the file systems upon which the electronic object is replicated without compromising features of the file systems.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization engine performs the synchronization of the electronic object among the file systems upon which the electronic object is replicated.

16. A system for synchronizing electronic objects replicated among multiple file systems, the system comprising:

a computer system having a processor coupled to a memory, the memory having computer readable code, which when executed by the processor causes the computer system to implement a synchronization manager for managing the synchronization of the replications of the electronic objects,

wherein, the synchronization manager creates a file system watcher for a replication of the electronic object specific to each file system the electronic object is replicated upon, the file system watcher processes received notifications or events that the replication of the electronic object has been modified, the file system watcher determines if the modification to the replication of the electronic object has occurred, the file system watcher updates the replication of the electronic object in the local storage, the file system watcher notifies the synchronization manager that a replication of the electronic object has been updated, and the synchronization manager synchronizes the replications of the electronic object among the file systems upon which the electronic object is replicated without compromising features of the file systems.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the electronic object is replicated on a remote computing device.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote computing device is a networked computer system.

19. The system according to claim 17, wherein the remote computing device is a networked hand-held computing device.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein the computing system and the remote computing device are networked over the Internet.