NETWORK ARCHITECTURE FOR CONTENT BACKUP, RESTORING, AND SHARING

• US 20110106755A1
• Filed: 10/30/2009
• Published: 05/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Chen, Guanrao, Hao, Jack Jianxiu, Xia, Wei, Geiger, Joseph M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A method may include generating a list of current files stored in a user device, wherein the list of current files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files. The method may further include sending the list of current files from the user device to a network device and receiving a copy list from the network device in the user device. The copy list may be generated by comparing the list of current files to a list of previously copied files, and the list of previously copied files may include unique file identifiers, each associated with a different one of the previously copied files. The method may include sending the files listed in the copy list from the user device to the network device.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

generating a list of current files stored in a user device, wherein the list of current files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files;

sending the list of current files from the user device to a network device;

receiving a copy list from the network device in the user device, wherein the copy list was generated by comparing the list of current files to a list of previously copied files, and wherein the list of previously copied files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the previously copied files; and

sending the files listed in the copy list from the user device to the network device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the list of current files from the user device in the network device;

comparing the list of current files to the list of previously copied files, wherein the list of previously copied files is associated with the user device, and wherein identical files have identical file identifiers;

generating the copy list based on the comparison; and

sending the copy list from the network device to the user device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving the files sent from the user device in the network device;

storing the received files in the network device; and

updating the list of previously copied files to indicate that the files received from the user device are stored in the network device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein a first user device includes the user device, the method further comprising:

duplicating a unique file identifier from the list of previously copied files to a second list of previously copied files associated with a second user device different than the first user device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending, to the second user device, the file associated with the unique file identifier copied to the second list.

6. The method of claim 3,

wherein the network device includes a backup device and a proxy device and wherein the proxy device is separate from than the backup device, and

wherein storing the received files in the network device includes sending the received files from the proxy device to the backup device and storing the received files in the backup device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in the user device, an indication that the files listed in the copy list were successfully received in the network device.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the current files includes a hash value of the associated file, and

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the previously copied files includes a hash value of the associated file.

9. A system comprising:

a plurality of first network devices, each including;

a receiver to receive a plurality of files from a user device;

a processor to determine whether each of the plurality of files was received without error;

a transmitter to;

send an error message to the user device when any of the plurality of files was received with error;

send each of the plurality of files received without error to a second network device, different from the plurality of first network devices, for storage.

10. The system of claim 9,

wherein the receiver is configured to receive, from the user device, a list of current files wherein the list of current files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files;

wherein the processor is further configured to

compare the list of current files to a list of previously copied files, wherein the list of previously copied files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the previously copied files, and wherein the list of previously copied files is associated with the user device;

generate a backup list of files based on the comparison; and

wherein the transmitter is further configured to send the backup list from the first network device to the user device.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising the second network device, wherein the second network device includes:

a receiver to receive the plurality of files;

a memory to store the received plurality of files; and

a processor to update the list of previously copied files to indicate that the files received from the user device are stored in the second network device.

12. The system of claim 10, further comprising the user device,

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the current files includes a hash value of the associated file, and

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the previously copied files includes a hash value of the associated file.

13. A method comprising:

receiving, in a network device from a user device, a list of current files, wherein the list of current files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files;

comparing the list of current files to a list of previously copied files, wherein the list of previously copied files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the previously copied files, and wherein the list of previously copied files is associated with the user device;

generating a backup list of files based on the comparison; and

sending the backup list from the network device to the user device.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving, in the network device from the user device, files listed in the backup list;

storing the received files in the network device; and

updating the list of previously copied files to indicate that the files received from the user device are stored in the network device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein a first user device includes the user device, the method further comprising:

duplicating a unique file identifier from the list, associated with the first user device, of previously copied files to a second list, associated with a second user device, of previously copied files, wherein the first user device is different than the second user device.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

generating, in a user device, the list of current files;

sending the list of current files from the user device to the network device;

receiving the backup list from the network device in the user device; and

sending the files listed in the backup list from the user device to the network device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, in the user device, an indication that the files listed in the backup list of files were successfully received in the network device.

18. The method of claim 16,

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the current files includes a hash value of the associated file;

and

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the previously copied files includes a hash value of the associated file.

19. A system, comprising:

a user device including;

a memory to store a plurality of files;

a processor to generate a list of current files stored in the memory device, wherein the list of current files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files;

a transmitter to send the list of current files to a network device;

a receiver to receive a backup list from the network device, wherein the backup list was generated by comparing the list of current files to a list of previously copied files, and wherein the list of previously copied files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the previously copied files; and

wherein the transmitter is configured to send the files listed in the backup list from the user device to the network device.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising the network device, the network device including:

a receiver to receive the list of current files from the user device;

a processor to compare the list of current files to the list of previously copied files, wherein the list of previously copied files is associated with the user device, and to generate the backup list of files based on the comparison; and

a transmitter to send the backup list from the network device to the user device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the receiver of the network device is further configured to receive the files sent from the user device, the network device further comprising:

a memory to store the received files, wherein the processor of the network device is further configured to update the list of previously copied files to indicate that the files received from the user device are stored in the network device.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein a first user device includes the user device, wherein the processor of the network device is further configured to duplicate a unique file identifier from the list, associated with the first user device, of previously copied files to a second list, associated with a second user device different than the first user device, of previously copied files.

23. The system of claim 19,

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the current files includes a hash value of the associated file;

and

wherein the unique file identifier associated with each of the previous files includes a hash value of the associated file.

24. A network device comprising:

a receiver to receive a list of current files, the list of current files including unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the current files;

a processor to

compare the list of current files identifiers to a list of previously copied files, wherein the list of previously copied files includes unique file identifiers, each associated with a corresponding one of the plurality of previously copied files, and wherein the list of previously copied files is associated with the user device;

generate a backup list of files based on the comparison; and

a transmitter to send the backup list from the network device to the user device,

wherein the receiver is configured to receive the files listed in the backup list from the user device and the transmitter is configured to send the files to a second network device, different than the first network device.

25. The network device of claim 24,

wherein the processor is further configured to update the list of previously copied files to indicate that the files received from the user device are stored in the network device.