IDENTIFICATION OF MOVED OR RENAMED FILES IN FILE SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20120317077A1
• Filed: 06/10/2011
• Published: 12/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Chung, Richard Y.
• Granted Patent: US 8,332,357 B1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/137 Hash-based content-based indexing of textual data G06F16/31
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• 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 method for synchronizing files is provided. Current metadata including a filename and a hash identifier for each file of the synchronized folder is created. The current metadata is compared to previous metadata. Based on the comparison, a first file and a first folder added to the synchronized folder and a second file and a second folder deleted from the synchronized folder are identified. The hash identifiers of the first and second files are compared. If the hash identifiers match, the filenames of the first and second files are compared. If the filenames do not match, the first file is identified as a renamed file. Metadata is sent to a synchronized device with information related to the first folder sent before information related to the first file, which is sent before information related to the second folder.

Claims

1. At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device:

create current metadata for a synchronized folder, wherein the synchronized folder includes a plurality of files that are replicated at a second computing device, wherein the created current metadata includes a filename and a hash identifier for each file of the plurality of files, wherein the hash identifier is calculated based on the contents of a respective file of the plurality of files, wherein the created current metadata further includes a parent folder name for each file of the plurality of files;

compare the created current metadata to previous metadata created for the synchronized folder;

based on the comparison, identify a first file added to the synchronized folder after creation of the previous metadata;

based on the comparison, identify a second file deleted from the synchronized folder after creation of the previous metadata;

compare the hash identifier of the identified first file to the hash identifier of the identified second file;

compare the filename of the identified first file to the filename of the identified second file when the hash identifier of the identified first file matches the hash identifier of the identified second file;

identify the first file as a renamed file when the filename of the identified first file does not match the filename of the identified second file;

compare the parent folder name of the identified first file to the parent folder name of the identified second file when the hash identifier of the identified first file matches the hash identifier of the identified second file;

identify the first file as a moved file and send the filename and the parent folder name of the identified first file to the second computing device when the parent folder name of the identified first file does not match the parent folder name of the identified second file; and

send the parent folder name and the filename of the identified first file to the second computing device when the parent folder name of the identified first file does not match the parent folder name of the identified second file.

2. The at least one computer storage device of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to send the filename and the hash identifier of the identified first file to the second computing device when the filename of the identified first file does not match the filename of the identified second file.

3. The at least one computer storage device of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to send the filename and the hash identifier of the identified first file to a third computing device when the filename of the identified first file does not match the filename of the identified second file, and further wherein the third computing device is a server computing device.

6. The at least one computer storage device of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to send the hash identifier of the identified first file to the second computing device.

7. The at least one computer storage device of claim 1, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to send the parent folder name and the filename of the identified first file to a third computing device when the parent folder name of the identified first file does not match the parent folder name of the identified second file, and further wherein the third computing device is a server computing device.

4-5. -5. (canceled)

8. At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

identify a first file as a renamed file in a synchronized folder, wherein the synchronized folder includes a file that is replicated at a second computing device;

identify a first folder added to the synchronized folder, wherein the synchronized folder further includes a plurality of folders that are replicated at the second computing device;

identify a second folder deleted from the synchronized folder;

send a filename of the identified first file to the second computing device when the filename does not match that of an identified another file;

send first metadata associated with the identified first folder to a third computing device, wherein the first metadata includes a first folder name of the identified first folder;

after sending the first metadata, send second metadata associated with the identified first file to the third computing device, wherein the second metadata includes a first filename of the identified first file and an identifier to identify the renamed file at the second computing device; and

after sending the second metadata, send third metadata associated with the identified second folder to the third computing device, wherein the third metadata includes a second folder name of the identified second folder.

9. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the second computing device and the third computing device are the same computing device.

10. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to identify a second file deleted from the synchronized folder and to send fourth metadata associated with the identified second file to the third computing device before sending the first metadata, wherein the fourth metadata includes a second filename of the identified second file.

11. The at least one computer storage device of claim 10, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to identify a third file added to the synchronized folder and to send fifth metadata associated with the identified third file to the third computing device after sending the third metadata, wherein the fifth metadata includes a third filename of the identified third file.

12. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to identify a second file added to the synchronized folder and to send fourth metadata associated with the identified second file to the third computing device after sending the third metadata, wherein the fourth metadata includes a second filename of the identified second file.

13. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to identify a second file as a moved file in the synchronized folder and to send fourth metadata associated with the identified second file to the third computing device after sending the first metadata and before sending the third metadata, wherein the fourth metadata includes a parent folder name of the second file.

14. The at least one computer storage device of claim 13, wherein the fourth metadata further includes a second filename of the identified second file.

15. The at least one computer storage device of claim 13, wherein the first file and the second file are the same file.

16. The at least one computer storage device of claim 8, wherein the first filename is a current filename of the identified first file and the identifier includes at least one of a hash identifier calculated based on the contents of the identified first file and a previous filename of the identified first file.

17. At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

create current metadata for a synchronized folder, wherein the synchronized folder includes a plurality of files that are replicated at a second computing device, wherein the created current metadata includes a filename and a hash identifier for each file of the plurality of files, wherein the hash identifier is calculated based on the contents of a respective file of the plurality of files;

compare the created current metadata to previous metadata created for the synchronized folder;

based on the comparison, identify a first file added to the synchronized folder after creation of the previous metadata;

based on the comparison, identify a second file deleted from the synchronized folder after creation of the previous metadata;

compare the hash identifier of the identified first file to the hash identifier of the identified second file;

compare the filename of the identified first file to the filename of the identified second file when the hash identifier of the identified first file matches the hash identifier of the identified second file;

identify a first folder added to the synchronized folder, wherein the synchronized folder further includes a plurality of folders that are replicated at the second computing device;

identify a second folder deleted from the synchronized folder;

send a filename of the identified first file to the second computing device when the filename does not match that of an identified another file;

send first metadata associated with the identified first folder to a third computing device, wherein the first metadata includes a first folder name of the identified first folder;

after sending the first metadata, send second metadata associated with the identified first file to the third computing device when the filename of the identified first file does not match the filename of the identified second file, wherein the second metadata includes a first filename of the identified first file and an identifier to identify the renamed file at the second computing device; and

after sending the second metadata, send third metadata associated with the identified second folder to the third computing device, wherein the third metadata includes a second folder name of the identified second folder.

18. The at least one computer storage device of claim 17, wherein the first filename is a current filename of the identified first file and further wherein the identifier includes at least one of the hash identifier of the identified first file and a previous filename of the identified first file.

19. The at least one computer storage device of claim 17, wherein the created current metadata further includes a parent folder name for each file of the plurality of files, and further wherein the computer-readable instructions further cause the computing device to compare the parent folder name of the identified first file to the parent folder name of the identified second file when the hash identifier of the identified first file matches the hash identifier of the identified second file.

20. The at least one computer storage device of claim 19, wherein the second metadata further includes the parent folder name of the identified first file when the parent folder name of the identified first file does not match the parent folder name of the identified second file.