Synchronization of database data

• US 7,555,303 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2004
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Piispanen, Jussi, Mettala, Riku, Sutinen, Ari, Sahinoja, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, TAN H
• Application Number:
  US10/991,697
• Publication Number:
  US 20050125459A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,685 Days
• Field of Search: 455/502, 455/466, 455/13.2, 455/555, 455/556.1, 455/557, 455/410, 455/558, 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 707/10, 707/8, 707/203, 707/230, 707/204, 709/217, 709/219
• US Class Current: 455/502
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method of arranging synchronization of databases, the method comprising the steps of establishing a transport layer connection for synchronization between a first and a second device which synchronize databases. During initialization of synchronization a first update identifier, which is stored at least in the first device and describes the latest synchronization event the devices have performed in the databases, and a second update identifier, which is defined by the first device and describes the present synchronization, are transmitted from the first device to the second device. The second update identifier is stored in the first and the second device. The contents of the first update identifiers stored in the devices are updated in the first and the second device if synchronization has been performed and after this said transport layer connection has been ended substantially properly.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

establishing a transport connection for synchronizing databases in a synchronization system,

transmitting an update identifier in a synchronization device, which describes an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, by using said transport connection, and

storing an update identifier in the synchronization device describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and after this said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein a first update identifier, which describes the earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases and a second update identifier, which is defined by the synchronization device and describes the present synchronization are transmitted from the synchronization device to another synchronization device, and

contents of a stored first update identifier are updated with contents of the second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after this said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising:

comparing, in the another synchronization device, the first update identifier received in the another synchronization device with the first update identifier stored in the another synchronization device,

performing synchronization in a requested manner if the first received update identifier corresponds to the first stored update identifier,

synchronizing all data units of the databases if the first received update identifier does not correspond to the first stored update identifier.

4. A method according to claim 3, further comprising:

receiving the first stored update identifier from the another synchronization device,

comparing, in the synchronization device, the first received update identifier with the first stored update identifier in the synchronization device.

5. A method according to claim 2, wherein

the first update identifier is a last anchor of synchronization and the second update identifier a next anchor.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the update identifier indicates date and time.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said transport connection is a logical connection in accordance with Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and

said transport connection has been ended properly if a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request’

message has been transferred after synchronization and a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol status response’

message related to the ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request’

message has been received.

8. A synchronization system for synchronizing databases, the system comprising a first device and a second device which perform synchronization and are configured to

establish a transport connection between the first device and the second device for performing synchronization,

transmit a first update identifier, which describes the latest synchronization event the first and the second device have performed in the databases, from the first device to the second device and a second update identifier, which is defined by the first device and describes an earlier synchronization,

store said second update identifier, and

update the contents of the first update identifiers in the devices with the contents of said second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after this said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

9. A synchronization system according to claim 8, wherein the second device is arranged to compare the first update identifier received with the first update identifier stored in the second device,

the first and the second device are arranged to perform synchronization in a requested manner if the first received update identifier corresponds to the first stored update identifier, or

the first device and the second device are configured to synchronize all data units of the databases if the first received update identifier does not correspond to the first stored update identifier.

10. A communications device comprising:

an input/output configured to establish a transport connection for synchronizing databases,

a processor configured to cause transmission, by using said transport connection, of an update identifier describing an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and

the communication device configured to store an update identifier describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

11. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein the communications device is configured to:

transmit a first update identifier, which describes the earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and a second update identifier, which is defined by the communications device and describes the current synchronization, and

update contents of the stored first update identifier with the contents of the second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially property.

12. A communications device according to claim 11, wherein the communications device is configured to store said second update identifier.

13. A communications device according to claim 11, wherein the communications device is configured to receive a first update identifier stored by the other device, and

the communications device is configured to compare also the first received update identifier with the first stored update identifier.

14. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein the communications device is configured to establish said transport connection to at least one other device.

15. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein the update identifier indicates date and time.

16. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein said transport connection is a logical connection in accordance with Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and

the communications device is configured to determine that said transport connection has been ended properly if a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request’

message has been transmitted after synchronization and a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol status response’

message related to the ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request ’

message has been received.

17. A communications device according to claim 10, wherein the communications device is configured to transmit the update identifier to the other device during initialization of synchronization.

18. A communications device comprising:

an input/output adapted to establish a transport connection for synchronizing databases,

a processor adapted to cause a transmission, by using said transport connection, of a timestamp describing an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and

wherein the communications device is adapted to store a timestamp describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

19. A device comprising:

an input/output configured to establish a transport connection for synchronizing databases,

a processor adapted to cause a receiving, by using said transport connection, of an update identifier describing an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and

the device is configured to store an update identifier describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

20. A device according to claim 19, wherein the device is configured to:

receive a first update identifier and a second update identifier, the first update identifier describing the earlier synchronization event that has been performed in the databases, and the second update identifier describing the current synchronization,

store said second update identifier, and

update a first update identifier stored in the device with the contents of said received second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

21. A device according to claim 20, further comprising:

a server adapted to cause a comparison of the first update identifier received with the first update identifier stored in said synchronization device,

wherein said server is further adapted to cause a synchronization in manner requested by at least one other device if the first received update identifier corresponds to the first stored update identifier, and

further wherein said server is further adapted to cause a synchronization of data units of all databases if the first received update identifier does not correspond to the first stored update identifier.

22. A device according to claim 21, wherein the device is configured to transmit the first update identifier stored in the device to at least one other device.

23. A device according to claim 19, wherein the device is configured to establish said transport connection to at least one other device, and

the device is configured to receive the update identifier from the other device during initialization of synchronization.

24. A device according to claim 19, wherein the update identifier indicates date and time.

25. A device according to claim 19, wherein said transport connection is a logical connection in accordance with a Hypertext Transfer Protocol, and

the device is configured to determine that said transport connection has been ended properly if a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request’

message has been received after synchronization and a ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol status response’

message related to the ‘

Hypertext Transfer Protocol request’

message has been transmitted.

26. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable program code for operating a mobile communication terminal, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code for causing the mobile communication terminal to transmit, by using a transport connection for synchronizing databases, an update identifier describing an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and

computer readable program code for causing the mobile communication terminal to store an update identifier describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and, after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

27. The computer readable storage medium of claim 26, further comprising:

computer readable program code for causing the mobile communication terminal to transmit a first update identifier, which describes the earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases and a second update identifier, which is defined by a first device and describes the current synchronization, and

computer readable program code for causing the mobile communication terminal to update contents of a stored first update identifier with the contents of the second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

28. A computer readable storage medium encoded with computer readable program code for operating a synchronization device, the computer readable program code comprising:

computer readable program code for causing synchronization device to receive, by using a transport connection for synchronizing databases, an update identifier describing an earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases, and

computer readable program code for causing synchronization device to store an update identifier describing a current synchronization event if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

29. The computer readable storage medium of claim 28, further comprising:

computer readable program code for causing the synchronization device to receive a first update identifier, which describes the earlier synchronization event that has been performed between the databases and a second update identifier, which is defined by a first device and describes the current synchronization, and

computer readable program code for causing the synchronization device to update contents of a stored first update identifier with contents of the second update identifier if synchronization has been performed and after said transport connection has been ended substantially property.

30. An apparatus comprising memory and a processor connected to the memory, the processor being configured to:

transmit or receive an update identifier, which describes a present synchronization event between databases,

store the update identifier,

establish a transport connection for synchronization, and

update contents of the stored update identifier if synchronization has been performed and the transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

31. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is configured to compare the contents of the stored update identifier with contents of another update identifier received during a next synchronization event.

32. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is configured to prevent updating of the update identifier in response to the transport connection not being ended properly.

33. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the update identifier is a next anchor.

34. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as a Synchronization Markup Language server.

35. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is configured to operate as a Synchronization Markup Language client.

36. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the update identifier is included in an alert element of a synchronization initialization message.

37. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein the apparatus is a mobile communications device.

38. An apparatus of claim 30, wherein an integrated circuit is used.

39. A method comprising:

transmitting or receiving an update identifier, which describes the present synchronization event between databases using a synchronization device,

storing the update identifier in the synchronization device,

establishing a transport connection for synchronization using the synchronization device, and

updating the contents of the stored update identifier in the synchronization device if synchronization has been performed and the transport connection has been ended substantially properly.

40. The method according to claim 39, further comprising comparing the contents of the stored update identifier with contents of another update identifier received during a next synchronization event.

41. The method according to claim 39, further comprising preventing updating of the update identifier in response to the transport connection not being ended properly.

42. The method according to claim 39, wherein the update identifier is a next anchor.

43. The method according to claim 39, further comprising that the synchronization device is configured to operate as a SyncML server.

44. The method according to claim 39, further comprising that the synchronization device is configured to operate as a SyncML client.

45. The method according to claim 39, further comprising including the update identifier in an alert element of a synchronization initialization message.