Systems and methods for synchronizing with multiple data stores

• US 7,636,776 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2003
• Issued: 12/22/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Novik, Lev, Wu, Yunxin, Hudis, Irena, Shah, Ashish B., Shah, Darshatkumar A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/631,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20050027755A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,336 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing

Abstract

Systems and methods for synchronizing data stores. A framework including a sync runtime enables consistent and manageable synchronization between a data store and multiple, diverse back end data stores. The sync runtime provides services such as change enumeration, conflict detection, metadata management, item ID matching, sync interruptability, and the like that are accessible to configurable adapters over an application programming interface. Each synchronizing data store can uses a sync controller to initialize an adapter that can access the services provided by the sync runtime. The sync controller can use a profile to configure each adapter. The profile can identify conflict resolution policies, synchronization filters, source and destination folders, sync direction, and the like.

Claims

1. In a computing sync community, a system for synchronizing multiple replicas in the sync community, the system comprising:

a first computer having a processor and computer readable media, the computer readable media storing the following;

a first application program that maintains a first replica in a first data store, the first application program defining a profile for a sync adapter, the sync adapter to be used to synchronize the first replica in the first data store with a second replica in a second data store;

a sync controller that instantiates the sync adapter based on the profile defined by the first application program, the profile specifying the following;

a local folder on the first data store that serves as the source and destination of changes to the first or second replica; and

one or more conflict resolution policies to be applied to resolve conflicts between the first and second replicas;

a sync runtime module that provides services to the sync adapter, wherein the services provided by the sync runtime module to the sync adapter include a change enumeration service that compares a first knowledge of the first replica with a second knowledge of the second replica to enumerate changes that are described by the second knowledge and absent from the first knowledge;

the first data store containing the first replica for synchronization with the second replica in the second data store, wherein the first knowledge of the first replica comprises information describing a set of changes to the first replica; and

the sync adapter that is configured to access the services of the sync runtime module to synchronize the first replica in the first data store with the second replica in the second data store, wherein the sync adapter synchronizes the first replica with the second replica using the change enumeration service of the sync runtime module by comparing the first knowledge with the second knowledge to determine changes that have been made to the second replica of which the first replica is unaware and requesting the changes from the second replica.

2. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the services provided by the sync runtime module are accessed by the sync adapter using an applications programming interface.

3. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the services further comprises a conflict detection service that uses the first knowledge of the first replica and the second knowledge of the second replica as well as the conflict resolution policies in the profile to detect and resolve conflicts.

4. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the conflict detection service detects a conflict when a change enumerated by the first replica is not in the second knowledge of the second replica and a change enumerated by the second replica is not in the first knowledge of the first replica.

5. The system as defined in claim 3, wherein the conflict detection service further comprises a conflict resolution module.

6. The system as defined in claim 5, wherein the conflict resolution module can implement a conflict policy identified in a profile or included in a pluggable conflict resolution module.

7. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the profile further identifies one or more of:

a source folder of the second replica;

a destination folder of the second replica;

a first filter to filter changes that are enumerated at the first replica;

a second filter to filter changes retrieved from the second replica; and

a transformation for converting an item from the second replica to a format of the first replica.

8. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the services further comprises one or more of:

an item ID matching service, wherein second item IDs of the second replica are provided by the particular adapter during a receive sync and first item IDs of the first replica are provided by the sync runtime module during a send sync;

a sync interruptability service that includes exceptions in a remote knowledge; and

a service that prevents changes from reflecting to and from the first replica.

9. The system as defined in claim 1, wherein the services further comprises a sync metadata management service that stores a remote knowledge for the particular adapter.

10. The system as defined in claim 9, wherein the sync metadata management service stores a local knowledge used by the particular adapter.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing the following components for implementing a sync community:

a first application program that maintains a first replica in a first data store, the first application program defining a profile for a sync adapter, the sync adapter to be used to synchronize the first replica in the first data store with a second replica in a second data store;

a sync controller that instantiates the sync adapter based on the profile defined by the first application program, the profile specifying the following;

a local folder on the first data store that serves as the source and destination of changes to the first or second replica; and

one or more conflict resolution policies to be applied to resolve conflicts between the first and second replicas;

a sync runtime module that provides services to the sync adapter, wherein the services provided by the sync runtime module to the sync adapter include a change enumeration service that compares a first knowledge of the first replica with a second knowledge of the second replica to enumerate changes that are described by the second knowledge and absent from the first knowledge, the first knowledge comprising information describing a set of changes to the first replica; and

the sync adapter that is configured to access the services of the sync runtime module to synchronize the first replica in the first data store with the second replica in the second data store, wherein the sync adapter synchronizes the first replica with the second replica using the change enumeration service of the sync runtime module by comparing the first knowledge with the second knowledge to determine changes that have been made to the second replica of which the first replica is unaware and requesting the changes from the second replica.

12. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the services provided by the sync runtime module are accessed by the sync adapter using an applications programming interface.

13. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the services further comprise a conflict detection service that uses the first knowledge of the first replica and the second knowledge of the second replica as well as the conflict resolution policies in the profile to detect and resolve conflicts.

14. The medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the conflict detection service detects a conflict when a change enumerated by the first replica is not in the second knowledge of the second replica and a change enumerated by the second replica is not in the first knowledge of the first replica.

15. The medium as defined in claim 13, wherein the conflict detection service further comprises a conflict resolution module.

16. The medium as defined in claim 15, wherein the conflict resolution module implements a conflict policy identified in a profile or included in a pluggable conflict resolution module.

17. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the profile further identifies one or more of:

a source folder of the second replica;

a destination folder of the second replica;

a first filter to filter changes that are enumerated at the first replica;

a second filter to filter changes retrieved from the second replica; and

a transformation for converting an item from the second replica to a format of the first replica.

18. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the services further comprises one or more of:

an item ID matching service, wherein second item IDs of the second replica are provided by the particular adapter during a receive sync and first item IDs of the first replica are provided by the sync runtime module during a send sync;

a sync interruptability service that includes exceptions in a remote knowledge; and

a service that prevents changes from reflecting to and from the first replica.

19. The medium as defined in claim 11, wherein the services further comprises a sync metadata management service that stores a remote knowledge for the particular adapter.

20. The medium as defined in claim 19, wherein the sync metadata management service stores a local knowledge used by the particular adapter.