Managing files on multiple computing devices

• US 7,930,270 B2
• Filed: 02/26/2007
• Issued: 04/19/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tsang, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim; Charles
• Assistant Examiner(s): GIRMA, ANTENEH B
• Application Number:
  US11/710,800
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208870A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,513 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support

Abstract

The present technique provides a combined file space for files from multiple partner computing devices. An individual cache policy associated with each partner computing device determines the manner in which the files in the combined file space are filtered for the respective partner computing device. Files data that do not have content stored locally have metadata associated with the files stored locally in the combined file space.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions for managing files on multiple computing devices, the computer-executable instructions, when executed, perform a method comprising:

establishing an account that identifies a plurality of partner computing devices, the plurality of partner computing devices including a local partner computing device and at least one remote partner computing device, each of the plurality of partner computing devices having a corresponding at least one cache policy filter, each cache policy filter including at least one filter rule;

providing a combined file space on the local computing device represented by a folder that includes a plurality of sub-folders, each sub-folder being associated with one of the plurality of partner computing devices and being configured to include files shared from the associated one of the plurality of partner computing devices;

caching contents of a file located on a remote partner computing device in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space if a filter rule of a cache policy filter of the local computing device is met, said caching including storing a copy of the file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space on the local partner computing device as a cached file, the file located on the remote partner computing device being maintained as a master file; and

storing metadata associated with the file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space, instead of storing the contents of the file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space, if the filter rule is not met.

2. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, wherein the sub-folder associated with the local partner computing device includes a file that is aliased from a local folder on the local partner computing device.

3. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, wherein the criterion is based on an available storage capacity associated with the combined file space.

4. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, wherein establishing the account includes associating a name with the account that is used to log into the account on any of the partner computing devices.

5. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 4, wherein establishing the account further includes identifying a list of folders and a respective mapped location for each folder in the list.

6. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 5, wherein establishing the account further includes creating a priority list of a plurality of cache policy filters that are applied to determine whether metadata or content of the file is stored.

7. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, further comprising saving partnership data associated with the account for access by any of the partnership computing devices.

8. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, further comprising synchronizing the user data for one of the partner computing devices when the partner computing device becomes on-line.

18. The computer-readable storage media recited in claim 1, wherein each cache policy filter includes a filter name, a file list, and one or more filter rules.

9. A computer-implemented method for synchronizing files among a plurality of partner computing devices, comprising:

applying a filter to a file from a remote computing device, the remote computing device being one of the plurality of partner computing devices, each of the plurality of partner computing devices and a local computing device having a corresponding cache policy defined by at least one cache policy filter, each cache policy filter including at least one filter rule;

caching the file in a combined file space of the local computing device if the file passes a cache policy associated with the local computing device, the local computing device being one of the plurality of partner computing devices, the combined file space being represented by a folder that includes a plurality of sub-folders, each sub-folder being associated with one of the plurality of partner computing devices and being configured to include files shared from the associated one of the plurality of partner computing devices, said caching including storing a copy of the file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space on the local computing device as a cached file, the file being maintained at the remote computing device as a master file; and

storing metadata associated with the file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space, instead of storing the file in the combined file space of the local computing device, if the file fails the cache policy associated with the local computing device.

10. The computer-implemented method recited in claim 9, wherein the metadata includes a set of information about the file and allows details about the file to be obtained during a search when the local computing device is off-line.

11. The computer-implemented method recited in claim 9, further comprising replacing the metadata with content of the file when a request to open the file is received.

12. The computer-implemented method recited in claim 9, wherein the cache policy comprises a prioritized list of cache policy filters and the file passes the cache policy if the file passes any one of the cache policy filters.

13. The computer-implemented method recited in claim 9, further comprising removing the file from the combined file space if sufficient space is not available in the combined file space for caching another file that has a higher cache priority and replacing the file with metadata associated with the file.

19. The computer-implemented method recited in claim 9, wherein each cache policy filter includes a filter name, a file list, and one or more filter rules.

14. A computing device configured to synchronize user data among a plurality of partner computing devices, the device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory from which a combined file space is allocated and into which a plurality of instructions are loaded, the combined file space being represented by a folder that includes a plurality of sub-folders, each sub-folder being associated with one of the plurality of partner computing devices and being configured to include files shared from the associated one of the plurality of partner computing devices, each of the plurality of partner computing devices and the computing device having a corresponding at least one cache policy filter, each cache policy filter including at least one filter rule, the plurality of instructions comprising;

a file system monitor configured to monitor a plurality of activities associated with each of a plurality of files in the combined file space;

a cache manager configured to determine which of the files are cached and which files are ghosted in the combined file space based on the at least one cache policy filter of the computing device; and

a sync manager configured to retrieve content associated with one of the files from a remote computing device and to store a copy of the one file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space as a cached file when the cache manager determines that the one file is to be cached, the one file stored at the remote computing device being a master file, and to retrieve metadata associated with the one file from the remote computing device when the cache manager determines that the one file is to be ghosted instead of retrieving the content associated with the one file from the remote computing device and storing the copy of the one file in the sub-folder associated with the remote partner computing device in the combined file space, the remote computing device being one of the plurality of partner computing devices.

15. The computing device recited in claim 14, wherein the cache manager utilizes a prioritized list of cache policy filters to determine whether the one file is cached or ghosted.

16. The computing device recited in claim 14, wherein when the activity indicates a request to open a ghosted file, the sync manager retrieves content for the ghosted file from an associated remote computing device and the ghosted file is replaced with the content.

17. The computing device recited in claim 14, wherein the combined file space has an hierarchical organizational structure.

20. The computing device recited in claim 14, wherein each cache policy filter includes a filter name, a file list, and one or more filter rules.