Bi-directional data modification with synchronization

• US 8,103,629 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 01/24/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sagar, Akash J., Moromisato, George P., Chung, Richard Yiu-Sai, Suthar, Paresh S., Ozzie, Raymond E., Ozzie, Jack E., Augustine, Matthew S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trujillo, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spieler, William
• Application Number:
  US13/070,409
• Publication Number:
  US 20110173157A1
• Time in Patent Office: 307 Days
• Field of Search: 707/626, 707/635, 707/809
• US Class Current: 707/626
• 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

Systems and methods for synchronizing data between endpoints, including the modification of data on an endpoint without necessarily modifying data that is communicated between endpoints are disclosed. In such systems and methods the representation of data on an endpoint may be modified so that constraints on that particular endpoint are enforced, without requiring a similar or the same modification to the data when it is synchronized to other endpoints.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

storing local domain data, the local domain data being stored based on local system constraints;

obtaining synchronization data corresponding to the local domain data, the synchronization data reflecting an update that is invalid according to the local system constraints;

realizing the synchronization data onto the local domain data, the realizing including modifying the update to be valid according to the local system constraints; and

generating updated synchronization data that includes the update that is invalid according to the local system constraints.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 1, wherein the local system constraints include file system constraints.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 1, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

sending the updated synchronization data to a remote endpoint.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 3, wherein:

the local system constraints indicate a limited representation or limited functionality for the update, and

the remote endpoint fully implements the update without the limited representation or the limited functionality.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 3, wherein the updated synchronization data does not reflect the modifying of the update to be valid according to the local system constraints.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 1, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

storing a data structure that records how the update is modified to be valid according to the local system constraints,

wherein the updated synchronization data is generated based on the data structure.

7. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization data is obtained by receiving an incoming feed.

8. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 7, further comprising instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing devices, cause the one or more processing devices to perform:

sending the updated synchronization data to a remote endpoint in an outgoing feed.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 1, wherein the update reflects a file name that is invalid according to the local system constraints, and the file name is modified to be valid as part of the realizing.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media according to claim 9, wherein the updated synchronization data is generated by mapping from the modified file name back to the file name that is invalid according to the local system constraints.

11. A system comprising:

a device configured to;

store local domain data, the local domain data being stored based on local system constraints;

obtain synchronization data corresponding to the local domain data, the synchronization data reflecting an update that is invalid according to the local system constraints;

realize the synchronization data onto the local domain data by modifying the update to be valid according to the local system constraints; and

generate updated synchronization data that includes the update that is invalid according to the local system constraints.

12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the local system constraints include file system constraints.

13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to send the updated synchronization data to a remote endpoint.

14. The system according to claim 13, wherein:

the local system constraints indicate a limited representation or limited functionality for the update, and

the remote endpoint fully implements the update without the limited representation or the limited functionality.

15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the updated synchronization data does not reflect the modifying of the update to be valid according to the local system constraints.

16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the device is further configured to:

store a data structure that records how the update is modified to be valid according to the local system constraints,

wherein the updated synchronization data is generated based on the data structure.

17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the synchronization data is obtained by receiving an incoming feed, and the device is further configured to:

send the updated synchronization data to a remote endpoint in an outgoing feed.

18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the update reflects a file name that is invalid according to the local system constraints, and the file name is modified to be valid as part of the modifying.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the updated synchronization data is generated by mapping from the modified file name back to the file name that is invalid according to the local system constraints.

20. A method comprising:

obtaining, by a local endpoint, synchronization data corresponding to local domain data, the synchronization data being received from a first remote endpoint and including at least one character that is not supported by the local endpoint;

modifying the local domain data based on the synchronization data, the modifying excluding the at least one character that is not supported by the local endpoint; and

sending, to a second remote endpoint, updated synchronization data that includes the at least one character that is not supported by the local endpoint.