Resuming a previously interrupted peer-to-peer synchronization operation

• US 8,107,503 B2
• Filed: 03/18/2010
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Goyal, Sidd, Ryleev, Mikhail
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Warner
• Application Number:
  US12/727,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20110010467A1
• Time in Patent Office: 684 Days
• Field of Search: 370/216, 370/252, 370/503, 370/507, 370509-510, 370/513, 370/516, 370/519, 709/248
• US Class Current: 370/507
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method of synchronizing data between two devices can include starting, in a first device, a first synchronization operation comprising transmitting a first data set to be received by a second device, the first data set comprising changes to multiple different data elements in the first device that have occurred since a prior successful synchronization operation between the first device and the second device; receiving at least one of separate acknowledgements for each of the multiple different data elements, each such acknowledgement indicating that a change to one of the multiple different data elements in the first device has been applied to a corresponding data element in the second device; and when the first synchronization operation is interrupted, initiating a second synchronization operation to synchronize the changes of the first data set for which a separate acknowledgement was not received during the first synchronization operation.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium that stores instructions for synchronizing data, wherein the instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform steps comprising:

initiating a synchronization operation on a first device to synchronize data elements on a second device;

determining whether a previous synchronization operation with the second device was successful;

responsive to determining that the previous synchronization operation was successful, performing a current synchronization operation with the second device by identifying a first set of changes to one or more data elements stored on the first device that have occurred since the previous synchronization operation;

responsive to determining the previous synchronization operation was not successful, performing the current synchronization operation with the second device by identifying a second set of changes to one or more data elements stored on the first device, wherein the second set of changes accounts for (i) changes to one or more data elements of a set of changes for the previous synchronization for which a separate acknowledgement was not received, and (ii) changes to one or more additional data elements that have occurred since the previous synchronization operation; and

in response to performing the synchronization operation, receiving, at the first device, a separate acknowledgement for each change of the second set of changes.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to update a change list when the separate acknowledgement for each change of the first set of changes is received.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 2, wherein the change list includes a change instruction for each change in the first set of changes.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein determining whether a previous synchronization operation with the second device was successful is based, at least in part, on one or more synchronization indicators associated with a change list.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the one or more synchronization indicators is a time stamp.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the one or more synchronization indicators is a value of a synchronization counter that corresponds to the previous synchronization operation.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to update a change list when the separate acknowledgement for each change of the second set of changes is received.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the change list includes a change instruction for each change in the second set of changes.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to set a flag corresponding to each change in one or more of (i) the first set of changes for which the separate acknowledgment has been received or (ii) the second set of changes for which the separate acknowledgment has been received.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the previous synchronization operation was successful includes determining whether a separate acknowledgement has been received for each change in the first set of changes for the previous synchronization operation.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating the synchronization operation at a first device is in response to receiving, from the second device, a request to initiate the synchronization operation.

12. A computing device, comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory operatively coupled to the one or more processors, the memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to;

initiate a synchronization operation to synchronize data elements on a second device;

determining whether a previous synchronization operation with the second device was successful;

responsive to determining that the previous synchronization operation was successful, performing a current synchronization operation with the second device by identifying a first set of changes to one or more data elements stored on the computing device that have occurred since the previous synchronization operation;

responsive to determining the previous synchronization operation was not successful, performing the current synchronization operation with the second device by identifying a second set of changes to one or more data elements stored on the first device, wherein the second set of changes accounts for (i) changes to one or more data elements of a set of changes for the previous synchronization for which a separate acknowledgement was not received, and (ii) changes to one or more additional data elements that have occurred since the previous synchronization operation; and

in response to performing the synchronization operation, receiving, at the computing device, a separate acknowledgement for each change of the second set of changes.

13. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to update a change list when the separate acknowledgement for each change of the first set of changes is received.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the change list includes a change instruction for each change in the first set of changes.

15. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to update a change list when the separate acknowledgement for each change of the second set of changes is received.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the change list includes a change instruction for each change in the second set of changes.

17. The computing device of claim 12, wherein determining whether a previous synchronization operation with the second device was successful is based, at least in part, on one or more synchronization indicators associated with a change list.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the one or more synchronization indicators is a value of a synchronization counter that corresponds to the previous synchronization operation.

19. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to determine whether a separate acknowledgement has been received for each change in the first set of changes for the previous synchronization operation when determining whether the previous synchronization operation was successful.

20. The computing device of claim 12, wherein the memory for storing instructions which, when executed by the one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to initiate the synchronization operation in response to receiving a request to initiate the synchronization operation from the second device.