System and method for optimizing synchronization

• US 8,176,152 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2008
• Issued: 05/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Auriemma, Stephen T., Corbett, Maria M., O'Brien, Michael R., Mammen, Ashok C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): DESAI, MARGISHI V
• Application Number:
  US12/205,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,341 Days
• Field of Search: 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A system and method is provided for optimizing a SyncML slow sync between a proprietary client and server. When a slow sync is detected, the client and server can depart from the normal SyncML protocol and process summary data without having to compare all items on a field-by-field basis.

Claims

1. A system configured for optimizing a slow synchronization between a client and a server, the system comprising:

means for receiving, at the server, a synchronization package having missing or corrupt synchronization anchors;

means for sending, by the server, a request to the client to initiate a slow synchronization process;

means for receiving a slow synchronization package at the server, wherein the slow synchronization package comprises summary data associated with documents stored at the client;

means for determining, by the server, if the slow synchronization package was received from a client designated proprietary by examining a header field of the slow synchronization package, the proprietary client departing from the slow synchronization process by sending the slow synchronization package comprising the summary data associated with documents stored at the client rather than sending the documents themselves; and

means for processing, by the server, the received summary data associated with the documents stored at the client, responsive to the client being designated proprietary,

wherein the means for processing the received summary data further comprises;

means for comparing a unique identifier and a timestamp, obtained from the summary data, for each document stored at the client with a unique identifier and timestamp for each document stored at the server;

means for determining if the unique identifiers and the timestamps match for the client document and server document; and

means for sending a status to the client indicating a document that needs to be sent by the client, if the unique identifiers do not match.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the server has been designated proprietary.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for receiving, in response to the client processing the status and modifying its timestamp to a higher value such that the document indicated in the status is included in a subsequent synchronization session, the document indicated in the status during the subsequent synchronization session.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the summary data associated with documents stored at client is sent by the proprietary client as a series of ADD commands and wherein the means for processing the received summary data further comprises means for processing the received ADD commands.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the request to initiate the slow synchronization process is sent to the server, upon receipt of a synchronization package having missing or corrupt anchors at the client.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein means for sending, by the server, the request to the client to initiate the slow synchronization process further comprises:

means for sending, by the server, a slow synchronization initialization package to the client, the slow synchronization initialization package including a request to the client to send all documents stored at the client.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for determining, by the client, if the request to initiate the slow synchronization process was sent by a server designated proprietary; and

means for sending, by the proprietary client, the slow synchronization package comprising the summary data associated with the documents stored at the client rather than the documents themselves, responsive to the client being designated proprietary.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein means for determining, by the client, if the request to initiate the slow synchronization process was sent by a server designated proprietary, further comprises:

means for receiving the slow synchronization initialization package; and

means for examining a header field to determine if the server has been designated proprietary.