Synchronization and collaboration within peer-to-peer and client/server environments

• US 8,719,222 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2011
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Richardson, Ransom Lloyd, Fischer, Edward J., Zircher, Dana, Norman, Christopher, Pyle, Hugh Francis, Jeffers, Michael Andrew, Slapikoff, Robert Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phuong Thao
• Application Number:
  US13/217,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20110307555A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 707/622, 714/709, 715/751
• US Class Current: 707/622
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1662 the resynchronized component or unit being a persistent storage device re-synchronization of failed mirror storage G06F11/2082; rebuild or reconstruction of parity RAID storage G06F11/1008
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104

Abstract

Tools and techniques are described for synchronization and collaboration within peer-to-peer and client/server environments. These tools may provide methods that include establishing peer-to-peer relationships between two or more client systems. These relationships enable the client systems to create respective local instances of workspaces, shared between the client systems to allow them to collaborate with one another. The client systems may participate in peer-to-peer synchronization flows with one another, with the synchronization flows representing updates made local to the shared workspaces of the client systems. The methods may also establish establishing a client/server relationship between one of the client systems and a server system. Through this client/server relationship, the client and server systems may participate in client/server synchronization flows, with these flows representing updates made to the local shared workspace at the client system.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a first client system operable with a server system, cause the first client system to:

issue an invitation to a second client system to collaborate with the first client system;

establish a peer-to-peer relationship with the second client system by creating a first shared workspace locally on the first client system and a second shared workspace locally on the second client system, the first client system and the second client system collaborating through the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace;

participate in a peer-to-peer synchronization flow with the second client system, wherein the peer-to-peer synchronization flow represents updates made to at least one of the first shared workspace or the second shared workspace by at least one of the first client system and the second client system;

establish a client/server relationship with the server system, while maintaining the peer-to-peer relationship with the second client system;

participate in a client/server synchronization flow with the server system by receiving a synchronization data flow from the server system, wherein the client/server synchronization flow represents updates made to the first shared workspace associated with the first client system;

deconstruct the synchronization data flow into at least two subsets to form a deconstructed synchronization data flow;

define a multi-representative data type to represent the deconstructed synchronization data flow;

store the multi-representative data type of the deconstructed synchronization data flow on the first client system for reference by the second client system via the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace; and

receive an indication that the server system rejected a revision made to the at least one of the first shared workspace or the second shared workspace.

2. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a first client system operable with a second client system, cause the first client system to:

issue an invitation to the second client system to collaborate with the first client system;

establish a synchronization relationship between the first client system and the second client system, the synchronization relationship comprising a peer-to-peer collaborative relationship by which the first client system and the second client system exchange synchronization flows by creating a first shared workspace locally on the first client system and a second shared workspace locally on the second client system, the first client system and the second client system collaborating through the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace;

receive, via the synchronization flows, an indication of a revision occurring on the second client system;

determine that the revision results in a first conflict with information represented on the first client system;

resolve the first conflict in favor of the first client system or the second client system;

maintain the revision associated with the first conflict for access by the first client system and the second client system;

establish a client/server relationship between the first client system and a server system, while maintaining the peer-to-peer collaborative relationship between the first client system and the second client system;

receive a synchronization data flow from the server system in conjunction with the client/server relationship, wherein the synchronization data flow is deconstructed into at least two subsets to form a deconstructed synchronization data flow and defined by a multi-representative data type to represent the deconstructed synchronization data flow, wherein the multi-representative data type of the deconstructed synchronization data flow is stored on the first client system for reference by the second client system via the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace;

receive a response from the server system in response to the first client system syncing a representation of a second revision to the server system; and

receive an indication that the server system rejected the second revision.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions to evaluate a second conflict arising between revisions occurring respectively on the first client system and the second client system, and further comprising instructions for evaluating a third conflict arising between the first client system and the server system.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions to determine whether a second conflict exists between revisions made on the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace maintained locally on the first client system and the second client system.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions to provide a conflict resolution user interface that comprises representations of the revision associated with the first conflict.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions to sync a representation of a second revision occurring on the first client system to the server system.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 2, further comprising instructions to mark the second revision as rejected, in response to receiving the indication that the server system rejected the second revision.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a first client system operable with a second client system, cause the first client system to:

issue an invitation to the second client system to collaborate with the first client system;

establish a synchronization relationship between the first client system and the second client system, by which the first client system and the second client system exchange synchronization flows by creating a first shared workspace locally on the first client system and a second shared workspace locally on the second client system, the first client system and the second client system collaborating through the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace;

receive indications of one or more local revisions occurring locally at the first client system;

create a local version in response to receiving the indications of the one or more local revisions occurring locally at the first client system, the local version comprising the one or more local revisions;

sync, via the synchronization flows, the local version with the second client system;

receive, via the synchronization flows, a remote version comprising one or more remote revisions occurring remotely at the second client system;

participate in a client/server synchronization flow with a server system;

receive instructions to receive a synchronization data flow from the server system, wherein the synchronization data flow is deconstructed into at least two subsets to form a deconstructed synchronization data flow and defined by a multi-representative data type to represent the deconstructed synchronization data flow, wherein the multi-representative data type of the deconstructed synchronization data flow is stored on the first client system for reference by the second client system via the first shared workspace and the second shared workspace;

determine whether a conflict exists between the local version and the remote version;

if the first client system determines that the conflict exists between the local version and the remote version, select a winning version from the local version and the remote version; and

provide an indication that the server system rejected the local version or the remote version.

9. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the first client system, cause the first client system to-mark a non-winning version as being conflicting.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, further comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the first client system, cause the first client system to await at least a further remote revision from the second client system via the synchronization flows.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 8, wherein the one or more local revisions and the one or more remote revisions comprise revisions made to a record structure of a contact list, the record structure comprising one or more fields.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, further comprising instructions stored thereon which, when executed by the first client system, cause the first client system to present a conflict resolution user interface comprising a representation of the non-winning version, and the conflict resolution user interface designating the winning version.