User profile synchronization

• US 8,918,482 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Ott, Jonathan Stephen, Bakow, Kurke E., Pack, Jeremy, Malschuk, Andrew, Gardner, Larry K., Weber, Jens, Hale, Jonathan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): KHAJURIA, SHRIPAL K
• Application Number:
  US13/127,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20110213862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,244 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A system, method, and program product comprise a user profile, a remote storage device and a user computer with a memory. A user copy of the user profile is stored in the memory of the user computer. A user profile synchronization component synchronizes the user copy of the user profile with a backup copy of the user profile at the remote storage device. A user profile download component allows a user to selectively download the backup copy of the user profile from the remote storage device.

Claims

1. A system for user profile synchronization, comprising:

a user profile;

a remote storage device;

a user computer configured with a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store a user copy of the user profile, the user profile specific to a user;

a user profile synchronization component, configured to synchronize the user copy of the user profile with a backup copy of the user profile stored at the remote storage device; and

a user profile download component, configured when the user logs onto the user computer to download the backup copy of the user profile from the remote storage device to the user copy of the user profile for usage on the user computer, and to allow a user to select not to download any backup copy of the user profile, including the backup copy of the user profile, from any remote storage device, including the remote storage devices wherein the user profile download component is to in response to determining that multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device, query the user as to whether the user wants to select a current copy of the user profile present on the user computer to use on the user computer and in response to the user selecting the current copy of the user profile present on the user computer, use the current copy of the user profile on the user computer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user profile determination component, configured to allow a user to select a set of data elements of the user computer comprising the user profile.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile synchronization component is configured to synchronize the user copy of the user profile with the backup copy of the user profile at a predetermined time interval.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile synchronization component is further configured to recognize a failure of the remote storage device, and to synchronize the user copy of the user profile stored in the memory with a new backup copy of the user profile stored at the remote storage device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile synchronization component is further configured to recognize a conflict between a set of user copies of the user profile stored on multiple user computers, and to query the user to select among a set of options comprising:

leaving the conflict unresolved, retaining the user copy of the user profile in the memory, selecting among the set of user copies of the user profile, and selecting a most recent user copy of the user profile.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of user profiles,

wherein a user copy of each of the plurality of user profiles is stored in the memory, the user profile synchronization component is configured to synchronize each of the user copies of the plurality of user profiles with a backup copy of each of the plurality of user profiles stored at the remote storage device, and the user profile download component is configured to allow a user to select a selected backup copy of a user profile and to download the selected backup copy of the user profile from the remote storage device, and to allow a user to not select any of the backup copies of the plurality of user profiles.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user profile download component is to:

when the user has logged onto the user computer, determine whether multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device; and

in response to determining that the multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device, query the user as to how to proceed.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the user profile download complement is query the user as to how to proceed by querying the user as to whether user wants to:

select the current copy of the user profile present on the user computer to use on the user computer;

select a most recent copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer;

or select a user-specified copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer.

9. The system of claim 8, where the user profile download component is further to, in response to the user selecting the most recent copy of the user profile stored on the remote storage device:

determine and download the most recent copy of the user profile stored on the remote storage device; and

after downloading has been completed, use the most recent copy of the user profile on the user computer.

10. The system of claim 8, where the user profile download component is further to, in response to the user selecting the user-specified copy of the user profile stored on the remote storage device:

download the user-specified copy of the user profile stored on the remote storage device; and

after downloading has been completed, use the user-specified copy of the user profile on the user computer.

11. A method for user profile synchronization, comprising:

determining, when a user logs onto a user computer, whether a user profile is currently stored in a memory of the user computer, the user profile specific to the user;

in response to determining that the user profile is currently stored in the memory of the user computer, refraining from downloading any backup copy of the user profile stored at any remote storage device, such that the user profile currently stored in the memory of the user computer is used for the user at the user computer;

and in response to determining that the user profile is not currently stored in the memory of the user computer, automatically downloading the backup copy of the user profile stored at the remote storage device to the memory of the user computer, such that the backup copy of the user profile downloaded to the memory of the user computer is used for the user at the user computer;

determining whether multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device;

in response to determining that the multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device, query the user as to whether user wants to;

select a current copy of the user profile present on the user computer to use on the user computer select a most recent copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer;

or select a user-specified copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer and

in response to the user selecting the current copy of the user profile present on the user computer, use the current copy of the user profile on the user computer.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising synchronizing a user copy of the user profile with a backup copy of the user profile at a remote storage device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein synchronizing further comprises recognizing a failure of the remote storage device, and synchronizing the user copy of the user profile with a new backup copy of the user profile at the remote storage device in response to the failure.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein synchronizing further comprises recognizing a conflict between a set of user copies of the user profile stored on multiple user computers, and selecting among a set of options comprising:

leaving the conflict unresolved, retaining the user copy of the user profile in the memory, selecting among the set of user copies of the user profile, and selecting a most recent user copy of the user profile.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein synchronizing comprises synchronizing a plurality of user copies of user profiles with a plurality of backup copies of user profiles at the remote storage device, and the step of selectively downloading comprises selectively downloading a selected backup copy of a user profile from the remote storage device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having embodied therein computer code which when executed causes a computer to perform a method comprising:

determining when a user logs onto a user computer whether a user profile is currently stored in a memory of the user computer, the user profile specific to the user;

in response to determining that the user profile is currently stored in the memory of the user computer, refraining from downloading any backup copy of the user profile stored at any remote storage device, such that the user profile currently stored in the memory of the user computer is used for the user at the user computer; and

in response to determining that the user profile is not currently stored in the memory of the user computer, automatically downloading the backup copy of the user profile stored at the remote storage device to the memory of the user computer, such that the backup copy of the user profile downloaded to the memory of the user computer is used for the user at the user computer;

determining whether multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device;

in response to determining that the multiple different copies of the user profile are stored on the remote storage device query the user as to whether user wants to;

select a current copy of the user profile present on the user computer to use on the user computer;

select a most recent copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer;

or select a user-specified copy of the multiple different copies of the user profile stored on the remote storage device to use on the user computer; and

in response to the user selecting the current copy of the user profile present on the user computer, use the current copy of the user profile on the user computer.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the method further comprises synchronizing a user copy of the user profile with a backup copy of the user profile at a remote storage device.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein synchronizing further comprises recognizing a failure of the remote storage device, and synchronizing the user copy of the user profile with a new backup copy of the user profile at the remote storage device in response to the failure.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein synchronizing further comprises recognizing a conflict between a set of user copies of the user profile stored on multiple user computers, and selecting among a set of options comprising:

leaving the conflict unresolved, retaining the user copy of the user profile in the memory, selecting among the set of user copies of the user profile, and selecting a most recent user copy of the user profile.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein synchronizing comprises synchronizing a plurality of user copies of user profiles with a plurality of backup copies of user profiles at the remote storage device, and the step of selectively downloading comprises selectively downloading a selected backup copy of a user profile from the remote storage device.