Automated data synchronization

• US 9,148,350 B1
• Filed: 03/11/2013
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Suryanarayanan, Deepak, Farrell, Eugene Michael, Lakshmanan, Vivek, Brown, David Everard
• Primary Examiner(s): Mirza, Adnan
• Application Number:
  US13/794,515
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3442 for planning or managing the needed capacity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/81 Threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/08 Monitoring or testing based on specific metrics, e.g. QoS, energy consumption or environmental parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Systems and methods are presented for storing and updating data. The metadata associated with a user computing device may be used to determine whether the user computing device is configured to maintain a synchronized copy of the file. Moreover, a user computing device may be authorized to modify a file through a virtual desktop instance on a PES. If a user computing device is authorized to synchronize the file, the file may be accessible locally without a network connection.

Claims

1. A method for storing and updating data, the method comprising:

under control of a Program Execution Service (PES) that includes a number of data centers, each data center including one or more physical computing systems configurable to execute one or more virtual desktop instances, each virtual desktop instance associated with a computing environment that includes an operating system configurable to execute one or more applications, each virtual desktop instance accessible by a computing device of a user of the PES via a network;

hosting a file at the PES, the file created by accessing an application at a virtual desktop instance provided by the PES, the file comprising user data generated based at least in part on user interaction with the application;

forming a bi-directional connection between the PES and a first computing device of a user, the first computing device separate from the PES;

receiving from the first computing device a request to access the file from the PES;

accessing file metadata, the file metadata indicating whether the file is to be synchronized with one or more computing devices;

determining, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the first computing device; and

in response to determining that the file is to be synchronized with the first computing device, providing the first computing device with a copy of the file and synchronizing the copy of the file with the file stored at the PES to maintain a synchronized file using the bi-directional connection, wherein the synchronized file is stored locally on the first computing device and is accessible without the bi-directional connection between the PES and the first computing device and wherein the file at the PES is updated to reflect modifications to the synchronized file upon reestablishment of the bi-directional connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising comparing a plurality of versions of the file on the PES and presenting the difference between the plurality of versions of the file.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

forming a bi-directional connection between the PES and a second computing device of a user;

receiving from the second computing device a request to synchronize a file on the PES;

determining, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the second computing device; and

in response to determining that the file is to be synchronized with the second computing device, synchronizing a second copy of the file provided to the second computing device with the file stored at the PES to maintain the synchronized file using the bi-directional connection between the PES and the second computing device.

4. A system for storing and updating data, the system comprising:

a Program Execution Service (PES) that includes a number of data centers, each data center including one or more physical computing systems configurable to execute one or more virtual desktop instances, each virtual desktop instance associated with a computing environment that includes an operating system configurable to execute one or more applications, each virtual desktop instance accessible by a computing device of a user of the PES via a network, the PES configured to host a file at the PES, the file created by accessing an application at a virtual desktop instance provided by the PES, the file comprising user data generated based at least in part on user interaction with the application, and the PES further comprising;

a connectivity component configured to form a bi-directional connection between the PES and a first computing device of a user, the first computing device separate from the PES;

a file access component configured to;

receive from the first computing device a request to access the file from the PES;

access file metadata, the file metadata indicating whether the file is to be synchronized with one or more computing devices; and

determine, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the first computing device;

provide the first computing device with a copy of the file; and

a file synchronization component configured to synchronize the copy of the file with the file stored at the PES to maintain a synchronized filed using the bi-directional connection, wherein, upon reestablishment of an interrupted bi-directional connection, the file synchronization component is further configured to update the file at the PES to reflect modifications to the synchronized file occurring on the first computing device at a time when the bi-directional connection was interrupted.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the file synchronization component is further configured to store the synchronized file on the first computing device such that the synchronized file is accessible without the bi-directional connection between the PES and the first computing device.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the PES further comprises a version control component configured to:

maintain a plurality of versions of a file on the PES; and

offer the user a choice among the plurality of versions of the file.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the version control component is configured to compare a plurality of versions of the file on the PES and present the difference between the plurality of versions of the file.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the version control component is configured to accept user input regarding a selection of one of the plurality of versions of the file for synchronization; and

the file synchronization component is configured to synchronize the selected version.

9. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the connectivity component is further configured to form a second bi-directional connection between the PES and a second computing device of a user;

the file access component is further configured to;

receive from the second computing device a request to synchronize a file on the PES; and

determine, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the second computing device; and

the file synchronization component is further configured to synchronize a second copy of the file provided to the second computing device with the file stored at the PES to maintain the synchronized file using the second bi-directional connection between the PES and the second computing device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the file synchronization component is further configured to store the synchronized file on the second computing device such that the synchronized file is accessible without the bi-directional connection between the PES and the second computing device.

11. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the file access component is configured to determine, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the user is prohibited from storing the file on the first computing device; and

in response to the determination, the file synchronization component is configured to synchronize the file on the PES but not on the first computing device.

12. Non-transitory physical computer storage comprising computer-executable instructions that direct a computing system to perform a method for storing and updating data, the method comprising:

under control of a Program Execution Service (PES) that includes a number of data centers, each data center including one or more physical computing systems configurable to execute one or more virtual desktop instances, each virtual desktop instance associated with a computing environment that includes an operating system configurable to execute one or more applications, each virtual desktop instance accessible by a computing device of a user of the PES via a network;

hosting a file at the PES, the file created by accessing an application at a virtual desktop instance provided by the PES, the file comprising user data generated based at least in part on user interaction with the application;

forming a connection between the PES and a first computing device of a user, the first computing device separate from the PES;

receiving from the first computing device a request to access the file from the PES;

accessing file metadata, the file metadata indicating whether the file is to be synchronized with one or more computing devices;

determining based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the first computing device; and

in response to determining that the file is to be synchronized with the first computing device, providing the first computing device with a copy of the file and synchronizing the copy of the file with the file stored at the PES to maintain a synchronized file using the connection, wherein the synchronized file is stored locally on the first computing device and is accessible without the connection between the PES and the first computing device and wherein the file at the PES is updated to reflect modifications to the synchronized file upon reestablishment of the connection.

13. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 12, wherein forming a connection comprises forming a bi-directional connection between the PES and the first computing device.

14. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 12, wherein the synchronized file is stored locally on the first computing device and is accessible without the connection between the PES and the first computing device.

15. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

maintaining a plurality of versions of a file on the PES; and

offering the user a choice among the plurality of versions of the file.

16. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

comparing the plurality of versions of the file on the PES; and

presenting the difference between the plurality of versions of the file.

17. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises:

accepting user input regarding a selection of one of the plurality of versions of the file for synchronization; and

synchronizing the selected version.

18. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

forming a connection between the PES and a second computing device of a user;

receiving from the second computing device a request to synchronize a file on the PES;

determining, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the file is to be synchronized with the second computing device; and

in response to determining that the file is to be synchronized with the second computing device, synchronizing a second copy of the file provided to the second computing device with the file stored at the PES to maintain the synchronized file using the connection between the PES and the second computing device.

19. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 18, wherein the synchronized file is stored locally on the second computing device and is accessible without the connection between the PES and the second computing device.

20. The non-transitory physical computer storage of claim 12, wherein the method further comprises:

determining, based at least in part on the file metadata, whether the user is prohibited from storing the file on the first computing device; and

in response to the determining, synchronizing the file on the PES but not on the first computing device.