File system monitoring in a system which incrementally updates clients with events that occurred in a cloud-based collaboration platform

• US 9,953,036 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Mackenzie, David, Smith, Benjamin Campbell, Bishopric, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Brooks, David T
• Application Number:
  US14/149,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20140195485A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1734 Details of monitoring file system events, e.g. by the use of hooks, filter drivers, logs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

Techniques are disclosed for file system monitoring in a system which incrementally updates clients with what occurred in a cloud-enabled platform. In one embodiment, a method comprises, in response to an event which represents that a modification to an item has taken place on the cloud-based platform, identifying whether execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule. The method further comprises, if the execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule, buffering the event until a subsequent event arrives. The method further comprises identifying whether execution of an aggregate of the events is to violate any local file system rule.

Claims

1. A method for resolving race conditions when updating synchronization clients with what occurred in a cloud-based platform, the method comprising:

in response to receiving, at a synchronization client, an event which represents that a modification to an item has taken place on the cloud-based platform, identifying whether execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule;

if the execution of the event is not to violate any local file system rule, executing the event, wherein executing the event includes;

comparing a sequence identifier (ID) of the event with a current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client,

dropping the event in case the sequence ID of the event is lower than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client,

executing the event in case the sequence ID of the event is higher than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client, wherein the executing further includes generating one or more events at the synchronization client to make a state of the item at the synchronization client the same as the state of the item indicated by the event; and

if the execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule at the synchronization client, buffering the event at the synchronization client until a subsequent event arrives, wherein buffering the event further includes;

discarding the event if the event remains buffered over a select amount of time,

determining that the item is associated with a specified folder of a folder tree structure in the cloud-based platform, the folder-tree structure including multiple folders that are organized into multiple levels of hierarchy, and

requesting a partial scan of the folder-tree structure in the cloud-based platform when a specified folder is moved from a first path to a second path in the folder-tree structure, instead of a full scan, the partial scan generating a synchronization event for a lowest partially synchronized folder in;

the first path that had the specified folder before the move, and

the second path that has the specified folder after the move.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying whether execution of an aggregate of the events is to violate any local file system rule; and

if the execution of the aggregate of the events is to violate any local file system rule, buffering the subsequent event until another subsequent event arrives.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

if the execution of the aggregate of the events is not to violate any local file system rule, executing the aggregate of the events.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein buffering the event further includes:

requesting the full scan to the cloud-based platform for correct updates on the item.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein local file system rules include that the item cannot be added to a folder that does not exist.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein local file system rules include that a name of the item cannot be the same as another item in a same folder.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein local file system rules include that a non-empty folder cannot be deleted.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a difference between a state of the item as represented in the event and a current state of the item,

wherein the identifications are based on the difference.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the state of the item includes one or more of:

a name, a parent folder, or a checksum of the item.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the item is a file or a folder.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the platform is a collaboration environment shared among a user and collaborators of the user.

12. A system for resolving race conditions when incrementally updating remote clients with what occurred in a cloud-based platform, the system comprising:

a processor;

a memory having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

in response to receiving, at a synchronization client, an event which represents that a modification to an item has taken place on a cloud-based platform, identify whether execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule;

if the execution of the event is not to violate any local file system rule, executing the event, wherein executing the event includes;

comparing a sequence identifier (ID) of the event with a current sequence ID of the item in a synchronization client,

dropping the event in case the sequence ID of the event is lower than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client,

executing the event in case the sequence ID of the event is higher than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client, wherein the executing further includes generating one or more events at the synchronization client to make a state of the item at the synchronization client the same as the state of the item indicated by the event, and

if the execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule at the synchronization client, buffer the event at the synchronization client until a subsequent event arrives, wherein buffering the event further includes;

discarding the event if the event remains buffered over a select amount of time,

determining that the item is associated with a specified folder of a folder tree structure in the cloud-based platform, the folder-tree structure including multiple folders that are organized into multiple levels of hierarchy, and

requesting a partial scan of the folder-tree structure in the cloud-based platform when a specified folder is moved from a first path to a second path in the folder-tree structure, instead of a full scan, the partial scan generating a synchronization event for a lowest partially synchronized folder in;

the first path that had the specified folder before the move, and

the second path that has the specified folder after the move.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further caused to:

identify whether execution of an aggregate of the events is to violate any local file system rule;

if the execution of the aggregate of the events is to violate any local file system rule, buffer the subsequent event until another subsequent event arrives.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the processor is further caused to:

if the execution of the aggregate of the events is not to violate any local file system rule, execute the aggregate of the events.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further caused to:

request the full scan to the cloud-based platform for correct updates on the item.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein local file system rules include that the item cannot be added to a folder that does not exist.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein local file system rules include that a name of the item cannot be the same as another item in a same folder.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein local file system rules include that a non-empty folder cannot be deleted.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the processor is further caused to:

determine a difference between a state of the item as represented in the event and a current state of the item,

wherein the identifications are based on the difference.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the state of the item includes one or more of:

a name, a parent folder, or a checksum of the item.

21. The system of claim 12, wherein the item is a file or a folder.

22. The system of claim 12, wherein the platform is a collaboration environment shared among a user and collaborators of the user.

23. A system, comprising:

means for, in response to receiving, at a synchronization client, an event which represents that a modification to an item has taken place on a cloud-based platform, identifying whether execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule;

means for, if the execution of the event is not to violate any local file system rule, executing the event, wherein executing the event includes;

comparing a sequence identifier (ID) of the event with a current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client,

dropping the event in case the sequence ID of the event is lower than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client, and

executing the event in case the sequence ID of the event is higher than the current sequence ID of the item in the synchronization client, wherein the executing further includes generating one or more events at the synchronization client to make a state of the item at the synchronization client the same as the state of the item indicated by the event, and

means for, if the execution of the event is to violate any local file system rule at the synchronization client, buffering the event at the synchronization client until a subsequent event arrives, wherein buffering the event further includes;

discarding the event if the event remains buffered over a select amount of time,

determining that the item is associated with a specified folder of a folder tree structure in the cloud-based platform, the folder-tree structure including multiple folders that are organized into multiple levels of hierarchy, and

requesting a partial scan of the folder-tree structure in the cloud-based platform when a specified folder is moved from a first path to a second path in the folder-tree structure, instead of a full scan, the partial scan generating a synchronization event for a lowest partially synchronized folder;

the first path that had the specified folder before the move, and

the second path that has the specified folder after the move.