Classification of data objects in a distributed file system based on application creation and/or access information

• US 9,990,371 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Chan, Michael A., Quan, Justin, Bornstein, Daniel R., Moss, Tom, Tong, Linda
• Primary Examiner(s): Phillips, III, Albert
• Application Number:
  US14/220,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20140289190A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/168 Details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems, e.g. browsing and visualisation, 2d or 3d GUIs query results presentation G06F16/156
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24578 using ranking
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/44 Encoding
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/78 Architectures of resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0853 using an additional device, e.g. smartcard, SIM or a different communication terminal cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving additional secure or trusted devices H04L9/3234
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 : specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 : in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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 67/1097 : for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 : User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 : Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 : Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 : Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 : Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Technology is disclosed for classification of data objects (e.g., files) in a distributed file system based on application creation and/or access information. In some embodiments, data objects of a user are stored across multiple computing devices associated with a user, e.g., mobile computing devices such as a tablet, a laptop, or a smartphone, and/or at server systems, e.g., cloud-based storage servers, in a distributed cloud-based storage system. The technology described tracks the applications that create or touch particular data objects in the distributed file system and classifies the data objects according to these applications resulting in various application classifications. For example, a classification engine can process data objects in the distributed file system to identify an application that created the data object and/or applications that have accessed the data object. The classification information can be saved by, for example, a cloud-based storage server.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving, by a cloud-based server, data objects from a distributed file system;

processing, by the cloud-based server, the data objects to determine applications on one or more remote computing devices that created or accessed respective ones of the data objects;

classifying the data objects according to corresponding applications that created or accessed the data objects resulting in application classification information, the application classification information associating each data object with a set of applications that created or accessed the data object;

storing the application classification information in a cloud-based memory system associated with the cloud-based server;

identifying modified data objects in the distributed file based system;

accessing, by the cloud-based server, a synchronization priority scheme for a particular remote computing device, wherein the synchronization priority scheme indicates a priority for synchronizing the modified data objects to the particular remote computing device; and

modifying, by the cloud-based server, the synchronization priority scheme based on the application classification information and a plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device,

wherein a modified data object is deprioritized in the synchronization priority scheme when the plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device and the associated set of applications that created or accessed the modified data object are disjoint, wherein a regular modified data object is batched in a first synchronization batch, wherein a deprioritized modified data object is batched in a second synchronization batch, wherein data objects in the second synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device based on a type of an access network, and wherein data objects in the first synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device regardless of the type of the access network.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein classifying a particular data object comprises marking, linking or tagging the particular data object with the corresponding application that created or accessed the particular data object.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein processing the data objects include scanning at least one data object for identifiers or markers that identify the application that created or accessed the data object.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data objects are further classified according to a type of access by the one or more remote computing devices.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud-based server, the data objects or modifications to the data objects from the one or more remote computing devices; and

storing the data objects or modifications to the data objects in the cloud-based memory system associated with the cloud-based server.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

tracking, by the cloud-based server, the applications that create or access the data objects resulting in tracking information; and

storing the tracking information in the cloud-based memory system associated with the cloud-based server.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the cloud-based server, tracking information from the one or more remote computing devices, wherein the tracking information identifies the applications that create or access the data objects.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of synchronization event; and

responsive to the synchronization event, synchronizing, by the cloud-based server, the particular remote computing device based on the modified synchronization priority scheme.

9. A computer-implemented method comprising:

retrieving, by a cloud-based server, data objects from a distributed file system;

processing, by the cloud-based server, the data objects to determine applications on one or more remote computing devices that created or accessed respective ones of the data objects;

classifying the data objects according to corresponding applications that created or accessed the data objects resulting in application classification information, wherein classifying a particular data object comprises marking, linking or tagging the particular data object with a corresponding application that created or accessed the particular data object;

identifying modified data objects in the distributed file based system;

accessing, by the cloud-based server, a synchronization priority scheme for a particular remote computing device, wherein the synchronization priority scheme indicates a priority for synchronizing the modified data objects to the particular remote computing device;

modifying, by the cloud-based server, the synchronization priority scheme based on the application classification information and a plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device; and

synchronizing, by the cloud-based server, the particular remote computing device based on the modified synchronization priority scheme,

wherein a modified data object is deprioritized in the synchronization priority scheme when the plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device and the associated set of applications that created or accessed the modified data object are disjoint, wherein a regular modified data object is batched in a first synchronization batch, wherein a deprioritized modified data object is batched in a second synchronization batch, wherein data objects in the second synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device based on a type of an access network, and wherein data objects in the first synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device regardless of the type of the access network.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein processing the data objects include scanning at least one data object for identifiers or markers that identify an application that created the data object and an application that accessed the data object.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the data objects are further classified according to a type of access by the one or more remote computing devices including read access and read/write access.

12. A cloud-based server system comprising:

a processor;

a memory system having instructions stored thereon, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the cloud-based system to;

retrieve data objects from a distributed file system;

process the data objects to determine applications on one or more remote computing devices that created or accessed respective ones of the data objects;

classify the data objects according to corresponding applications that created or accessed the data objects resulting in application classification information, the application classification information associating each data object with a set of applications that created or accessed the data object;

store the application classification information in a cloud-based memory system associated with the cloud-based server;

access, by the cloud-based server, a synchronization priority scheme for a particular remote computing device, wherein the synchronization priority scheme indicates a priority for synchronizing the modified data objects to the particular remote computing device;

modify, by the cloud-based server, the synchronization priority scheme based on the application classification information and a plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device; and

synchronize, by the cloud-based server, the particular remote computing device based on the modified synchronization priority scheme,

wherein a modified data object is deprioritized in the synchronization priority scheme when the plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device and the associated set of applications that created or accessed the modified data object are disjoint, wherein a regular modified data object is batched in a first synchronization batch, wherein a deprioritized modified data object is batched in a second synchronization batch, wherein data objects in the second synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device based on a type of an access network, and wherein data objects in the first synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device regardless of the type of the access network.

13. The cloud-based server system of claim 12, wherein classifying a particular data object comprises marking, linking or tagging the particular data object with the corresponding application that created or accessed the particular data object.

14. The cloud-based server system of claim 12, wherein, to process the data objects, the processor scans at least one data object for identifiers or markers that identify the application that created or accessed the data object, and wherein the processor further classifies the data objects according to a type of access by the one or more remote computing devices.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions to be implemented by a computer system having a processor, wherein the instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the computer system to:

retrieve data objects from a distributed file system;

process the data objects to determine applications on one or more remote computing devices that created or accessed respective ones of the data objects;

classify the data objects according to corresponding applications that created or accessed the data objects resulting in application classification information, the application classification information associating each data object with a set of applications that created or accessed the data object;

store the application classification information in a cloud-based memory system associated with the computer system;

identify modified data objects in the distributed file based system;

access a synchronization priority scheme for a particular remote computing device, wherein the synchronization priority scheme indicates a priority for synchronizing the modified data objects to the particular remote computing device;

modify the synchronization priority scheme based on the application classification information and a plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device; and

synchronize the particular remote computing device based on the modified synchronization priority scheme,

wherein a modified data object is deprioritized in the synchronization priority scheme when the plurality of applications installed on the particular remote computing device and the associated set of applications that created or accessed the modified data object are disjoint, wherein a regular modified data object is batched in a first synchronization batch, wherein a deprioritized modified data object is batched in a second synchronization batch, wherein data objects in the second synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device based on a type of an access network, and wherein data objects in the first synchronization batch are synchronized to the particular remote computing device regardless of the type of the access network.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein classifying a particular data object comprises marking, linking or tagging the particular data object with the corresponding application that created or accessed the particular data object.