Conflict resolution, retry condition management, and handling of problem files for the synchronization client to a cloud-based platform

• US 10,599,671 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2014
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Box Incorporated
• Inventors: Dorman, Griffin, Jourda, Florian, Parmar, Kunal, Sawyer, Dave, Smith, Ben
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta L
• Application Number:
  US14/158,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20140201145A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,258 Days
• Field of Search: 707608, 707610, 707612, 707613, 707618, 707620, 707621, 707622, 707624, 707634, 707640, 707674, 707690, 707691, 707679, 707617, 707619, 707934, 707940, 707641, 707654, 707655, 707656, 707677, 707686, 707687, 707694, 707 70, 707793, 707795, 707796, 707802
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• 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

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure include systems and methods of conflict resolution, retry condition management and/or handling of problem files in the synchronization architecture of the cloud-based platform. One embodiment of the disclosed technology detects conflicts between incompatible changes made on opposite file systems based on file system sync results when executing a sync event on the file system. In one embodiment, the disclosed technology applies self-healing strategies when unexpected failures occur. For example, if a synchronization action fails repeatedly, an external action (e.g., from user, file system, etc.) can return the system back to a consistent state again.

Claims

1. A processor-implemented method of resolving conflicts in a synchronization system, comprising:

mapping, by a synchronization server, each of a plurality of different conflict resolvers to a different plurality of attributes, each plurality of attributes comprising each of an event type attribute, a file system attribute, and a failure reason attribute;

detecting, by the synchronization server, a conflict when executing, by the synchronization server, a sync event on a local file system on a client device and a cloud server file system, wherein the conflict is detected based on a failure when executing the sync event;

responsive to detecting the conflict, identifying, by the synchronization server, a plurality of attributes associated with the sync event, wherein the plurality of attributes associated with the sync event comprises each of a file system identifier for the sync event, an event type associated with the sync event, and a failure reason associated with the sync event; and

taking an action on the local file system on a client device or the cloud server file system to resolve the conflict, wherein the action is associated with a conflict resolver selected from the plurality of conflict resolvers based on the plurality of attributes mapped to the selected conflict resolver matching the identified set of attributes associated with the sync event and wherein the action includes modifying one of the local file system on the client device or the cloud server file system, associating a retry condition to the sync event, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changes to the local file system on the client device and cloud server file systems that cause the conflict occur in parallel.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the retry condition has been satisfied, executing the sync event on the local file system on the client device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the retry condition is satisfied when another sync event updates an item associated with the sync event.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the retry condition is satisfied after a period of time elapses.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the event type attribute associated with the sync event identifies one or a create event, rename event, move event, edit event or delete event that changes the second file system.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the failure reason attribute associated with the sync event indicates one of:

item not found, item name in use, item name not valid, item name too long, item locked or version mismatch.

8. A synchronization system with conflict resolution, comprising:

a synchronization component configured to execute sync events;

a plurality of conflict resolvers, wherein the plurality of conflict resolvers are different and mapped to different corresponding plurality of sync event attributes, wherein each conflict resolver is configured to resolve a conflict identified by a matching plurality of sync event attributes associated with a sync event by making changes to a file system, wherein the plurality of sync event attributes comprises each of a file system identifier of the file system, an event type associated with the sync event, and a failure reason associated with the sync event; and

a sync execution controller to update the sync event to include a retry condition.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the file system that is changed is one of a cloud server file system of a cloud server or local file system of a client device.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising a sync failure detector that detects the conflict based on at least one result from execution of the sync event.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising a retry condition evaluator to monitor and determine when the retry condition is satisfied.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a retry condition manager that sends the sync event for re-execution when the retry condition is satisfied.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising an ignored items detector configured to detect an ignored item and exclude the item from synchronization.

14. A processor-implemented method of conflict resolution, comprising:

mapping, by a synchronization server, each of a plurality of different conflict resolvers to a different plurality of attributes, each plurality of attributes comprising each of an event type attribute, a file system attribute, and a failure reason attribute;

executing, by the synchronization server, a sync event on a local file system on a client device and a cloud server file system;

detecting, by the synchronization server, a conflict when executing the sync event on the local file system on a client device and the cloud server file system;

responsive to detecting the conflict, identifying, by the synchronization server, a plurality of attributes associated with the sync event, wherein the plurality of attributes associated with the sync event comprises each of a file system identifier for the sync event, an event type associated with the sync event, and a failure reason associated with the sync event;

taking an action associated with a conflict resolver selected from the plurality of conflict resolvers based on the plurality of attributes mapped to the selected conflict resolver matching the identified set of attributes associated with the sync event, wherein the action includes restoring the local file system on a client device and the cloud server file system to a consistent state;

associating a retry condition with the sync event when the conflict is detected;

monitoring the retry condition associated with the sync event; and

re-executing the sync event when the retry condition associated with the sync event is satisfied.

15. A synchronization system with conflict resolution, comprising:

a memory;

a processor disposed in communication with the memory and configured to execute a plurality of instructions stored in the memory to;

map each of a plurality of different conflict resolvers to a different plurality of attributes, each plurality of attributes comprising each of an event type attribute, a file system attribute, and a failure reason attribute;

detect that a synchronization operation failed due to a conflict, wherein the conflict is caused by incompatible changes made to a local file system and a cloud server file system;

responsive to detecting the conflict, identify a plurality of attributes associated with the sync event, wherein the plurality of attributes associated with the sync event comprises each of a file system identifier for the sync event, an event type associated with the sync event, and a failure reason associated with the sync event; and

resolve the conflict by taking at least one action associated with a conflict resolver selected from the plurality of conflict resolvers based on the plurality of attributes mapped to the selected conflict resolver matching the identified set of attributes associated with the synchronization operation failure, wherein the at least one action that is taken depends on the identified set of attributes associated with the synchronization operation failure, wherein when the incompatible changes causing the conflict include creation of a file having the same name on both the local file system and the cloud server file system, the reason for the synchronization operation failure is identified as item name in use, and wherein the at least one action taken to resolve the conflict includes renaming the file to have a new name both on the local file system and the cloud server file system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the action taken to resolve the conflict repairs one of the local file system or the cloud server file system to make the file systems consistent.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein when the synchronization operation is executed on opposing file systems, a sync result that identifies the reason for the synchronization operation failure is generated.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one action further comprises retrying the synchronization operation that failed when a specified condition is satisfied.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein when the incompatible changes causing the conflict include renaming of a same file on both the local file system and the cloud server file system to different names, the reason for the synchronization operation failure is identified as version mismatch.