Synchronization server process

• US 10,749,953 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 08/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: McCarthy, Brendan A., Guenther, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Obisesan, Augustine K.
• Application Number:
  US13/616,638
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006929A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,895 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• 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 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Among other things, techniques and systems are disclosed for providing sync server process. Processing data sync sessions includes processing a request to initiate a sync session from one or more clients to update one or more data records that include one or more data items. The one or more clients are selectively identified as one of a trusted client and an untrusted client based on one or more properties of the sync session, wherein the trusted client is configured to support all dataclasses defined by the server. The one or more clients are detected as being configured to support field level differencing that sends changed data items only for the one or data records or record level differencing that sends all of the data items included in the one or more data records.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a computer system as a trusted client that supports a schema defined by a server system synchronizing a first data repository hosted by the server system with a second data repository hosted by the computer system, the synchronizing comprising;

setting, by the server system, authoritative universal unique identifiers (UUIDs) for data items of the first data repository, wherein the schema defined by the server system comprises the authoritative UUIDs for data items;

providing, from the server system to the computer system, the authoritative UUIDs for use as references of data items of the second data repository in lieu of local unique identifiers (LUIDs) of the data items of the second data repository hosted by the computer system; and

synchronizing the data items of the first data repository with the data items of the second data repository using references to the authoritative UUIDs without maintaining a mapping of the authoritative UUIDs to the LUIDs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein

at least one device of the plurality of the devices is a trusted client configured to support the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system and supported by the computer system, wherein the at least one device of the plurality of devices that is a trusted client is configured to support the unique identifier for each synchronized data item that is also supported by the server system, and at least one device of the plurality of the devices is an untrusted client that is not configured to support the data structure or the unique identifier,

the method further comprising selectively identifying whether a device of the plurality of devices is a trusted or an untrusted client based on one or more properties of a request received from the device to synchronize data records stored at the device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

said receiving the requests from the plurality of devices to synchronize the data records stored at the plurality of devices comprises:

receiving, with a request from a device identified as a trusted client, only changed data items included in one or more data records stored by the trusted client to be synchronized, and

receiving, with another request from a device identified as an untrusted client, changed and unchanged data items included in one or more data records stored by the untrusted client to be synchronized, and

said synchronizing the data records stored at the plurality of devices with corresponding data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system comprises;

performing field level differencing to update the changed data items included in one or more data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the trusted client, and

performing record level differencing to update one or more data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the untrusted client;

the field level differencing and record level differencing resulting in the modified data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a request from a device identified as an untrusted client including a change of a data record stored at the untrusted client;

in response to determining that the change is invalid against the data structure, generating, by the computer system, a synthetic change of the data record that is valid against the data structure; and

updating a data record from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the data record stored at the untrusted client that includes the synthetic change;

the updating resulting in the updated data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that data records from the data repository hosted by the server system corresponding to the data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system, that have been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, are unlocked; and

performing said synchronizing the data repository hosted by the computer system, that has been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, with the data repository hosted by the server system, in response to said determining.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoding instructions that when executed by a server system cause the server system to execute operations comprising:

identify a computer system as a trusted client that supports a schema defined by the server system;

synchronizing a first data repository hosted by the server system with a second data repository hosted by the computer system, the synchronizing comprising;

setting, by the server system, authoritative universal unique identifiers (UUIDs) for data items of the first data repository;

providing, from the server system to the computer system, the authoritative UUIDs for use as references of data items of the second data repository in lieu of local unique identifiers (LUIDs) of the data items of the second data repository hosted by the computer system; and

synchronizing the data items of the first data repository with the data items of the second data repository using references to the authoritative UUIDs without maintaining a mapping of the authoritative UUIDs to the LUIDs.

7. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein at least one device of the plurality of the devices is a trusted client configured to support the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system and supported by the computer system, wherein the at least one device of the plurality of devices that is a trusted client is configured to support the unique identifier for each synchronized data item that is also supported by the server system, and at least one device of the plurality of the devices is an untrusted client that is not configured to support the data structure, and

wherein the operations further comprise selectively identifying whether a device of the plurality of devices is a trusted or an untrusted client based on one or more properties of a request received from the device to synchronize data records stored at the device.

8. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein

said receiving the requests from the plurality of devices to synchronize the data records stored at the plurality of devices comprises:

receiving, with a request from a device identified as a trusted client, only changed data items included in one or more data records stored by the trusted client to be synchronized, and

receiving, with another request from a device identified as an untrusted client, changed and unchanged data items included in one or more data records stored by the untrusted client to be synchronized, and

said synchronizing the data records stored at the plurality of devices with corresponding data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system comprises;

performing field level differencing to update the changed data items included in one or more data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the trusted client, and

performing record level differencing to update one or more data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the untrusted client;

the field level differencing and record level differencing resulting in the modified data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system.

9. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from a device identified as an untrusted client including a change of a data record stored at the untrusted client;

in response to determining that the change is invalid against the data structure, generating a synthetic change of the data record that is valid against the data structure; and

updating a data record from the data repository hosted by the computer system corresponding to the data record stored at the untrusted client that includes the synthetic change;

the updating resulting in the updated data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the data repository hosted by the server system.

10. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 6, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that data records from the data repository hosted by the server system corresponding to the data records from the data repository hosted by the computer system, that have been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, are unlocked; and

performing said synchronizing the data repository hosted by the computer system, that has been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, with the data repository hosted by the server system, in response to said determining.

11. A computer system comprising:

a data processing apparatus communicatively coupled with a device; and

memory configured to store a first data repository and instructions that when executed by the data processing apparatus cause the computer system to execute operations comprising;

identifying the device as a trusted client that supports a schema defined by the computer system;

synchronizing a second data repository hosted by the device with first data repository hosted by the computer system, the synchronizing comprising;

setting, by the computer system, authoritative universal unique identifiers (UUIDs) for data items of the first data repository;

providing, from the computer system to the device, the authoritative UUIDs for use as references of data items of the second data repository in lieu of local unique identifiers (LUIDs) of the data items of the second data repository maintained by the device; and

synchronizing the data items of the first data repository with the data items of the second data repository using references to the authoritative UUIDs without maintaining a mapping of the authoritative UUIDs to the LUIDs.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein at least one device of the plurality of the devices is a trusted client configured to support the data structure defined by the server system for the second data repository and supported by the computer system, wherein the at least one device of the plurality of devices that is a trusted client is configured to support the unique identifier for each synchronized data item that is also supported by the second data repository, and at least one device of the plurality of the devices is an untrusted client that is not configured to support the data structure, and

wherein the operations further comprise selectively identifying whether a device of the plurality of devices is a trusted or an untrusted client based on one or more properties of a request received from the device to synchronize data records stored at the device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein

said receiving the requests from the plurality of devices to synchronize the data records stored at the plurality of devices comprises:

receiving, with a request from a device identified as a trusted client, only changed data items included in one or more data records stored by the trusted client to by synchronized, and

receiving, with another request from a device identified as an untrusted client, changed and unchanged data items included in one or more data records stored by the untrusted client to be synchronized, and

said synchronizing the data records stored at the plurality of devices with corresponding data records from the first data repository comprises;

performing field level differencing to update the changed data items included in one or more data records from the first data repository corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the trusted client, and

performing record level differencing to update one or more data records from the first data repository corresponding to the one or more data records referenced by the request from the untrusted client;

the field level differencing and record level differencing resulting in the modified data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the second data repository hosted by the server system.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a request from a device identified as an untrusted client including a change of a data record stored at the untrusted client;

in response to determining that the change is invalid against the data structure, generating a synthetic change of the data record that is valid against the data structure; and

updating a data record from the first data repository corresponding to the data record stored at the untrusted client that includes the synthetic change;

the updating resulting in the updated data records having the same data structure as the data structure defined by the server system for the second data repository hosted by the server system.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining that synchronized data items from the second data repository corresponding to the data records from the first data repository, that have been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, are unlocked; and

performing said synchronizing the first data repository, that has been synchronized with the data records stored at the plurality of devices, with the second data repository, in response to said determining.