Method of replicating data between computing devices

• US 20050021571A1
• Filed: 11/26/2002
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: ShoZu, Inc. (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: ShoZu, Inc. (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: East, Simon Jeremy
• Application Number:
  US10/496,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20050021571A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

Resource constrained wireless computing devices (e.g. mobile telephones) are given a replication capability for database records (e.g. to enable backing up contacts, e-mails, photographs etc. onto a remote server). This operates without undue processing burden, using low bandwidth unreliable wireless connections. This is achieved by not including a time stamp in each database record, but instead time stamping only a change log record; this approach saves considerable memory space on the wireless device since there is no need to time stamp every database record, as is usually done in the prior art. The change log defines what data is to be replicated; it alone has to be sent to a main server which hosts a master copy of the database and hence has to be kept up to date. Because the change log is compact, far less data has to be sent for data replication purposes—typically only the field which has changed, how it was be changed and when it was changed on the wireless computing device. Prior art systems typically send an entire record, even though that will contain data that has not changed.

Claims

1. A method of replicating data from computing devices, in which a first computing device is given responsibility for determining whether data received from a wireless, portable computing device over a wireless network is replicated or not;

wherein the method comprises the steps of the wireless, portable computing device;

(a) generating a change log, the change log including data only for records that have changed; and

(b) sending those change logs to the first computing device in order to replicate data in the change log in a database running on the first computing device;

wherein the method further comprises the step of the wireless computing device registering new metadata definitions with the first computing device to define how change logs relating to a new application will be presented by the wireless computing device.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the change log comprises a time stamp that indicates the time a change to a record was made, the time being measured using a real time clock on the wireless computing device.

3. The method of claim 1 in which the change log only records changes to the field of a given record that has changed and not the entire record.

4. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the change log recording only changes that have occurred since the last data replication between the wireless computing device and the first computing device.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the wireless computing device and the first computing device sharing metadata that defines the proper interpretation of the change log.

6. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the change log being populated with data identifying the data that has been changed, how it was changed and when it was changed on the wireless computing device.

7. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the change log being automatically sent by the wireless computing device to the first computing device without any user intervention.

8. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the wireless computing device sending the change log automatically (a) at pre-defined periodic intervals, (b) at pre-defined times or (c) continuously whenever a change log is created.

9. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the wireless computing device batching up multiple change logs.

10. The method of claim 9 comprising the step of the wireless computing device sending batched change logs at times which depend on the importance of the change log being rapidly processed by the first computing device, with low priority change logs being sent at times of lower network traffic.

11. The method of claim 1 comprising the step of the wireless computing device sending records in a change log at times which depend on the importance of the records being rapidly processed by the first computing device, with low priority records being sent at times of lower network traffic.

12. A wireless, portable computing device programmed to send data to a first computing device over a wireless network, in order for the first computing device to replicate that data;

wherein the device is programmed to;

(a) generate and store time stamps in a change log, the change log including data only for records that have changed; and

(b) send those change logs to the first computing device in order to replicate data in the change log in a database running on the first computing device;

wherein the device is programmed to register new metadata definitions with the first computing device to define how change logs relating to a new application will be presented by the wireless computing device.