SYNCHRONIZATION IMPROVEMENTS

• US 20090307375A1
• Filed: 09/22/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: MCCARTHY, BRENDAN A.
• Granted Patent: US 8,135,769 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Synchronization architectures, methods, systems, and computer readable media are described. In one embodiment, a synchronization session is initiated between a first data processing system and a second data processing system. The synchronization session includes at least a first portion and a second portion. The first data processing system performs the first portion of the synchronization session. The first data processing system receives a sync anchor checkpoint. The sync anchor checkpoint indicates to the second data processing system that the first portion of the synchronization session is complete before the second portion is complete. In one embodiment, the first data processing system determines that the synchronization session is in a failure state. The first data processing system transmits the sync anchor checkpoint to the second data processing system. The second portion of the synchronization session is performed.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method for processing data, the method comprising:

initiating, at a first data processing system, a synchronization session between the first data processing system and a second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

performing, by the first data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session; and

receiving, by the first data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint, wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates to the second data processing system that the first portion of the synchronization session is complete before the second portion is complete.

2. The method as in claim 1, further comprising;

determining, by the first data processing system, that the synchronization session is in a failure state;

transmitting, by the first data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the second data processing system; and

performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the first portion comprises transmitting first data from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information, (b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks and wherein the first portion synchronizes a first data class and the second portion synchronizes the first data class.

4. The method as in claim 3 wherein the first data comprises data changed in a data class since a prior synchronization session.

5. The method as in claim 4 wherein the first data can specify no changes.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates an end of a server mingle phase.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates a commit phase.

8. The method as in claim 1 further comprising:

determining how to partition data, within a first data class, to be synchronized in the first portion and in the second portion, wherein the determining assigns a first partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the first portion and the determining assigns a second partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the second portion and wherein the determining is performed in response to initiating the synchronization session.

9. The method as in claim 8 wherein the data in the first data class is structured data in one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.

10. A machine implemented method for processing data, the method comprising:

receiving, by a second data processing system, an initiation of a synchronization session between a first data processing system and the second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

performing, by the second data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session;

generating, by the second data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint indicating completion of the first portion of the synchronization session; and

transmitting, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the first data processing system.

11. The method as in claim 10, further comprising:

receiving, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint from the first data processing system;

determining from the sync anchor checkpoint that the synchronization session was not completed;

performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

12. The method as in claim 10 wherein the first portion comprises receiving first data from the first data processing system by the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.

13. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method of processing data, the method comprising:

initiating, at a first data processing system, a synchronization session between the first data processing system and a second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

performing, by the first data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session; and

receiving, by the first data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint, wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates to the second data processing system that the first portion of the synchronization session is complete before the second portion is complete.

14. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 13, the method further comprising:

determining, by the first data processing system, that the synchronization session is in a failure state;

transmitting, by the first data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the second data processing system; and

performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

15. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 13 wherein the first portion comprises transmitting first data from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks and wherein the first portion synchronizes a first data class and the second portion synchronizes the first data class.

16. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 15 wherein the first data comprises data changed in a data class since a prior synchronization session.

17. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 16 wherein the first data can specify no changes.

18. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates an end of a server mingle phase.

19. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates a commit phase.

20. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 13, the method further comprising:

determining how to partition data, within a first data class, to be synchronized in the first portion and in the second portion, wherein the determining assigns a first partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the first portion and the determining assigns a second partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the second portion and wherein the determining is performed in response to initiating the synchronization session.

21. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 20 wherein the data in the first data class is structured data in one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.

22. A machine-readable storage medium storing instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method of processing data, the method comprising:

receiving, by a second data processing system, an initiation of a synchronization session between a first data processing system and the second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

performing, by the second data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session;

generating, by the second data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint indicating completion of the first portion of the synchronization session; and

transmitting, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the first data processing system.

23. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 22, the method further comprising:

receiving, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint from the first data processing system;

determining from the sync anchor checkpoint that the synchronization session was not completed;

performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

24. The machine-readable storage medium as in claim 22 wherein the first portion comprises receiving first data from the first data processing system by the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.

25. A first data processing system comprising:

means for initiating, at the first data processing system, a synchronization session between the first data processing system and a second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

means for performing, by the first data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session; and

means for receiving, by the first data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint, wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates to the second data processing system that the first portion of the synchronization session is complete before the second portion is complete.

26. The first data processing system as in claim 25, further comprising:

means for determining, by the first data processing system, that the synchronization session is in a failure state;

means for transmitting, by the first data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the second data processing system; and

means for performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

27. The first data processing system as in claim 25 wherein the first portion comprises transmitting first data from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks and wherein the first portion synchronizes a first data class and the second portion synchronizes the first data class.

28. The first data processing system as in claim 27 wherein the first data comprises data changed in a data class since a prior synchronization session.

29. The first data processing system as in claim 28 wherein the first data can specify no changes.

30. The first data processing system of claim 25 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates an end of a server mingle phase.

31. The first data processing system of claim 25 wherein the sync anchor checkpoint indicates a commit phase.

32. The first data processing system as in claim 25 further comprising:

means for determining how to partition data, within a first data class, to be synchronized in the first portion and in the second portion, wherein the determining assigns a first partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the first portion and the determining assigns a second partition of the data in the first data class to be synchronized in the second portion and wherein the determining is performed in response to initiating the synchronization session.

33. The first data processing system as in claim 32 wherein the data in the first data class is structured data in one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.

34. A second data processing system comprising:

means for receiving, by the second data processing system, an initiation of a synchronization session between a first data processing system and the second data processing system, the synchronization session comprising at least a first portion and a second portion;

means for performing, by the second data processing system, the first portion of the synchronization session;

means for generating, by the second data processing system, a sync anchor checkpoint indicating completion of the first portion of the synchronization session; and

means for transmitting, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint to the first data processing system.

35. The second data processing system as in claim 34, further comprising:

means for receiving, by the second data processing system, the sync anchor checkpoint from the first data processing system;

means for determining from the sync anchor checkpoint that the synchronization session was not completed;

means for performing the second portion of the synchronization session.

36. The second data processing system as in claim 34 wherein the first portion comprises receiving first data from the first data processing system by the second data processing system and wherein the first data comprises structured data in at least one of the following data classes:

(a) contacts information;

(b) to do information;

(c) calendar information; and

(d) web browsing bookmarks.