Unified mechanism for presenting and resolving grouped synchronization conflicts

• US 7,805,408 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2006
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Thomas, Edward Eric, Tang, Lei, Shah, Darshatkumar, Padgett, Neil Leonard, Shah, Ashish B, Novik, Lev, Sivapragasam, Muhunthan
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham; John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Allen; Nicholas E
• Application Number:
  US11/450,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299882A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: 707/634, 707/610
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1844 Management specifically adapted to replicated file systems

Abstract

Conflicts detected during synchronization of replicas are enumerated and resolved according to a specified policy, comprising conditions and actions or simply a specified action. Specified actions may be drawn from a set of standard actions and custom actions may also be composed. The conflicts are enumerated and resolved in logical groups. A logical group is a collection of one or more item envelopes, each comprising entities, such as items, links, and/or extensions. In an example configuration, both constraint-based conflicts, such as a name collision, and non-constraint-based conflicts are handled via the same application programming interface.

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a computer program application, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that at least one conflict has been detected during synchronization of at least two replicas, wherein the at least one conflict is detected at a first granular unit level;

aggregating the at least one conflict into a user-understandable logical group in which the at least one conflict is grouped into an aggregated conflict for resolution at a second granular unit level, which is less than the first granular unit level;

enumerating, to the application, the aggregated conflict; and

resolving the at least one conflict within the aggregated conflict at the second granular unit level.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one conflict comprises at least one of a constraint-based conflict and a non-constraint-based conflict.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising resolving one of the aggregated conflict and each one of the at least one conflict in accordance with a respective predetermined policy.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, further comprising resolving one of the aggregated conflict and each one of the at least one conflict in accordance with a respective action.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of conflicts;

each one of the plurality of conflicts is identified in accordance with a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels; and

the aggregated conflict belongs to a highest level of the hierarchy at which the aggregated conflict is at least one of resolvable and enumeratable.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts that are independently unresolvable;

each one of the plurality of dependent conflicts is identified in accordance with a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels;

the plurality of levels comprises a first level and at least one lower level;

at least one of the plurality of dependent conflicts belongs to the first level and remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts belong to the at least one lower level; and

upon resolving the at least one dependent conflict belonging to the first level, the remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts are automatically resolved.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts, the method further comprising:

synthesizing a conflict for at least one of the dependent conflicts; and

aggregating the at least one conflict and the synthesized conflict.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein:

the aggregated conflict is resolved in accordance with a conflict type; and

the conflict type is determined at a time of enumeration.

9. A computer readable storage medium comprising computer executable instructions stored thereon, wherein the computer executable instructions are executable by a computer to perform acts for implementing a conflict management application programming interface for interfacing with an application, the acts comprising:

implementing a conflict aggregating portion of said application programming interface for aggregating at least one conflict into an aggregated conflict, which is detected during synchronization of at least two replicas, wherein the at least one conflict is detected at a first granular unit level, and wherein the at least one conflict is aggregated for resolution at a second granular unit level, which is less than the first granular unit level;

implementing a conflict enumerating portion of said application programming interface for enumerating, to the application, the aggregated conflict; and

implementing a conflict resolution portion of said application programming interface for resolving the at least one conflict within the aggregated conflict at the second granular unit level.

10. The computer readable storage medium in accordance with claim 9, wherein the at least one conflict comprises at least one of a constraint-based conflict and a non-constraint-based conflict.

11. The computer readable storage medium in accordance with claim 9, wherein the conflict resolution portion is further implemented for resolving one of the aggregated conflict and each one of the at least one conflict in accordance with a respective at least one of a predetermined policy and an action.

12. The computer readable storage medium in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts;

a conflict is synthesized for at least one of the dependent conflicts; and

the at least one conflict and the synthesized conflict are aggregated.

13. The computer readable storage medium in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of conflicts;

each one of the plurality of conflicts is a member of a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels; and

the aggregated conflict belongs to a highest level of the hierarchy at which the aggregated conflict is at least one of resolvable and enumeratable.

14. The computer readable storage medium in accordance with claim 9, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts that are independently unresolvable;

each one of the plurality of dependent conflicts is a member of a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels;

the plurality of levels comprises a first level and at least one lower level;

at least one of the plurality of dependent conflicts belongs to the first level and remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts belong to the at least one lower level; and

the conflict resolution portion is further implemented for, upon resolving the at least one dependent conflict belonging to the first level, automatically resolving the remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts.

15. A method for resolving conflicts at a logical group level, the method comprising:

initializing synchronization between at least two replicas;

detecting at least one conflict between the at least two replicas, wherein the at least one conflict is detected at a first granular unit level;

logging the at least one conflict in a conflict log;

aggregating conflicts from the conflict log into a user-understandable logical group in which conflicts are grouped into an aggregated conflict for resolution at a second granular unit level, which is less than the first granular unit level;

enumerating the aggregated conflict; and

resolving the at least one conflict within the aggregated conflict at the second granular unit level.

16. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the at least one conflict comprises at least one of a constraint-based conflict and a non-constraint-based conflict.

17. The method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising resolving one of the aggregated conflict and each one of the at least one conflict in accordance with a respective at least one of a predetermined policy and an action.

18. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts, the method further comprising:

synthesizing a conflict for at least one of the dependent conflicts; and

aggregating the at least one conflict and the synthesized conflict.

19. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of conflicts;

each one of the plurality of conflicts is identified in accordance with a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels; and

the aggregated conflict belongs to a highest level of the hierarchy at which the aggregated conflict is resolvable.

20. The method in accordance with claim 15, wherein:

the at least one conflict comprises a plurality of dependent conflicts that are independently unresolvable;

each one of the plurality of dependent conflicts is identified in accordance with a hierarchy comprising a plurality of levels;

the plurality of levels comprises a first level and at least one lower level;

at least one of the plurality of dependent conflicts belongs to the first level and remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts belong to the at least one lower level; and

upon resolving the at least one dependent conflict belonging to the first level, the remaining ones of the plurality of dependent conflicts are automatically resolved.