Opportunistic peer-to-peer synchronization in a synchronization system

• US 8,019,900 B1
• Filed: 03/24/2009
• Issued: 09/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dropbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: SugarSync Incorporated
• Inventors: Sekar, Kiren R., Strong, Jack B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky; Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US12/383,387
• Time in Patent Office: 903 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-227, 709/248, 707610-620, 707/656, 707/658
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

The present invention provides an opportunistic peer-to-peer synchronization method, where client devices can either synchronize with a peer device or a master server, depending on which is the best available option. Client devices monitor synchronization information provided by peer client devices to determine if data that the client device desires to synchronize can be synchronized with a peer client device. If a peer device is available for synchronization, then a client device will synchronize with such peer device. Otherwise, the client device will synchronize with the master server or other device. Client devices can seamlessly switch between peer-to-peer synchronization and client-server synchronization, even during the middle of synchronization session.

Claims

1. A method for opportunistic peer-to-peer synchronization in a system having a master synchronization server and a plurality of client computing devices, the method comprising:

monitoring, at a client computing device, synchronization information provided by one or more peer client computing devices to determine whether or not data that the client computing device desires is synchronize is available for synchronization with such one or more peer client computing devices;

if a peer client computing device is available for synchronizing such data, synchronizing such data with the peer client computing device;

if a peer client computing device is not available for synchronizing such data, synchronizing such data with the master synchronization server until a peer client computing device is available for synchronizing such data; and

if a synchronization session with a peer client computing device is interrupted, switching to synchronizing with another peer client device or the master synchronization server in a manner that appears seamless to the user of the client computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a client computing device can be one of a computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a set top box, a network appliance, and a network-accessible storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a peer client computing device can be one of a computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a set top box, a network appliance, and a network-accessible storage device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein files and data objects are encrypted before being transferred over the network.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to the peer device requesting, during the synchronization session, a file or data object on the requesting device that is associated with metadata to which the peer device is authorized to access, sending the file/data object from the requesting device to the peer device.

6. A method for synchronizing data between client computing devices, the method comprising:

for each client computing device available for peer-to-peer synchronization, advertising any domains on such client computing device that are available for synchronization, wherein such domains are advertised on a network to which the device is connected;

in response to a client computing device (the “

requesting device”

) desiring to synchronize data from a domain, determining at such client computing device if there is a peer device available for peer-to-peer synchronization that is advertising the desired domain;

in response to no peer device advertising the desired domain, attempting, at the requesting device, to establish a connection with a synchronization server to synchronize data from the desired domain with the server;

in response to identifying a peer device advertising the desired domain (the “

peer device”

), sending a request from the requesting device to the peer device to establish a synchronization session;

determining at the peer device whether or not the identity of the user associated with the requesting device can be verified;

in response to the peer device being unable verify the user'"'"'s identity, rejecting the request to establish a synchronization session;

in response to the peer device verifying the user'"'"'s identity and the validity of the request, establishing a synchronization session between the peer device and the requesting device, wherein, during the synchronization session, the requesting device and the peer device synchronize metadata for the desired domain; and

in response to the requesting device requesting, during the synchronization session, a file or data object on the peer device that is associated with metadata to which the requesting device is authorized to access, sending the file/data object from the peer device to the requesting device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a client computing device can be one of a computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a set top box, a network appliance, and a network-accessible storage device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein a peer client computing device can be one of a computer, a mobile phone, a PDA, a set top box, a network appliance, and a network-accessible storage device.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein a domain can be a user'"'"'s account.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a domain can be a user'"'"'s account on a shared computer.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein during the synchronization session the requesting device and the peer device maintain a dedicated connection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the dedicated connection last for as long as the computers are able to communicate with each other over a direct connection on a local network.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, if during the synchronization session the peer device receives new metadata to which the requesting device can access but has not yet received, such metadata is automatically pushed to the requesting device over the dedicated connection.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, if during the synchronization session the requesting device receives new metadata to which the peer device can access but has not yet received, such metadata is automatically pushed to the peer device over the dedicated connection.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein if the dedicated connection is broken and the requesting device desires to continue synchronizing the desired domain, the requesting device automatically attempts to establish a connection with the synchronization server to finish synchronizing with the desired domain.

16. The method of claim 6, wherein the network can be a local network, a link local network, or an intranet.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein, on local networks, the advertising is done via DNS Service Discovery.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein, on local networks, the advertising is done via Universal Plug and Play.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein on intranets, the advertising is done via Lightweight Directory Access Protocol.

20. The method of claim 6, wherein, during the synchronization session, the peer device checks an access control table stored on the peer device to identify the metadata that the requesting device is authorized to access.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein access control tables on client computing devices are synchronized with access control tables on the synchronization server when such client devices are online.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein an access control table on a client computing device can be remotely changed from a remote client computing device by:

synchronizing the changes made at the remote client computing device with the synchronization server such that the server has an updated copy of the access control table; and

downloading the changes to the client computing device when such client computing device synchronizes with the server.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the access control table on a client computing device can be changed remotely at the synchronization server via a web interface and wherein the changes made on the server are downloaded to the client computing device when the client computing device is online.

24. A system for opportunistic peer-to-peer synchronization, comprising:

a master synchronization server;

a plurality of client devices that are configured to synchronize data with either a peer client device or the master synchronization server, wherein each client device is configured to;

monitor synchronization information provided by one or more peer client devices to determine whether or not data that the client device desires to synchronize is available for synchronization with a peer client device;

if a peer client device is available for synchronizing such data, synchronize such data with the peer client device;

if no peer client device is available for synchronizing such data, synchronize such data with the master synchronization server until a peer client device is available for synchronizing such data; and

switch between synchronizing between a peer device and a master synchronization server is a synchronization session is interrupted.