Data synchronization via three or more paths

• US 8,589,340 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2006
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Maes, Stephane H.
• Primary Examiner(s): DWIVEDI, MAHESH H
• Application Number:
  US11/329,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20070179989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,870 Days
• Field of Search: 707/201, 707/610, 707/617, 707/620
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A server is used to send data records to clients. A client #1 may synchronize with the server using a first path and a first protocol. The client #2 may synchronize with the server using a second path and a second protocol. In addition to synchronizing with the server, client #1 and client #2 may synchronize data records with each other using a third path and a third protocol. When synchronizing through different paths and/or protocols, data record identifiers may be generated differently. Thus, devices may not be able to synchronize data records if the data records are identified differently by client #1, client #2, and/or the server. A universal identity is used to allow for synchronization through three paths and protocols. Thus, client #1 and client #2 may synchronize data records through the third path and third protocol using the universal identity for data records.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data records between three or more processing devices through three or more paths, the method comprising:

synchronizing, from a first device with a first synchronization client, a first data record to a second device with a second synchronization client through a first path using a first communication protocol, wherein the first data record is assigned a data record identifier by the first device, wherein the first device assigns a stable common data record identifier based on the first protocol which allows stable common data record identifiers across clients, and wherein the data record identifier assigned to the first data record is also assigned as a first universal identity identifying the first data record;

synchronizing, from the first device, a second data record to a third device with a third synchronization client through a second path using a second communication protocol, wherein the second data record is assigned a second universal identity by the first device, wherein the first device does not assign a stable common data record identifier based on the second protocol which does not allow stable common data record identifiers across clients, wherein the second universal identity comprises a mapping of the second universal identity to the second data record, wherein the first device and the third device each store a mapping of the second universal identity to the second data record, and wherein the mapping is stored in the second data record; and

synchronizing from the second device to the third device through a third path using a third communication protocol, wherein synchronizing comprises using the first universal identity and the mapping of the second universal identity to the second data record stored by the third device in the second data record to determine if the first data record and the second data record are the same data record based on comparing the first universal identity with the second universal identity and wherein at least one of the second communication protocol or the third communication protocol is different from the first communication protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating by the first device the first universal identity;

storing by the first device the first universal identity with the first data record;

generating by the first device the second universal identity; and

storing by the first device the second universal identity with the second data record.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first universal identity is the same as a first data record identifier and the second universal identity is the same as a second data record identifier.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first device generates the first universal identity and the second universal identity as being the same for the first and second data records when synchronizing with the second device and the third device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the universal identity is included as part of a first data record identifier for the first data record and as a part of a second data record identifier for the second data record.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first universal identity is used instead of a first data record identifier for the first communication protocol and the second universal identity is used instead of a second data record identifier for the second communication protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first universal identity is based on a mapping between a first data record identifier and a second data record identifier, the data record identifier being different from the second data record identifier.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the mapping is a rule that is used to generate the first universal identity from the first data record identifier and the second universal identity from the second data record identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

synchronizing a third data record from the second device to the third device through the third path using the third communication protocol, wherein the third data record is assigned a third universal identity by the second device;

synchronizing the third data record from the third device to the first device using the third universal identity and the second universal identity, wherein the second device does not have to re-synchronize the third data record with the first device after the third device and the first device synchronize.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first device keeps a record of the synchronization, the method further comprising:

checking by the first device that the third data record is synchronized between the third device and the first device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first universal identity is the same as the second universal identity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the data record comprises an action or change to perform.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a server, the second device comprises a client, and the third device comprises a client.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing between at least two of the first, second, and third devices occurs at least partially during an offline state of one of the devices, wherein a repository of the offline device buffers at least one synchronization instruction until the offline device returns to an online state with respect to at least one other of the first, second, and third devices.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second synchronization client or the third synchronization client is different from the first synchronization client.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein both the second communication protocol and the third communication protocol are different from the first communication protocol and wherein the second communication protocol is different from the third communication protocol.

17. A system for synchronizing data between three or more processing devices through three or more paths, the system comprising:

a first device executing a first synchronization client and configured to assign a data record identifier to a first data record;

a second device executing a second synchronization client configured to synchronize the first data record with the first device through a first path and first communication protocol, wherein the first device assigns a stable common data record identifier based on the first protocol which allows stable common data record identifiers across clients, and wherein the data record identifier assigned to the first data record is also assigned as a first universal identity identifying the first data record; and

a third device executing a third synchronization client configured to synchronize a second data record with the first device through a second path and second communication protocol, the second data record associated with a second universal identity, wherein the first device does not assign a stable common data record identifier based on the second protocol which does not allow stable common data record identifiers across clients, wherein the second universal identity comprises a mapping of the second universal identity to the second data record, the first device and the third device each configured to store in the second data record a mapping of the second data record to the second universal identity,

wherein the second device and the third device are configured to synchronize stored data records through a third path and a third communication protocol, wherein the first universal identity and the mapping of the second universal identity to the second data record stored by the third device in the second data record are used to determine during the synchronization between the second device and the third device if the first data record is the same data record as the second data record and wherein at least one of the second communication protocol or the third communication protocol is different from the first communication protocol.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second device synchronizes a third data record between the second device and the third device through the third path using the third communication protocol, wherein the third data record is synchronized between the third device and the first device, wherein the second device does not have to re-synchronize the third data record with the first device after the third device and the first device synchronize.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the first device keeps a record of the synchronization, wherein the first device checks that the third data record is synchronized between the second device and a server.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first device comprises a server and the second device and the third device comprise clients.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the first universal identity is the same as the second universal identity.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the universal identity is included as part of a first data record identifier for the first data record and as a part of a second data record identifier for the second data record.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the first universal identity is used instead of a first data record identifier for the first communication protocol and the second universal identity is used instead of a second data record identifier for the second communication protocol.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the data record comprises an action or change to perform.

25. The system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the second synchronization client or the third synchronization client is different from the first synchronization client.