Adaptable management in sync engines

• US 8,621,109 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 12/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Matesan, Cristian M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US13/417,539
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 659 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/226, 709/227, 709/248, 370/241, 370/324, 370/507, 707/999.204, 707/999.201, 707/999.202, 707/999.203, 707/609, 707/610, 707/611, 707/612, 707/613, 707/614, 707/615, 707/616, 707/617, 707/618, 707/619, 707/620, 707/621, 707/622, 707/623, 707/624, 707/625, 707/656, 713/400, 713/500, 713/503, 713/600, 715/722, 715/764, 715/810, 718/100, 718/102
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• 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 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Synchronization of two or more items can be optimized through the use of parallel execution of synchronization tasks and adaptable processing that monitors and adjusts for system loading. Two or more synchronization tasks required to be performed for an item can, if not inherently serial in nature, be performed in parallel, optimizing synchronization of the item. Even if multiple synchronization tasks required for one item must be serially executed, e.g., download the item prior to translating the item, these synchronization tasks can be executed in parallel for different items, optimizing a download request involving two or more items. Moreover, multiple threads for one or more synchronization tasks can be concurrently executed when supportable by the current operating system resources. Rules can be established to ensure synchronization activity is not degraded by the overextension of system resources.

Claims

1. A sync system for managing concurrent syncing the sync system comprising:

a set of sync items for syncing between a first computing device and at least one second computing device, wherein the set of sync items comprises at least two sync items, and wherein syncing a sync item between a first computing device and a second computing device comprises the execution of a sync task comprising a synchronization activity comprising the physical transfer of a sync item from one computing device to at least a second computing device and can further comprise the execution of at least one pre-sync task from a set of pre-sync tasks comprising at least two pre-sync tasks for the sync item prior to the execution of the synchronization activity for the sync item;

a manager executing on the first computing device comprising managing the concurrent syncing of a set of at least two sync items from the first computing device, wherein the manager comprises determining at least one pre-sync task from the set of pre-sync tasks that is to be performed for a first sync item of the set of at least two sync items, determining whether any pre-sync task from the set of pre-sync tasks is to be performed for a second sync item of the set of at least two sync items that has been requested to be synced while the manager is managing the syncing of the first sync item, and

identifying at least one pre-sync task from the set of pre-sync tasks that is to be performed for the second sync item of the set of at least two sync items when it is determined that a pre-sync task is to be performed for the second sync item;

at least two pre-sync task runners executed by at least one processor running on a computing device, wherein each pre-sync task runner comprises execute executing a pre-sync task from the set of pre-sync tasks for a sync item prior to the execution of the sync task for the sync item that comprises the physical transfer of the sync item from the first computing device to at least a second computing device, wherein a first pre-sync task runner comprises executing a pre-sync task on the first sync item concurrently with a second pre-sync task runner executing a second pre-sync task on the second sync item; and

a sync task runner executed by at least one processor running on a computing device comprising executing the sync task for a sync item comprising a synchronization activity comprising the physical transfer of the sync item between the first computing device and at least a second computing device, the sync task runner further comprising executing the sync task for the second sync item concurrently with a pre-sync task runner executing a pre-sync task for the first sync item.

2. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, wherein a first pre-sync task runner comprises transcoding a sync item.

3. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 2, wherein a second pre-sync task runner comprises downloading a sync item to the first computing device.

4. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 3, wherein a third pre-sync task runner comprises managing at least one attempt to obtain a license for a sync item.

5. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, wherein at least one pre-sync task runner comprises managing the execution of at least two processing threads concurrently, wherein each processing thread processes an unique sync item from the set of sync items, wherein each processing thread of the pre-sync task runner comprises the pre-sync task runner'"'"'s efforts to execute its pre-sync task for a sync item, and wherein the number of concurrently executing processing threads for a pre-sync task runner at a time t is determined by the number of sync items at time t that have been determined by the manager as requiring the execution of the task executed by the pre-sync task runner.

6. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 5, wherein the number of concurrently executing processing threads for a pre-sync task runner at a time t is prescribed by the number of sync items at time t that have been determined by the manager as requiring the execution of the pre-sync task executed by the pre-sync task runner.

7. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 6, wherein the number of concurrently executing processing threads for a pre-sync task runner at a time t is further prescribed by a pre-established rule that defines an upper limit of pre-sync task runner concurrently executing processing threads comprising a maximum number of processing threads that can be concurrently executed by the pre-sync task runner.

8. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, wherein the sync task runner comprises executing at least two processing threads concurrently, wherein each processing thread processes an unique sync item from the set of sync items, wherein each processing thread of the sync task runner comprises the sync task runner'"'"'s efforts to physically transfer a sync item from the first computing device to at least a second computing device.

9. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 8, wherein the number of concurrently executing processing threads for the sync task runner at a time t is prescribed by the number of sync items of the set of sync items that at time t are ready to be physically transferred from the first computing device to a second computing device.

10. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 9, wherein the number of concurrently executing processing threads for the sync task runner at a time t is further prescribed by a pre-established rule that defines an upper limit of sync task runner concurrently executing processing threads comprising a maximum number of processing threads that can be concurrently executed by the sync task runner.

11. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, further comprising:

a pre-sync task runner queue associated with each pre-sync task runner comprising an entry for each sync item of the set of sync items that the manager has determined that the pre-sync task runner associated with the pre-sync task runner queue is to be performed for the sync item prior to the execution of the synchronization activity for the sync item; and

a sync task runner queue associated with the sync task runner comprising an entry for each sync item of the set of sync items.

12. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, further comprising a master queue associated with the manager, wherein the manager comprises establishing an entry in the master queue for each sync item of the set of sync items, and wherein each entry in the master queue comprises a sync item entry comprising an identification of any pre-sync tasks that the manager has determined are to be performed for the sync item prior to the execution of the synchronization activity for the sync item.

13. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a first sync status equation for a first sync item of the set of sync items wherein the first sync status equation is used to calculate the sync status of the first sync item at any time t comprising the first sync status; and

establishing a second sync status equation for a second sync item of the set of sync items wherein the second sync status equation is used to calculate the sync status of the second sync item at any time t comprising the second sync status.

14. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 13, further comprising:

generating a graphical user interface display of the first sync status at a time t utilizing the first sync status calculated by the first sync status equation at time t; and

generating a graphical user interface display of the second sync status at the time t utilizing the second sync status calculated by the second sync status equation at time t.

15. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 13, wherein the first sync status equation comprises a first percent comprising an estimated percentage of processing time for completing the processing of a pre-sync task for the first sync item.

16. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 15, wherein the first sync status equation comprises a second percent comprising the estimated percentage of processing time for completing the processing of a second pre-sync task for the first sync item.

17. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 15, wherein the first sync status equation comprises a second percent comprising an estimated percentage of processing time for completing the processing of the sync task for the first sync item.

18. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 13, wherein the second sync status equation comprises a first percent comprising one-hundred percent of the processing time for syncing the second item between the first computing device and a second computing device when the manager determines that no pre-sync tasks are to be performed for the second sync item.

19. The sync system for managing concurrent syncing of a set of sync items of claim 13, wherein the second sync status equation comprises a first percent comprising the estimated percentage of processing time for completing the processing of the sync task for the second sync item when the manager determines that at least one pre-sync task is to be performed for the second sync item, and wherein the second sync status equation further comprises a second percent comprising the estimated percentage of processing time for completing the processing of a pre-sync task for the second sync item.

20. An adaptable synchronization system for syncing at least one sync item between a first computing device and a second computing device, the adaptable synchronization system comprising:

an engine manager executing on the first computing device comprising determining at least one pre-sync task from a set of pre-sync tasks comprising at least two different pre-sync tasks that is to be performed for at least one sync item prior to a sync task being performed for the sync item, wherein the sync task comprises a synchronization activity comprising the physical transfer of a sync item between a first computing device and a second computing device, and wherein a pre-sync task comprises an activity to be performed for a sync item prior to the execution of the physical transfer of the sync item from the first computing device to the second computing device;

at least two pre-sync task runners executed by at least one processor running on a computing device wherein each pre-sync task runner comprises executing a unique pre-sync task from a set of pre-sync tasks for a sync item prior to the sync task being executed for the sync item that comprises the physical transfer of the sync item from the first computing device to the second computing device; and

a sync task runner executed by at least one processor running on a computing device comprising executing the sync task comprising a synchronization activity comprising the physical transfer of a sync item between the first computing device and the second computing device wherein the synchronization activity comprises establishing communication between the first computing device and a second computing device to support the synchronization of the sync item, and wherein the sync task runner comprises executing the sync task on a first sync item concurrently with a pre-sync task runner executing a pre-sync task on a second sync item.