Synchronizing user states across multiple clients of a NAS system

• US 9,946,727 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Issued: 04/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bareket, Amit, Koffman, Shai M., Weiss, Moshe
• Primary Examiner(s): Mobin, Hasanul
• Application Number:
  US14/307,812
• Publication Number:
  US 20150370788A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,399 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1827 Management specifically adapted to NAS management of storage area networks [SAN] G06F3/067
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2315 Optimistic concurrency control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication

Abstract

Methods, computing systems and computer program products implement embodiments of the present invention that include detecting, by a file-level storage system such as a network attached storage system, a user operating a first computer in communication with the file level storage system via a network, and maintaining, while the user is operating the first computer, multiple states for the user. In some embodiments, the user may operate the first computer by logging on to the first computer, and executing one or more applications and data files. Upon detecting the user operating a second computer in communication with the file level storage system via the network, the file-level storage system can synchronize applications and data files on the second computer to the multiple states. In embodiments of the present invention, the user operates the second computer by logging on to the second computer while still logged on to the first computer.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

detecting, by a file-level storage system, a user operating a first computer in communication with the file level storage system via a network;

maintaining, while the user is operating the first computer, multiple states for the user, the multiple states comprising preference information entered into the first computer by the user including at least one or more applications executing on the first computer, one or more data files in use by the executing one or more applications, and a current position state and display layout of the one or more data files within the one or more executing applications as entered by the user, wherein the current position state further includes a specific position last used by the user within a text document executing on the one or more applications, and the display layout further includes maintaining metadata indicating how the one or more applications are presented on a display of the first computer including whether the one or more applications are executing in full-screen mode or a tiled and nested window on the display;

detecting the user operating a second computer in communication with the file level storage system via the network; and

synchronizing the second computer to the multiple states such that when the user operates the second computer, the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are automatically propagated to the second computer even when the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are not saved to the first computer by the user, wherein the multiple states are synchronized to the second computer by tracking each one of the multiple states on the first computer by a tracking application incorporated into a file-level storage system management application, and saving a given one of the multiple states in the file-level storage system management application upon the tracking application detecting that a predetermined number of changes have been rendered to the given one of the multiple states by the user operating the first computer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the file-level storage system comprises a network attached file (NAS) system.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein each of the states is further selected from a list consisting of one or more additional data files recently in use by the one or more executing applications, a current position in a file system tree, recent searches and sorting preferences.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein operating the first computer comprises the user logging on to the first computer, and executing the one or more applications on the first computer.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein operating the second computer comprises the user logging on to the second computer while still logged on to the first computer.

6. The method according to claim 5, the method comprising detecting, by the file-level storage system, an update to a given state while the user operates the second computer, and synchronizing the first computer to the updated given state.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein maintaining the multiple states comprises detecting a break in communication between the first computer and the file-level storage system, and upon detecting a restoration of communication between the first computer and the file-level storage system, updating the multiple states on the file-level storage system.

8. A file-level storage system, comprising:

a memory; and

a management processor configured;

to detect a user operating a first computer in communication with a file level storage system via a network,

while the user is operating the first computer, to maintain, in the memory, multiple states for the user, the multiple states comprising preference information entered into the first computer by the user including at least one or more applications executing on the first computer, one or more data files in use by the executing one or more applications, and a current position state and display layout of the one or more data files within the one or more executing applications as entered by the user, wherein the current position state further includes a specific position last used by the user within a text document executing on the one or more applications, and the display layout further includes maintaining metadata indicating how the one or more applications are presented on a display of the first computer including whether the one or more applications are executing in full-screen mode or a tiled and nested window on the display,

to detect the user operating a second computer in communication with the file level storage system via the network, and

to synchronize the second computer to the multiple states such that when the user operates the second computer, the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are automatically propagated to the second computer even when the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are not saved to the first computer by the user, wherein the multiple states are synchronized to the second computer by tracking each one of the multiple states on the first computer by a tracking application incorporated into a file-level storage system management application, and saving a given one of the multiple states in the file-level storage system management application upon the tracking application detecting that a predetermined number of changes have been rendered to the given one of the multiple states by the user operating the first computer.

9. The file-level storage system according to claim 8, wherein the file-level storage system comprises a network attached file (NAS) system.

10. The file-level storage system according to claim 8, wherein each of the states is further selected from a list consisting of one or more additional data files recently in use by the one or more executing applications, a current position in a file system tree, recent searches and sorting preferences.

11. The file-level storage system according to claim 8, wherein operating the first computer comprises the user logging on to the first computer, and executing the one or more applications on the first computer.

12. The file-level storage system according to claim 11, wherein operating the second computer comprises the user logging on to the second computer while still logged on to the first computer.

13. The file-level storage system according to claim 12, wherein the management processor is configured to detect an update to a given state while the user operates the second computer, and to synchronize the first computer to the updated given state.

14. The file-level storage system according to claim 8, wherein the management processor is configured to maintain the multiple states by detecting a break in communication between the first computer and the file-level storage system, and upon detecting a restoration of communication between the first computer and the file-level storage system, updating the multiple states on the file-level storage system.

15. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to detect a user operating a first computer in communication with a file level storage system via a network;

computer readable program code configured to maintain, while the user is operating the first computer, multiple states for the user, the multiple states comprising preference information entered into the first computer by the user including at least one or more applications executing on the first computer, one or more data files in use by the executing one or more applications, and a current position state and display layout of the one or more data files within the one or more executing applications as entered by the user, wherein the current position state further includes a specific position last used by the user within a text document executing on the one or more applications, and the display layout further includes maintaining metadata indicating how the one or more applications are presented on a display of the first computer including whether the one or more applications are executing in full-screen mode or a tiled and nested window on the display;

computer readable program code configured to detect the user operating a second computer in communication with the file level storage system via the network; and

computer readable program code configured to synchronize the second computer to the multiple states such that when the user operates the second computer, the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are automatically propagated to the second computer even when the multiple states entered by the user on the first computer are not saved to the first computer by the user, wherein the multiple states are synchronized to the second computer by tracking each one of the multiple states on the first computer by a tracking application incorporated into a file-level storage system management application, and saving a given one of the multiple states in the file-level storage system management application upon the tracking application detecting that a predetermined number of changes have been rendered to the given one of the multiple states by the user operating the first computer.

16. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein the file-level storage system comprises a network attached file (NAS) system.

17. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein each of the states is further selected from a list consisting of one or more additional data files recently in use by the one or more executing applications, a current position in a file system tree, recent searches and sorting preferences.

18. The computer program product according to claim 15, wherein operating the first computer comprises the user logging on to the first computer, and executing the one or more applications on the first computer.

19. The computer program product according to claim 18, wherein operating the second computer comprises the user logging on to the second computer while still logged on to the first computer.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, and comprising computer readable program code configured to detect an update to a given state while the user operates the second computer, and to synchronize the first computer to the updated given state.