Content Synchronization Using Virtual Models Without OS Drivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing content management systems require specialized drivers that can cause system crashes and reduce user productivity due to errors, and are often tied to specific operating systems, making synchronization complex and difficult to distribute across multiple platforms.
Innovation Solution
A synchronization manager that maintains local and remote virtual models to detect out-of-sync conditions and synchronize changes between a client computer and a content management system, using a non-intercepting approach that monitors file system changes without requiring OS-level drivers, allowing seamless editing and synchronization of content across various operating systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If specialized drivers are used to intercept calls between editing applications and the operating system, then content synchronization can be achieved, but system stability deteriorates due to potential crashes and errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the synchronization functionality from the operating system driver layer and places it in the application layer. The synchronization manager operates independently without intercepting OS calls, eliminating the risk of system crashes while maintaining synchronization capabilities. This is achieved by monitoring file system changes through standard APIs rather than driver-level interception.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces virtual models as intermediaries between the local file system and the remote content management system. These virtual models (local virtual model and remote virtual model) mediate the synchronization process by tracking changes and coordinating updates without requiring direct driver intervention, thus improving system stability while maintaining synchronization functionality.
2Reliability
If specialized drivers are installed to enable content synchronization, then file access control is improved, but user productivity deteriorates due to system crashes and reboots
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization functionality is extracted from the driver layer and implemented as a standalone synchronization manager application. This eliminates the risk of system crashes that would force users to reboot, thereby maintaining file access control capabilities while significantly improving user productivity and system availability.
3Device complexity
If the synchronization process is highly tied to a particular operating system, then synchronization control is improved, but adaptability deteriorates making it difficult to distribute across multiple operating systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the synchronization manager to be operating system-agnostic by using standard file system APIs and abstraction layers. The virtual models and synchronization logic are implemented in a way that can function across different operating systems (Windows, macOS, Linux, etc.), providing universal compatibility while maintaining effective synchronization control through a unified architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
One embodiment of a system comprises a client device and a remote content management system. The client device comprises a synchronization manager that maintains a remote virtual model that models a synchronization state of a remote peer resource at the content management system and a local virtual model that models a synchronization state of a local peer resource in the local file system. The synchronization manager determines that the remote peer resource and local peer resource are out of sync based on a comparison of the remote virtual model and the local virtual model and synchronizes changes from the local cache to the content management system to update the remote peer resource or synchronizes changes from the content management system to update the local peer resource.