Cross-file differential synchronization via client-side indexing
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Solution Overview
Problem
In enterprise environments, remote file synchronization over wide area networks often faces bandwidth issues due to the transfer of entire files, leading to latency and inefficiencies, especially when dealing with incremental changes to files.
Innovation Solution
The Cross-File Differential Content Synchronization System (CDCSS) addresses this by transferring only the differences in data content through a patch mechanism, using client-side indexing to track patches and reduce server overhead, allowing for near-instantaneous synchronization without necessitating the transfer of entire files.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entire files are transferred for synchronization, then data consistency is ensured, but bandwidth consumption increases and transfer time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments files into fixed-size chunks and further divides chunks into variable-size blocks. This segmentation allows the system to transfer only the specific blocks that have changed rather than entire files, reducing bandwidth consumption while maintaining data consistency through selective synchronization of modified portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts only the changed portions of files (specific blocks within chunks) for transfer. By identifying and extracting only the modified blocks using checksum comparison, the system transfers minimal data necessary for synchronization, thereby reducing bandwidth consumption while ensuring data consistency is maintained through precise block-level updates.
2Reliability
If entire files are transferred for synchronization, then data completeness is ensured, but transfer time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by pre-dividing files into chunks and blocks, and pre-calculating checksums for each block. When synchronization is needed, the system quickly identifies changed blocks through checksum comparison without transferring entire files, significantly reducing transfer time while ensuring data completeness through verified block-level synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial action by transferring only the necessary portion of file data (changed blocks) rather than complete files. This selective transfer approach reduces transfer time significantly while maintaining data completeness, as only the minimal required data changes are transmitted to achieve full synchronization.
3Loss of energy
If incremental changes are transferred, then bandwidth efficiency improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses segmentation to divide files into a hierarchical structure of chunks and blocks, enabling incremental change detection and transfer. This structured segmentation provides a systematic approach to identifying and transferring only changed portions, improving bandwidth efficiency while managing system complexity through organized data division and checksum-based change detection.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems and techniques for synchronizing content, such as a file, between one or more clients and one or more servers are provided. Example embodiments provide a Cross-File Differential Content Synchronization System (CDCSS) to synchronize files between remote systems in a nearly instantaneous manner without necessitating the transfer of the entire contents of a file. These components cooperate to transfer only the differences in data content wherever possible to a recipient system by providing a patch mechanism that instructs the recipient to build the modified or new data content based upon content it already has access to. In addition, in one embodiment the CDCSS synchronization solution provides a client-based index, rather than a server-based index, for tracking patches and files, which reduces the amount of computational and I/O overhead on the server and which does not require a negotiation between a client and a server to provide an update.