Email Synchronization by Time-Range Checksums and Two-Way Sync
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current email synchronization methods are inefficient, particularly when dealing with large datasets, as they require full or incremental synchronization of entire email systems, leading to prolonged comparison and synchronization times, and lack the ability for selective synchronization within a small range or two-way synchronization.
Innovation Solution
The method involves generating index lists and check values for email data within specified time ranges for both host and mirror node systems, comparing these values to identify changes, and synchronizing only the affected data, thereby reducing comparison time and improving efficiency while enabling two-way synchronization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If full comparison and incremental synchronization are performed using entire email system data, then data consistency between host and mirror systems is maintained, but synchronization time increases significantly due to large data volume and number of files
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the email system data into individual email units, allowing the synchronization process to operate on granular email-level data rather than processing entire email systems or directories. This segmentation enables selective synchronization of only those emails that have changed, significantly reducing the data volume processed during each synchronization cycle while maintaining data consistency through targeted updates.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by performing synchronization only on the subset of emails that have changed within the specified time range, rather than synchronizing all emails. The system identifies changed emails through checksum comparison and synchronizes only those specific emails, avoiding the excessive action of processing entire email systems and thereby reducing synchronization time while ensuring data consistency for the changed portions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the synchronous source uses file or directory as unit during data comparison and synchronization, then data integrity is maintained, but the ability to perform separate synchronization within small ranges based on user and time range is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent further segments data integrity units from file/directory level down to individual email level. Each email is treated as an independent synchronization unit with its own checksum, allowing the system to maintain integrity at the email level while enabling flexible selection of which emails to synchronize based on user and time range criteria.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic synchronization capabilities by allowing the synchronization scope to be flexibly defined based on user specifications (time ranges, users, folders). The system dynamically adjusts which emails are synchronized based on change detection within the specified parameters, combining data integrity with adaptive selective synchronization.
3Device complexity
If the synchronous source implements one-way synchronization to the mirror system, then synchronization implementation is simple, but two-way synchronization capability between host and mirror systems is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional one-way synchronization model by implementing bidirectional synchronization where both host and mirror systems can initiate and receive synchronization operations. The mirror system can synchronize changed emails back to the host system, enabling two-way data exchange while maintaining the same checksum-based change detection and email-level granularity mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal synchronization framework that can operate in multiple modes (one-way, two-way, push, pull) using the same core email-level segmentation and checksum comparison mechanisms. This multi-functional design allows the system to adapt to different synchronization requirements without increasing implementation complexity, as the underlying email-unit processing approach remains consistent across different synchronization scenarios.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an email synchronization method and apparatus, and a computer readable storage medium. The method includes: separately obtaining index data of emails of a host node system and a mirror node system within a specified time range, and separately generating a first email index list and a second email index list; separately generating check values of the emails of the host node system and the mirror node system within the specified time range according to the first email index list and the second email index list; comparing the generated check values of the host node system with the generated check values of the mirror node system; and synchronizing email data of the host node system and the mirror node system within the specified time range when the generated check values of the host node system are inconsistent with the generated check values of the mirror node system.