File Timestamp Synchronization Across Network Servers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing file transfer technologies, such as FTP, often lose or inaccurately maintain timestamp information during file transfers due to synchronization issues between servers, especially when servers are out of sync or in different time zones, leading to loss of valuable creation and modification information.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that determine the time difference between the transmitting and receiving servers, allowing for the modification of timestamp attributes to ensure accurate relative timestamps, thereby preserving the original timestamp information and enabling accurate comparisons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If files are transferred using standard FTP protocol, then file transfer is simple and fast, but timestamp information is lost or overwritten with transfer time
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by recording the original timestamp information before file transfer and storing it in a separate data structure. This ensures the original timestamps are preserved and can be restored after transfer, preventing information loss while maintaining efficient transfer processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces an intermediary mechanism that captures and transports timestamp information separately from the file data. This intermediary layer preserves metadata about creation and modification times, allowing the file to be transferred efficiently while the timestamp information is maintained through the transfer process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If servers are out of sync or in different time zones, then each server can operate independently, but timestamp comparison between servers becomes inaccurate
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the timestamp information from the file metadata and stores it separately in a dedicated data structure. This extracted timestamp data can then be compared accurately across servers regardless of their individual clock settings, as the timestamps are preserved in their original form rather than being influenced by server time synchronization.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds another dimension to timestamp storage by separating the temporal information from the file data structure. This dimensional separation allows timestamps to be stored, transferred, and compared independently of server time zones, enabling accurate cross-server timestamp comparison without requiring time synchronization.
3Productivity
If multiple files are transferred at the same time, then transfer efficiency is improved, but all files receive the same timestamp indicating simultaneous creation
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary recording of each file's original timestamp before the transfer batch is processed. This preliminary action ensures that even when multiple files are transferred simultaneously, each file retains its individual creation and modification time information, preventing the loss of relative timing data while maintaining high transfer efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
A method and system for maintaining relative timestamps when transferring files across a network. The method and system may include modifying timestamp attributes to account for differences in time between the location that transmitted a file and the location that received it.