Content item synchronization by block
View Patent ↗A content management system synchronizes content items across client computing systems. The content items are transmitted to the content management system and managed as blocks of data with a fixed size. When a new content item is added to synchronized data at a client, the client transmits the blocks and a blocklist to the content management system. The content management system uses the blocklist to determine blocks expected to be received at the content management system and the client begins to transmit blocks of the content item to the content management system. When blocks received at the content management system match expected blocks, the content management system notifies receiving clients to begin receiving blocks for the content item, prior to receipt of all blocks on the blocklist at the content management system. This enables content items to begin synchronization across clients prior to actual entry of the content item into the content management system.
1. A method comprising:
receiving, at an online content management system from a remote uploading client computer via a network, a first block corresponding to a first block identifier in a blocklist corresponding to the content item; and
responsive to receiving the first block at the online content management system and before receiving all blocks corresponding to the content item:
obtaining a namespace identifier associated with the content item;
identifying, by the online content management system, a remote receiving client computer associated with the namespace identifier; and
sending, by the online content management system, the blocklist and the first block of the content item to the remote receiving client computer.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the namespace identifier is associated with a directory structure of the online content management system accessible by a set of client computers including the remote uploading client computer, and wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises determining that the directory structure is accessible to the remote uploading client computer.
3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
maintaining a namespace table storing associations between namespaces and client computers, wherein each namespace in the namespace table is assigned a namespace identifier;
wherein identifying the remote receiving client computer comprises querying the namespace table with the obtained namespace identifier.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises receiving the namespace identifier from the remote uploading client computer.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving, by the online content management system, a second block corresponding to a second block identifier in the blocklist and transmitting the second block to the receiving client computer via the network.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the blocklist defines an order for reassembling blocks of data into the content item.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
prior to sending the blocklist and the first block, notifying, by the online content management system, the receiving client computer that the first block has been received.
8. A content management system comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that when executed by the processor perform steps comprising:
receiving, at the online content management system from a remote uploading client computer via a network, a first block corresponding to a first block identifier in a blocklist corresponding to the content item; and
responsive to receiving the first block at the online content management system and before receiving all blocks corresponding to the content item:
obtaining a namespace identifier associated with the content item;
identifying, by the online content management system, a remote receiving client computer associated with the namespace identifier; and
sending, by the online content management system, the blocklist and the first block of the content item to the remote receiving client computer.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the namespace identifier is associated with a directory structure of the online content management system accessible by a set of client computers including the remote uploading client computer, and wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises determining that the directory structure is accessible to the remote uploading client computer.
10. The system of claim 8 , where identifying the remote receiving client computer comprises querying a namespace table storing associations between namespaces and client computers with the obtained namespace identifier.
11. The system of claim 8 , wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises receiving the namespace identifier from the remote uploading client computer.
12. The system of claim 8 , wherein the blocklist and the first block are sent to the remote receiving client computer in response to requesting a request for the content item from the receiving client computer.
13. The system of claim 8 , wherein the online content management system is configured to notify the receiving client computer as each block of data is received.
14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing instructions which when executed by a processor cause the processor to execute the steps of:
receiving, at an online content management system from a remote uploading client computer via a network, a first block corresponding to a first block identifier in a blocklist corresponding to the content item; and
responsive to receiving the first block at the online content management system and before receiving all blocks corresponding to the content item:
obtaining a namespace identifier associated with the content item;
identifying, by the online content management system, a remote receiving client computer associated with the namespace identifier; and
sending, by the online content management system, the blocklist and the first block of the content item to the remote receiving client computer.
15. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the namespace identifier is associated with a directory structure of the online content management system accessible by a set of client computers including the remote uploading client computer, and wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises determining that the directory structure is accessible to the remote uploading client computer.
16. The medium of claim 15 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
maintaining a namespace table storing associations between namespaces and client computers, wherein each namespace in the namespace table is assigned a namespace identifier;
wherein identifying the remote receiving client computer comprises querying the namespace table with the obtained namespace identifier.
17. The medium of claim 14 , wherein obtaining the namespace identifier comprises receiving the namespace identifier from the remote uploading client computer.
18. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform steps comprising receiving, by the online content management system, a second block corresponding to a second block identifier in the blocklist and transmitting the second block to the receiving client computer via the network.
19. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the blocklist defines an order for reassembling blocks of data into the content item.
20. The medium of claim 14 , wherein the instructions further cause the processor to perform steps comprising:
prior to sending the blocklist and the first block, notifying, by the online content management system, the receiving client computer that the first block has been received.