Comment Feed for Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework (Charles on Channel 9)

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Durgesh Nayak — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 06:31:33 GMT

Hi

I need help with doing something like this... I have an application that runs on a WinCE device and which needs to sync files with a server that is running on a Windows OS. I have seen the applications that sync files on desktops running the Sync framework. My question is this...Is there a port of the File synchronization provider for WinCE that can be used via Compact Framework applications? If there isn't one then are there any other ways to achieve this?

Thanks
Durgesh.

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

ivan_ — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:24:59 GMT

Oh, I see, thanks for the explanation!

Re: Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Andrei Maksimenka — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:39:08 GMT

Hi ivan_,

Some existing MS sync technologies such as Mesh (FeedSync) and Sync FX are compatible on sync metadata level, therefore one can think of them as different ways to achieve the same goal. FeedSync is all about open Web standards such as RSS/Atom and Sync FX is a generic framework for building arbitrary sync solutions. I can't comment on SQL Server Merge replication now.

For overview of benefits please refer to http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/default.aspx, particularly http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/sync/bb887625.aspx.

HTH

Re: Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Andrei Maksimenka — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 18:33:03 GMT

Hi staceyw,

1) Mesh has a slightly different requirements and therefore they use FeedSync as the default data and synchronization metadata representation format. The primary reason I believe was that Mesh wanted to use open and Web specific RSS/Atom-based format. That's what FeedSync is perfect for. This aligns well with the Sync FX which abstracts itself away from the protocol and data format business. For example, Sync FX supports interop with FeedSync (i.e. you can consume or produce a FeedSync RSS/Atom feed) and transforms Sync FX's sync metadata such as knowledge to/from FeedSync sync metadata.

2) Sync FX is not any transport specific, therefore if sync providers choose to use NAT-friendly transport then yes.

HTH

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

ivan_ — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:34:22 GMT

Very interesting post and nice discussion.

I would also like to see where MS is going with all their Sync technologies, is there going to be some unified platform eventually?

You could use SQL Server Merge replication for most of the scenarious, it is very flexible and out of the box, it works with mobile devices Compact Edition and Express versions of SQL Server. Deploying stored procedures and making changes is easy and fast, just put it on a publisher and all clients get it, depending on the rules. When disconnected it works locally, when connected, SQL server automatically detects connection and starts synchronizing and it takes little effort to configure and no need to learn new API, which could change several months from now.

And there is Live Mesh for other things (like files), and I think Live Mesh team promised to open their APIs as well.

The good thing about Sync Services is that you don't need SQL Server license for Database Publisher and you don't need to replicate to the cloud.

Could you please point any other benefits, advantages, or disadvantages?

Thanks!

Re: Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Ion Todirel — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 16:09:18 GMT

nice, that pseudo-sequence diagram rocked

way to go for asking about their background (where/when they started in what team etc.), we should do this in all videos :P nice video

Sync Framework Blog

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Allan Lindqvist — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:21:41 GMT

cool :) i'll be checking this out

the blog link doesnt seem to work btw :/

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

William Stacey — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 04:53:10 GMT

Thanks guys.

1) Have never got a good answer why Mesh does not use Sync Framework as its api, instead of developing another one?

2) Does SyncFx have ability to talk across NATs like Mesh does? How does name rez work to devices over the net and connecting to them? Is there a MS rendezvous point or something? tia

Re: Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

Andrei Maksimenka — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 01:17:31 GMT

The Sync Framework is data and protocol agnostic, therefore it's up to your implementation when to start a sync session. For example, your sync application can be written in such a way that once a connection between endpoints is detected, you can start sync session right away. From the Sync Framework's perspective, both providers are running in the same process on the same machine. A provider can be written to support remote processing over arbitrary protocol and transport. You can find Sync Framework samples at http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/sync. All information about Sync FX is available at http://msdn.microsoft.com/sync.

Re: Synchronizing Data: Inside the Microsoft Sync Framework

PerfectPhase — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 23:43:19 GMT

If I have two systems that need to sync data and have an intermittent link and I use this framework, can the system exchange data in real time when connected, or would they have to poll?