Cloud-based synchronization of distributed file system hierarchies

As the number of user-managed devices continues to increase, the need for synchronizing multiple file hierarchies distributed over devices with ad hoc connectivity, is becoming a significant problem. In this paper, we propose a new approach for efficient cloud-based synchronization of an arbitrary number of distributed file system hierarchies. Our approach maintains both the advantages of peer-to-peer synchronization with the cloud-based approach that stores a master replica online. In contrast, we do not assume storage of any user's data in the cloud, so we address the related capacity, cost, security, and privacy limitations. Finally, the proposed system performs data synchronization in a peer-to-peer manner, eliminating cost and bandwidth concerns that arise in the “cloud master-replica” approach.