JPWO2013168221A1 - Synchronization program, synchronization server, and synchronization method - Google Patents

Abstract

Improve the accuracy of identifying the components of the application to be synchronized. The computer identifies the components that are required when the application is executed, acquires the component information indicating the components of the application from the synchronization server, and synchronizes the components according to the component identification results and the component information. Send to.

Description

  The present invention relates to a synchronization program, a synchronization server, and a synchronization method.

  An information processing apparatus such as a personal computer (PC) or a portable terminal can execute various applications such as document creation software and a web browser. Normally, such an application is used after being installed for each information processing apparatus. Therefore, for example, when a user who has a plurality of PCs uses the same application on the plurality of PCs, it is necessary to individually install the application on each PC. Further, user settings for using the application need to be individually made in each PC. As described above, it is often very complicated to use the same application on a plurality of PCs.

  In addition, a configuration in which an application is not individually installed on each PC by using a service such as SaaS (Software as a Service), which has been spreading in recent years, can be considered (for example, Patent Document 1). However, when such a service is used, available applications are limited to those provided by service providers.

JP 2009-277089 A

  Therefore, for example, it is conceivable to synchronize the applications installed on one PC among a plurality of PCs, instead of installing the applications individually on each PC. In this case, components such as an execution file, a data file, and setting information necessary for executing the synchronization target application must be synchronized between the PCs. However, the constituent elements are often stored in various folders, registries, etc., and it may be difficult to specify all the constituent elements.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to improve the identification accuracy of components of an application to be synchronized.

  A synchronization program according to an aspect of the present invention provides a component identification unit that identifies a component necessary for execution of an application from a computer, and component information acquisition that acquires component information indicating a component of the application from a synchronization server And a component transmission unit that transmits a component according to the identification result by the component identification unit and the component element information to the synchronization server.

  The synchronization server according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a component storage unit that stores an identifier of an application and a component necessary for executing the application in association with each other; and a configuration of the application from the first computer A component element acquisition request receiving unit that receives a component element information acquisition request indicating an element, and refers to the component element storage unit in response to the component element acquisition request, and transmits the component element information to the first computer A component information transmission unit, a component reception unit that receives an application identifier and a component of the application from the first computer, and updates the component storage unit, and a configuration of the application from the second computer A component acquisition request receiving unit that receives an element acquisition request, and a component storage unit in response to the component acquisition request Irradiation and comprises a component transmitting unit that transmits the components to the second computer, a.

  Further, in the synchronization method according to one aspect of the present invention, the computer specifies a component necessary for executing the application, acquires component information indicating the component of the application from the synchronization server, and specifies the component identification result. And the component according to the component information are transmitted to the synchronization server.

  Further, in the synchronization method according to one aspect of the present invention, the synchronization server stores the identifier of the application and the component necessary for executing the application in the component storage unit in association with each other, from the first computer Receiving the component element information acquisition request indicating the component element of the application, referring to the component element storage unit in response to the component element information acquisition request, transmitting the component element information to the first computer, The application identifier and the application component are received from the computer to update the component storage unit, the application component acquisition request is received from the second computer, and the component acquisition request is received. Then, referring to the component storage unit, the component is transmitted to the second computer.

  In the present invention, the “part” does not simply mean a physical means, but includes a case where the function of the “part” is realized by software. Also, even if the functions of one “unit” or device are realized by two or more physical means or devices, the functions of two or more “units” or devices are realized by one physical means or device. May be.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the identification accuracy of components of an application to be synchronized.

It is a figure which shows the structural example of the application synchronization system which is one Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the function which a synchronous server has. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the structural element memory | storage part classified by user. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a component information storage part. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of aggregation of component element information. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the function which PC has. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a synchronous setting memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the copy from an application memory | storage part to a synchronous application memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed in the case of a synchronous setting. It is a figure which shows an example of the screen displayed when starting a synchronous application. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of a file detection part. It is a figure which shows the relationship of each part which comprises a file detection part. It is a figure which shows an example of application information. It is a figure which shows an example of access information. It is a figure which shows an example of specific information. It is a figure which shows an example of the component transmitted by the component transmission part. It is a figure which shows the relationship of each part in PC. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of a process in PC. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the synchronous process in PC. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the application execution process in PC.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example of an application synchronization system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the application synchronization system includes a synchronization server 10 and a plurality of personal computers (PCs) 20. The synchronization server 10 provides a service for enabling a user to synchronize an application among a plurality of PCs 20, and is configured using one or a plurality of information processing apparatuses. The PC 20 is an information processing apparatus that allows a user to execute an application, and can communicate with the synchronization server 10 via a network such as the Internet.

  Here, for example, it is assumed that the user “USER001” has two PCs, PC20-1 and PC20-2. By using the application synchronization system provided by the synchronization server 10, the user “USER001” does not need to install an application individually on each PC or manually synchronize data, and the PC 20-1 and the PC 20- It is possible to execute the application in a synchronized state in FIG. Here, the application synchronization means that the execution environment of the application is in the same state. The execution environment includes components necessary for executing the application. The application components include, for example, an execution file, a user file, setting information, and the like. By synchronizing applications among a plurality of PCs, the user can execute the applications in the same state regardless of which PC is used.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions that the synchronization server 10 has. As shown in FIG. 2, the synchronization server 10 includes an account information storage unit 30, a component storage unit 32, and a synchronization communication unit 34. These units can be realized, for example, by using a storage area such as a memory or a storage device, or by executing a program stored in the storage area by a processor.

  The account information storage unit 30 stores account information of users who use the application synchronization system. For example, the account information includes a user ID, a password, an email address, and the like.

  The component storage unit 32 stores components of a synchronization target application (synchronization application). As described above, the component is necessary for executing the synchronization application, and includes an execution file, a user file, setting information, and the like. As shown in FIG. 2, the component storage unit 32 can include a user-specific component storage unit 40 and a component information storage unit 42.

  The user-specific component storage unit 40 stores the components of the synchronization application for each user. FIG. 3 shows an example of the configuration of the user-specific component storage unit 40. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the user-specific component storage unit 40 includes a user-specific component table and data storage.

  The user-specific component table stores a user ID, an application ID, an application file ID, a user file / file ID, synchronization setting information, and an update date / time, and the data storage stores an application and a user file. .

  The user ID is for identifying each user, and the same information as that registered in the account information storage unit 30 is used. The application ID is for identifying the synchronous application selected by each user. This application ID may be set, for example, when the user registers the synchronization application in the synchronization server 10 or may be generated on the synchronization server 10 side.

  The application file is a file having application data for executing the synchronous application, and includes an execution file, a DLL (Dynamic Link Library), and the like. The application file also includes information for designating a folder for storing the application file of the synchronous application in the PC 20. Further, the application file includes information indicating a folder in which the application file is stored when the application is installed on the PC 20. The application file ID indicates the storage location of the application file in the data storage.

  The user file is a file having user data required when executing the synchronization application. Here, the user data is data for each user that is referred to when the application is executed. For example, each user's e-mail data in an e-mail application for sending and receiving e-mails and each user's data in a web browser For example, bookmark data. The user file also includes information for designating a folder for storing the user file for the synchronization application in the PC 20. Further, the user file includes information indicating a folder in which the user file is stored when the application is installed on the PC 20. The user file / file ID indicates the storage location of the user file in the data storage.

  The synchronization setting information is information necessary for executing the synchronization application, for example, information having contents equivalent to the setting information stored in the registry of the PC 20. The synchronization setting information also includes information for designating a folder for storing synchronization setting information for the synchronization application in the PC 20. Further, the synchronization setting information includes information indicating a location (registry key) where the setting information was stored when the application was installed in the PC 20. Note that the synchronization setting information may also be stored in the data storage in the same manner as the application file and user file.

  The date and time when the application file, user file, or synchronization setting information is updated is set as the update date and time. This update date and time is updated by, for example, transmitting an application file, a user file, or synchronization setting information from the PC 20 to the synchronization server 10.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the component information storage unit 42 stores component information indicating the components of the synchronization application for each application. FIG. 4 shows an example of the configuration of the component element information storage unit 42. In the example illustrated in FIG. 4, the component ID information storage unit 42 stores an application ID and component information in association with each other. The component information includes an application file ID, a user file / file ID, and a synchronization setting information ID.

  The application file ID is information for identifying the application file of the synchronous application. The application file ID can include information indicating a location where the application file is stored when the application is installed on the PC 20, that is, an original storage location.

  The user file / file ID is information for identifying the user file of the synchronization application. The user file / file ID can include information indicating a location where the user file is stored when the application is installed on the PC 20, that is, an original storage location.

  The synchronization setting information ID is information for identifying the synchronization setting information of the synchronization application. For example, when the synchronization setting information is information corresponding to data stored in the registry, the synchronization setting information ID can be information indicating a key of the registry, for example.

  Note that the component information is obtained by collecting the component information indicating the components stored in the user-specific component storage unit 40 for each application. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining an example of aggregation of component element information. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, for the application APL001, the application file ID of the user USER001 is A and B, and the application file ID of the user USER002 is A and C. Then, by integrating the component element information of the user USER001 and the component element information of the user USER002, the component element information for the application APL001 includes A, B, and C as application file IDs. Other constituent element information such as user file / file ID and setting information ID is also aggregated in the same manner.

  In this way, even if the application is the same, the components may not match depending on the user. In the component component identification method described later, it is possible to identify all component components of the application in each PC 20. It is not limited. Therefore, the component element information storage unit 42 stores, for each application, component element information indicating the component elements specified in the PCs 20 of a plurality of users, in order to complement the component leak of one user.

  The synchronous communication unit 34 can transmit / receive data to / from another information processing apparatus such as the PC 20 via the network. And the synchronous communication part 34 can perform various control for synchronizing an application between several PC20. As shown in FIG. 2, the synchronous communication unit 34 includes a user authentication unit 50, a component element information acquisition request reception unit 52, a component element information transmission unit 54, a component element reception unit 56, a component element acquisition request reception unit 58, and a configuration. An element transmission unit 60 can be included.

  The user authentication unit 50 performs user authentication in response to an authentication request from the PC 20. The authentication request includes, for example, account information such as a user ID and a password. The user authentication unit 50 can perform user authentication by checking account information received from the PC 20 with account information stored in the account information storage unit 30.

  The component element information acquisition request receiving unit 52 receives a component element acquisition request from the PC 20. The component acquisition request includes an application ID. In addition, the component acquisition request may include a user ID instead of the application ID.

  The component element information transmission unit 52 acquires the component element information corresponding to the application ID included in the component element information acquisition request from the component element information storage unit 42 and transmits the component element information to the requesting PC 20. When the user ID is included in the component acquisition request, the component information transmission unit 52 acquires the application ID associated with the user ID from the user-specific component storage unit 40, thereby obtaining the user ID. The component element information corresponding to the application ID may be acquired from the component element information storage unit 42.

  The component reception unit 56 receives the component from the PC 20 and updates the component storage unit 32. Specifically, the component receiving unit 56 receives information associated with the user ID, application ID, and component from the PC 20. The component reception unit 56 updates the component corresponding to the user ID and application ID in the user-specific component storage unit 40. In addition, the component reception unit 56 updates the update date and time of the user-specific component table. Further, the component receiving unit 56 refers to the component element information storage unit 42, and when the component element information indicating the component is not associated with the application ID, the component element information indicating the component is It is stored in association with the application ID.

  The component acquisition request receiver 58 receives a component acquisition request from the PC 20. The component acquisition request includes a user ID and an application ID. The component acquisition request does not need to include the application ID.

  The component transmission unit 60 acquires the component corresponding to the user ID and application ID included in the component acquisition request from the user-specific component storage unit 40 and transmits the component to the requesting PC 20. If the application ID is not included in the component acquisition request, the component transmission unit 60 requests a plurality of application components corresponding to the user ID included in the component acquisition request in association with the application ID. It may be transmitted to the original PC 20.

  FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functions that the PC 20 has. As shown in FIG. 6, the PC 20 includes a file storage unit 80, a setting information area 82, a file system driver 84, an application execution unit 86, a setting information reference unit 88, a synchronization setting unit 90, a synchronization application activation unit 92, and component identification. Unit 94 and a synchronous communication unit 96. These units can be realized, for example, by using a storage area such as a memory or a storage device, or by executing a program stored in the storage area by a processor. In particular, the synchronization setting unit 90, the synchronization application activation unit 92, the component identification unit 94, and the synchronization communication unit 96 that are necessary for using the application synchronization system are realized by executing a program for the application synchronization system. Is done. It is assumed that this program is downloaded and installed in each PC 20 from, for example, the synchronization server 10.

  The file storage unit 80 stores various files used in the PC 20. Various files include, for example, programs and data used in an operating system (OS) and applications. Each file can be identified by a file ID (file identifier) including a file path name and a file name.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the file storage unit 80 includes an application storage unit 100, a user file storage unit 102, a synchronization setting storage unit 104, a synchronization application storage unit 106, a synchronization user file storage unit 108, and a synchronization setting information storage unit 110. Can be included.

  The application storage unit 100 stores execution files of various applications executed on the PC 20 and application files such as DLL. The storage location of the application file is specified by the user when the application is installed on the PC 20, or predetermined by the installer, for example.

  The user file storage unit 102 stores a user file that is a file including user data used in an application. The user file can be stored, for example, in a folder for each application provided under a common folder for various applications. In this case, for example, information on the common folder can be set in the environment variable. The application can specify the storage location of the user file by referring to the environment variable. In addition, the user file may be stored in a location uniquely determined by the application, not under the common folder as described above.

  The synchronization setting storage unit 104 stores synchronization settings that are settings for using the application synchronization system. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the synchronization setting storage unit 104. In the example illustrated in FIG. 7, the synchronization setting storage unit 104 stores information related to the synchronization application in addition to account information such as a user ID and a password. Examples of the information related to the synchronization application include application information, user file folder information, synchronization setting information folder information, and update date / time.

  Account information such as a user ID and password is for using the application synchronization system, and is registered by the synchronization setting unit 90 at the start of use of the system, for example.

  The application information includes, for example, information indicating the storage location of the execution file of the synchronization application. In the present embodiment, the application file of the synchronous application is copied from the application storage unit 100 to the synchronous application storage unit 106 and used. FIG. 8 shows an example of copying from the application storage unit 100 to the synchronous application storage unit 106. As shown in FIG. 8, the application file stored in the application storage unit 100 can be copied to the synchronous application storage unit 106, for example, in folder units. The application information in the synchronization setting storage unit 104 can include, for example, information on a folder in the synchronization application storage unit 106 and information on an executable file stored in the folder. Further, the application information of the synchronization setting can include, for example, information indicating an application file storage location in the application storage unit 100, that is, an original storage location.

  In this embodiment, the user file used in the synchronization application is copied from the user file storage unit 102 to the synchronization user file storage unit 108 and used. For example, when an application stored in the application storage unit 100 is started normally without using this system, the user file stored in the user file storage unit 102 is used. On the other hand, when an application stored in the synchronous application storage unit 108 is activated by using this system, the user file stored in the synchronous user file storage unit 102 is used. The user file folder information included in the synchronization setting can include information for specifying the storage location of the user file stored in the synchronization user file storage unit 108. Further, the user file folder information of the synchronization setting can include, for example, information indicating the storage location of the user file in the user file storage unit 102, that is, the original storage location.

  In the present embodiment, when the synchronization application is executed, the synchronization setting information stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 is referred to instead of the setting information stored in the setting information area (registry) 82. The setting information area 82 is a special data area such as a registry, for example, and stores various setting information generated at the time of application installation or application execution. The synchronization setting information folder information in the synchronization setting storage unit 104 can include, for example, information on a folder in which the synchronization setting information is stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110.

  For example, when an application stored in the application storage unit 100 is started normally without using this system, the setting information stored in the setting information area 82 is used. On the other hand, when an application stored in the synchronization application storage unit 106 is activated by using this system, the synchronization setting information stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 is used. The information regarding the synchronization setting information folder included in the synchronization setting may include information for specifying the storage location of the synchronization setting information stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. The synchronization setting information can be a file having a predetermined data format including the same contents as the setting information stored in the setting information area 82. For example, the synchronization setting information can be structured data such as a serialized message pack. The synchronization setting information can be referred to without being restored to the setting information area 82.

  In the update date and time of the synchronization setting storage unit 104, information indicating the date and time when the application file and user file of the synchronization application and the synchronization setting information are updated is set.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the setting information area 82 is a special data area such as a registry, for example, and stores various setting information generated at the time of application installation or application execution.

  The file system driver 84 is a driver for accessing various files stored in the file storage unit 80. Specifically, for example, if the OS of the PC 20 is Windows (registered trademark), an input / output request packet (IRP: I / O Request Packet) is issued when a process accesses a file. The By receiving this IRP from the process, the file system driver 84 executes access to the file specified by the IRP. In the present embodiment, the file system driver 84 is executed in the kernel mode.

  The application execution unit 86 executes an application stored in the application storage unit 100 or the synchronous application storage unit 106 in accordance with a user operation.

  The setting information reference unit 88 provides a function for referring to the setting information stored in the setting information area 82 when the application is executed. For example, the setting information reference unit 88 is realized by DLL, and can be dynamically linked when the application is activated.

  The synchronization setting unit 90 performs settings for synchronizing applications among a plurality of PCs 20. FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen displayed at the time of synchronization setting. This screen is displayed, for example, when an application synchronization system program is started. By using this screen, the user can register the synchronization application or start the synchronization application. For example, when the user moves a shortcut 210 of an application “APL001” on the desktop of the PC 20 to the display area 212 of the screen 200 by drag and drop, the synchronization setting unit 90 selects the application specified by the shortcut. Recognize as a synchronous application. In addition, not only drag and drop but the arbitrary methods for making the synchronous setting part 90 recognize a synchronous application can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, the application to be registered may be recognized by pressing the application addition button 214 to display a file reference interface. Then, the synchronization setting unit 90 stores information regarding the recognized synchronization application in the synchronization setting storage unit 104. Note that the synchronization setting unit 90 may store information on the synchronization application in the user-specific component storage unit 40 of the synchronization server 10 instead of storing the information about the synchronization application in the synchronization setting storage unit 104.

  For example, when a synchronization target application is designated on the screen 200 shown in FIG. 9, the synchronization setting unit 90 can copy the application file of this application from the application storage unit 100 to the synchronization application storage unit 106. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, when the application “APL001” is designated as a synchronization target, the synchronization setting unit 90 stores the application file “APL001” stored in the application storage unit 100 for each folder. 106 can be copied.

  When a certain user has a plurality of PCs 20, only one PC 20 needs to store an application file in the application storage unit 100. That is, it is only necessary that application data is stored in the application storage unit 100 in the PC 20 where the user first registers the application as a synchronization target. The same applies to user files and setting information.

  In addition, the synchronization setting unit 90 can update the update date and time of the synchronization setting stored in the synchronization setting storage unit 104. For example, the synchronization setting unit 90 can set the date and time when the synchronization application is registered as the initial information of the update date and time. The synchronization setting unit 90 can update the update date and time included in the synchronization setting when the application file, the user file, or the synchronization setting information is updated by executing the synchronization application.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the synchronous application starting part 92 starts a synchronous application according to user operation. For example, when the display area 220 assigned to the application “APL001” is selected on the screen 200 shown in FIG. 10, the synchronization application activation unit 92 refers to the synchronization setting stored in the synchronization setting storage unit 104, The synchronous application stored in the synchronous application storage unit 106 is activated.

  At this time, the synchronization application activation unit 92 activates the synchronization application so that the user file reference destination is not the user file storage unit 102 but the synchronization user file storage unit 108. Specifically, the synchronization application activation unit 92 refers to the synchronization setting stored in the synchronization setting storage unit 104 and acquires user file folder information associated with the activation target application. And the synchronous application starting part 92 starts a synchronous application so that the folder shown with this information may become a reference destination of a user file. For example, the synchronous application activation unit 92 sets information of this folder as a reference destination of the user file in an environment variable when the synchronous application is executed.

  Further, the synchronization application activation unit 92 activates the synchronization application so that the setting information reference destination is not the setting information area 82 but the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. A method for setting the reference destination of the setting information as the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 will be described later.

  The component specifying unit 94 can specify a component required when executing the synchronization application. As shown in FIG. 6, the component specifying unit 94 includes a folder specifying unit 120, a setting information detecting unit 122, and a file detecting unit 124.

  The folder specifying unit 120 can specify a folder in which components necessary for executing the synchronization application are stored. For example, the folder specifying unit 120 can specify a folder in which application files, user files, and synchronization setting information are stored by referring to the synchronization setting storage unit 104. Then, the folder specifying unit 120 can specify the file stored in the folder specified in this way as a component.

  The setting information detection unit 122 (synchronization setting information reference unit) can detect setting information required when executing the synchronization application from the setting information stored in the setting information area 82. The setting information detection unit 122 can store the detected setting information in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 as synchronization setting information. Further, the setting information detection unit 122 can refer to the synchronization setting information stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 when executing the synchronization application. The setting information detection unit 122 is realized by, for example, a DLL like the setting information reference unit 88, and can be dynamically linked when the synchronous application is activated.

  For example, the setting information detection unit 122 is dynamically linked to the synchronization application instead of the setting information reference unit 88 when the synchronization application activation unit 92 activates the synchronization application. As a result, when a function for accessing the setting information stored in the setting information area 82 is called in the process executed by the application execution unit 86, the setting information detection unit 122 is activated, and the synchronization setting information storage unit The setting information stored in 110 is referred to. That is, the setting information detection unit 122 hooks (interprets) a function call of the setting information reference unit 88 by the application execution unit 86 and executes processing instead of the setting information reference unit 88. Such a method is generally called DLL injection.

  In addition, when the setting information detection unit 122 refers to the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 according to an instruction from the application execution unit 86, if the target setting information is not stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110, the setting information detection unit 122 performs this setting. Information can be acquired from the setting information area 82 and returned to the application execution unit 86. Then, the setting information detection unit 122 stores this setting information in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 as synchronization setting information. This is because, when registering a synchronous application, it is impossible to specify where the setting information stored in the setting information area 82 is used by this application. Therefore, the setting information detection unit 122 extracts setting information designated at the time of executing the application from the setting information area 82 and stores it in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. The setting information detection unit 122 can call the setting information reference unit 88 when extracting setting information from the setting information area 82.

  The file detection unit 124 detects a file accessed in the synchronization application. The reason why the file is detected by the file detection unit 124 in this way is that it is not always possible to specify all the files used in the synchronization application by the file specified by the folder specifying unit 120 alone.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the configuration of the file detection unit 124. In the example illustrated in FIG. 11, the file detection unit 124 includes an application monitoring unit 150, an application information storage unit 152, a file system filter driver 154, an access information storage unit 156, a file specification unit 158, and a specific information storage unit 160. It is configured. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the respective units constituting the file detection unit 124. The configuration of the file detection unit 124 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12. In this embodiment, the process of the synchronous application is referred to as the monitoring target process 100, and the process of the other application is referred to as the non-monitoring process 310.

  The application monitoring unit 150 monitors the execution state of the application on the PC 20. When the synchronous application registered in the synchronous setting storage unit 104 is being executed, the application monitoring unit 150 acquires the process ID of the application. For example, if the OS of the PC 20 is Windows (registered trademark), the application monitoring unit 150 uses an API (Application Program Interface) function such as ToolHelp32 to monitor the execution state of the application and obtain the process ID. It can be performed. When the process ID of the synchronous application is acquired, the application monitoring unit 150 generates application information in which the application ID is associated with the process ID, and stores the application information in the application information storage unit 152. FIG. 13 shows an example of application information.

  When the process ID of the synchronous application is acquired, the application monitoring unit 150 notifies the file system filter driver 154 of the process ID. Note that the application monitoring unit 150 does not notify the file system filter driver 154 of the process ID, but the file system filter driver 154 may refer to the application information storage unit 152.

  The file system filter driver 154 (access information output unit) specifies a file accessed from the monitoring target process 300 by filtering an access request for the file. In the present embodiment, the file system filter driver 154 is executed in the kernel mode. For example, if the OS of the PC 20 is Windows (registered trademark), an input / output request packet (IRP: I / O Request Packet) is issued when a process accesses a file. The IRP includes information that can specify the file to be accessed and the process ID of the process making the access request. Note that the file ID and process ID itself do not need to be included in the IRP, and it is sufficient that the file ID and process ID can be specified based on the information included in the IRP. In this embodiment, IRP is described as an example of an access request. However, the access request is not limited to the IRP, and can be in any format according to the OS.

  In a configuration in which the file system filter driver 154 does not exist, file access is executed by outputting the IRP to the file system driver 84. The file system filter driver 154 can intercept the IRP output to the file system driver 84 and specify the file accessed in the monitored process 300. Specifically, when the process ID of the process that issued the IRP is included in the process ID notified from the application monitoring unit 150, the file system filter driver 154 specifies the file ID of the file to be accessed by the IRP. . The file system filter driver 154 can store the process ID notified from the application monitoring unit 150. Then, the file system filter driver 154 generates access information in which the process ID and the file ID are associated with each other, and stores the access information in the access information storage unit 156. FIG. 14 shows an example of access information.

  The file system filter driver 154 outputs the IRP to the file system driver 84 after the access information is generated. If the process ID of the process that issued the IRP is not included in the process ID notified from the application monitoring unit 150, that is, if the process that issued the IPR is the non-monitoring process 310, the file system filter driver 154 Outputs the IRP to the file system driver 84 without generating access information.

  The file specifying unit 158 specifies a file accessed in the synchronous application based on the application information stored in the application information storage unit 152 and the access information stored in the access information storage unit 156. Specifically, the file specifying unit 158 determines the correspondence between the application ID and the file ID based on the correspondence between the application ID and the process ID in the application information and the correspondence between the process ID and the file ID in the access information. To do. Then, the file specifying unit 158 generates specific information in which the application ID and the file ID are associated with each other, and stores the specific information in the specific information storage unit 160. FIG. 15 shows an example of the specific information.

  Returning to FIG. 6, the synchronous communication unit 96 performs data communication for synchronizing applications among a plurality of PCs 20. As shown in FIG. 6, the synchronous communication unit 96 includes an authentication request unit 130, a component element information acquisition unit 132, a component element information storage unit 134, a component element transmission unit 136, and a component element reception unit 138. Can do.

  The authentication request unit 130 transmits an authentication request for using the application synchronization system to the synchronization server 10 by using the account information stored in the synchronization setting storage unit 104. Note that the authentication request unit 130 does not acquire the account information from the synchronization setting storage unit 104, but may accept the account information from the user, for example, by outputting a screen for inputting the account information.

  The component element information acquisition unit 132 acquires component element information indicating the component elements of the synchronization application from the synchronization server 10 at the timing of performing the synchronization process, and stores the component element information in the component element information storage unit 134. For example, the constituent element information acquisition unit 132 can acquire constituent element information indicating the constituent elements of the synchronization application by transmitting a constituent element information acquisition request including the application ID of the synchronous application to the synchronization server 10. As described above, this component information is a collection of information indicating components transmitted by a plurality of users to the synchronization server 10. The component information can include information indicating a storage location of the component in a state where the application is installed on the PC 20.

  The component transmission unit 136 transmits the component of the synchronization application to the synchronization server 10 at the timing of performing the synchronization process. Specifically, the component transmission unit 136 transmits a component according to the identification result by the component identification unit 94 and the component element information acquired from the synchronization server 10 to the synchronization server 10.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of a component transmitted by the component transmission unit 136. In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the constituent elements specified by the constituent element specifying unit 94 include A, B, and C. The constituent elements indicated by the constituent element information acquired from the synchronization server 10 include A, B, and D. In this case, the component transmission unit 136 sets both the component indicated by the specific result and the component indicated by the component information (A, B, C, D) as transmission targets to the synchronization server 10. Can do.

  That is, the component transmission part 136 can transmit to the synchronization server 10 not only the component specified in the PC 20 of a certain user but also the component specified in the PC 20 of another user. Thereby, compared with the case where only the component specified in PC20 of a certain user is transmitted to the synchronous server 10, the specific precision of the component of a synchronous application can be improved.

  The component reception unit 138 receives the component from the synchronization server 10 at the timing of performing the synchronization process, and updates the synchronization application storage unit 106, the synchronization user file storage unit 108, and the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. For example, the component reception unit 138 can acquire the component of the synchronization application by transmitting a component acquisition request including the application ID of the synchronization application to the synchronization server 10.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the units in the PC 20. FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing flow in the PC 20. FIG. 19 is a flowchart illustrating an example of synchronization processing in the PC 20. FIG. 20 is a flowchart illustrating an example of application execution processing in the PC 20. The application synchronization process will be described with reference to FIGS.

  When the program for the application synchronization system is activated, the synchronization communication unit 96 accesses the synchronization server 10 and executes synchronization processing (S1801). The state of the components of the synchronization application in the PC 20 is synchronized with the synchronization server 10 by the synchronization process. That is, the states of the components of the synchronization application are synchronized among a plurality of PCs 20 possessed by a certain user. After the synchronization process is performed, the application execution unit 86 executes the synchronization application (S1802). After completing the execution of the synchronization application, the synchronization communication unit 96 accesses the synchronization server 10 and executes synchronization processing (S1803). By executing the synchronization process after the execution of the synchronization application, the synchronization communication unit 96 can transmit components such as user files and setting information updated by the execution of the synchronization application to the synchronization server 10.

  An example of the synchronization process will be described with reference to FIG. The component element information acquisition unit 132 transmits a component element information acquisition request for acquiring the component element information of the synchronization application to the synchronization server 10 (S1901). The component information acquisition unit 132 receives the update date and component information of the synchronization application transmitted from the synchronization server 10 in response to the request (S1802). Here, the update date and time of the synchronization application transmitted from the synchronization server 10 indicates the update date and time stored in the user-specific component storage unit 40. Note that the component element information acquisition unit 132 stores the received component element information in the component element information storage unit 134.

  The component reception unit 138 compares the update date and time received from the synchronization server 10 with the update date and time stored in the synchronization setting storage unit 104 for the synchronization application (S1903). When these are the same (S1903: A), the component reception unit 138 determines that the component of the synchronization application in the PC 20 is synchronized with the component stored in the synchronization server 10, and performs synchronization processing. Exit.

  On the other hand, when the update date / time in the PC 20 is older than the update date / time in the synchronization server 10 (S1903: B), the component reception unit 138 determines that the component of the synchronization application in the PC 20 is not up-to-date. Therefore, the component receiving unit 138 transmits a component acquisition request for acquiring the component of the synchronization application to the synchronization server 10 (S1904). The component reception unit 138 receives the synchronization application components transmitted from the synchronization server 10 in response to the request, and receives the synchronization setting storage unit 104, the synchronization application storage unit 106, the synchronization user file storage unit 108, and The synchronization setting information storage unit 110 is updated (S1905).

  When the update date and time in the PC 20 is newer than the update date and time in the synchronization server 10 (S1903: C), the component transmission unit 136 is such that the component of the synchronization application in the PC 20 is more than the component stored in the synchronization server 10. The component of the synchronization application in the PC 20 is transmitted to the synchronization server 10 (S1906). At this time, in addition to the component specified by the component specifying unit 94, the component transmission unit 136 converts the component corresponding to the component information stored in the component information storage unit 134 into the configuration of the synchronization application. It transmits to the synchronous server 10 as an element. That is, the component transmission unit 136 can transmit the component specified in the PC 20 of another user to the synchronization server 10 in addition to the component specified in the PC 20 of a certain user. Thereby, the identification precision of the component of a synchronous application can be improved.

  An example of application execution processing will be described with reference to FIG. The synchronous application starting unit 92 sets the reference destination of the user file and the setting information for synchronization and starts the synchronous application (S2001). Specifically, for example, as shown in FIG. 17, the synchronization application activation unit 92 sets the folder storing the synchronization user file in the synchronization user file storage unit 108 in the environment variable indicating the storage location of the user file. be able to. Further, the synchronous application activation unit 92 can dynamically link the setting information detection unit 122 to the synchronous application instead of the setting information reference unit 88.

  The application monitoring unit 150 acquires the process ID (PID) of the application by monitoring the execution state of the application started by the synchronous application starting unit 92 (S2002). Note that the application monitoring unit 150 can set a synchronization application set in the synchronization setting storage unit 104 as a monitoring target application.

  Subsequently, the application monitoring unit 150 generates application information in which the application ID (AID) and the process ID are associated with each other, and stores the application information in the application information storage unit 152 (S2003). The application monitoring unit 150 notifies the file system filter driver 154 of the acquired process ID (S2004).

  The application execution unit 86 executes the application until the processing is completed (S2005, S2006).

  Here, when the setting information stored in the setting information area 82 becomes necessary during execution of the application, the setting information detection unit 124 refers to the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 instead of the setting information area 82. If there is target synchronization setting information in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110, the setting information detection unit 124 executes processing using the synchronization setting information (S2007: N).

  On the other hand, when there is no target synchronization setting information in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 (S2007: Y), the setting information detection unit 124 acquires the target setting information from the setting information area 82 and stores it in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. Stored as synchronization setting information (S2008). As a result, the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 stores the synchronization setting information used by the synchronization application.

  The file system filter driver 154 stores the process ID notified from the application monitoring unit 150 (S2010). When the file system filter driver 154 receives an IRP (access request) (S2011: Y), the file system filter driver 154 acquires the process ID of the application being executed based on the information included in the IRP (S2012). When the acquired process ID is included in the process ID notified from the application monitoring unit 150, that is, when it is a process to be monitored (S2013: Y), the file system filter driver 154 is based on information included in the IRP. Then, the file ID (FID) of the file to be accessed is acquired (S2014). Then, the file system filter driver 154 generates access information in which the process ID and the file ID are associated with each other and stores the access information in the access information storage unit 156 (S2015). Thereafter, the file system filter driver 154 outputs the IRP to the file system driver 84 (S2016). If the process is not a monitoring target process (S2013: N), the file system filter driver 154 outputs the IRP to the file system driver 84 without generating access information (S2016).

  When the execution of the synchronous application ends (S2006: Y), the file specifying unit 158, based on the application information stored in the application information storage unit 152 and the access information stored in the access information storage unit 156, A file accessed in the synchronization application is specified (S2020). Then, the file specifying unit 158 generates specific information in which the application ID and the file ID are associated with each other, and stores the specific information in the specific information storage unit 160 (S2021).

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, setting information and files used by the synchronization application can be specified as components of the synchronization application. Furthermore, as described above, according to the present embodiment, the constituent elements of the synchronization application can be specified also by the constituent element information acquired from the synchronization server 10. Thereby, the identification precision of the component of a synchronous application can be improved.

  Note that this embodiment is intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed / improved without departing from the spirit thereof, and the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

  For example, in this embodiment, a client that executes an application in the application synchronization system is a PC. However, the client is not limited to a PC, and any information processing apparatus such as a portable terminal can be used.

  Further, for example, in the present embodiment, when the synchronization setting information to be referenced is not stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110, the setting information is extracted from the setting information area 82 and stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110. However, all setting information stored in the setting information area 82 may be extracted and stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110 in the PC that first registers the synchronization application. However, as shown in the present embodiment, when the first reference to the synchronization setting information occurs, the setting information is extracted from the setting information area 82 and stored in the synchronization setting information storage unit 110, thereby synchronizing setting. It becomes possible to reduce the data size of information.

  Further, for example, in the present embodiment, in the processing shown in FIG. 18, synchronization processing is performed between the PC 20 and the synchronization server 10 at the timing when the application synchronization system program is started or when the synchronization application is terminated. However, the timing of the synchronization processing is not limited to this, and any timing can be adopted.

  Further, for example, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, one update date and time is held for all of the application file, user file, and setting information, and synchronization processing is executed based on this update date and time. However, the update date and time may be individually determined for each of the application file, the user file, and the setting information, and the synchronization process may be individually executed. Further, the update date / time may be determined in units of files. Note that the update date and time information is not held as information included in the synchronization setting, but information indicating the update date and time of a folder or file that is held by the OS may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Synchronous server 20 Personal computer 30 Account information memory | storage part 32 Component element memory | storage part 34 Synchronous communication part 40 User-specific component memory | storage part 42 Component element information memory | storage part 50 User authentication part 52 Component element information acquisition request receiving part 54 Component element information transmission Unit 56 Component element reception unit 58 Component element acquisition request reception unit 60 Component element transmission unit 80 File storage unit 82 Setting information area 84 File system driver 86 Application execution unit 88 Setting information reference unit 90 Synchronization setting unit 92 Synchronization application activation unit 94 Configuration Element specifying unit 96 Synchronization communication unit 100 Application storage unit 102 User file storage unit 104 Synchronization setting storage unit 106 Synchronization application storage unit 108 Synchronization user file storage unit 110 Synchronization setting information storage unit 120 Identification unit 122 Setting information detection unit 124 File detection unit 130 Authentication request unit 132 Component element information acquisition unit 134 Component element information storage unit 136 Component element transmission unit 138 Component element reception unit 150 Application monitoring unit 152 Application information storage unit 154 File system filter Driver 156 Access information storage unit 158 File identification unit 160 Specific information storage unit

Claims (8)

Computer
A component identification unit that identifies the components required when the application is executed,
A component information acquisition unit that acquires component information indicating the components of the application from the synchronization server;
A component transmission unit that transmits a component according to the identification result by the component identification unit and the component element information to the synchronization server;
Program to function as. Said computer further
A component reception unit that receives a component of an application transmitted from another computer to the synchronization server;
An application execution unit that executes an application based on components received from the synchronization server;
Program to function as. The program according to claim 1 or 2,
The computer is further caused to function as a file detection unit that detects a file used when the application is executed,
The component specifying unit specifies the detected file as a component of the application.
program. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The computer is further caused to function as a setting information detection unit that detects setting information used when the application is executed,
The component specifying unit specifies the detected setting information as a component of the application.
program. A component storage unit that stores an identifier of an application and a component necessary for executing the application in association with each other;
A component information acquisition request receiving unit that receives a component element information acquisition request indicating the component of the application from the first computer;
In response to the component element information acquisition request, the component element storage unit is referred to, and the component element information transmission unit that transmits the component element information to the first computer;
A component reception unit that receives the identifier of the application and the component of the application from the first computer and updates the component storage unit;
A component acquisition request receiver for receiving an acquisition request for the component of the application from a second computer;
In response to the component acquisition request, the component storage unit refers to the component storage unit, and transmits the component to the second computer.
A synchronization server comprising: The synchronization server according to claim 5,
The component storage unit
A user-specific component storage unit that stores the application identifier and the component in association with each other;
A component information storage unit that aggregates and stores the identifier of the application and the component information for a plurality of users;
Including
The component element information transmitting unit refers to the component element information storage unit in response to the component element information acquisition request, and transmits the component element information to the first computer.
Sync server. Computer
Identify the components needed when running the application,
Obtaining component information indicating the components of the application from the synchronization server;
Transmitting a component corresponding to the result of specifying the component and the component information to the synchronization server;
Synchronization method. Sync server is
Associating the identifier of the application with the component necessary for executing the application and storing it in the component storage unit,
Receiving an acquisition request for component information indicating the component of the application from the first computer;
In response to the acquisition request of the component element information, the component element storage unit is referred to, and the component element information is transmitted to the first computer,
Receiving the identifier of the application and the component of the application from the first computer, and updating the component storage unit;
Receiving an acquisition request for a component of the application from a second computer;
In response to the component acquisition request, refer to the component storage unit and transmit the component to the second computer.
Synchronization method.

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