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.