Microsoft sync framework series (7): participants in the Microsoft synchronization framework (participant)

In Microsoft sync framework (MSF), participants are the objects involved in synchronization. The participants in MSF can be devices (laptops, USB flash drives) or Web services that run the sync framework and synchronize with other computers ). MSF can synchronize data between participants with various capabilities.

Store and modify data and execute applications based on participantsProgramAnd the participants can be divided into different types of participants. MSF abstracts the types of participants in Step 4 ):

• Full participant)
• Proxy participant)
• Partial participant)
• Simple participant)

Full participant)
Full participants can be used to host the runtime and metadata services on the local device, allowing developers to create applications and store data locally. Laptops and smartphone phones can act as full participant, which can directly execute applications and create new data storage. Full participants can perform peer-to-peer synchronization.

Full particle antTwo full maid in peer-to-peer Synchronization

Proxy participant)
As a proxy of the remote provider, the proxy participant sends command requests and metadata to the remote provider over the network. The remote proxy implements synchronous runtime and processing logic. Remote providers are generally deployed on remote servers, such as database servers.

Full particle ant synchronizing with a proxy particle antCentral application synchronizing two proxy maid

Partial participant)
Some participants can store the synchronization metadata without the ability to process the metadata, that is, these devices do not have the ability to run programs. These participants include USB thumb drives, SD cards, and mobile phones with data storage capabilities. They can store, update, and delete data like hard disks.
Some participants rely on other full participants to host the runtime and start synchronization. You cannot perform peer-to-peer (P2P) synchronization on the partial object list.
When full participants are synchronized with some participants, full participants are responsible for enumerating, filtering for changes in the partial participant list, and storing metadata in the partial participant list.

partial participant ipants full participant ant synchronizing with a partial participant ipant

Simple participants)
Simple participants do not store metadata and cannot host the runtime. Therefore, they may not be able to track changes ). Simple participant ants relies entirely on a single full participant to process all synchronization operations, including enumeration changes, application changes, storage and maintenance of metadata.
Typical simple participants include RSS, atom, and read-only web services. They are created by external organizations, such as Amazon or eBay. These organizations can provide you with the ability to execute web services and obtain returned results. However, they will not create their own data storage capabilities for you, nor will they provide you with the ability to create and execute your own applications on their Web servers.

Simple putants full putipant using the metadata store to synchronize a simple putant

Summary:
All participants have comprehensive functions. In addition to the required ability to store data (including metadata) and process data (including metadata), MSF Runtime is also deployed to enable synchronous sessions ), you can use local and remote sync providers to track data changes and check and handle conflicts.
The proxy participant acts as the proxy for the local synchronization provider and remote synchronization provider to forward proxy requests on the network.
Some participants can store synchronized data and metadata, but cannot process the data.
Simple participants do not store metadata, and all synchronization relies on full participants.
Therefore, during a synchronization session, you must have a full participant that carries the MSF runtime. For P2P synchronization, all participants must be full participants ).

Flyabroad labels: Microsoft synchronization framework, MSF, syncframework

Refer:

Sync framework core particle ant types

Introduction to the Microsoft sync framework Runtime