Patent ID: 7395281

Claim:
A method of synchronizing data held in a respective plurality of files in each of a plurality of data stores where file structures of at least first and second of said data stores have been used to previously create first and second hierarchical directory trees, wherein the first and second hierarchical directory trees are respectively represented by a file path listing comprising one or more files with their respective file modification dates; said method comprising: determining a file structure of said first data store to create a first new hierarchical directory tree, wherein the first new hierarchical directory tree is represented by a file path listing comprising one or more files with their respective modification dates; determining a file structure of said second data store to create a second new hierarchical directory tree, wherein the second new hierarchical directory tree is represented by a file path listing comprising one or more files with their respective modification dates; comparing the modification date of a previously created first hierarchical directory tree held in said first data store with the modification date a previously created second hierarchical directory tree held in said second data store to determine which was earliest created; and comparing the modification date of the earliest created of said previously created hierarchical directory trees with the modification date each of said first new hierarchical directory tree and said second new hierarchical directory tree to determine which files are differentiated from a previous synchronization between the two data stores; updating differentiated files in either the first or the second data store either by deleting files from one store or copying a later file version or new file from one of said stores to the other of said stores in dependence upon the comparison result and storing the first and second new hierarchical directory trees in their respective data stores for subsequent synchronizations.