Big News: Microsoft Sync Framework is Out!

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Today in DevConnections (Vegas) and TechEd (Europe) we are unveiling the complete sync framework. We have been working on this framework for a long time now and today is the day to tell everyone about what we have built.

Well, let me tell you that you have seen part of the framework already which is Sync Services for ADO.NET that is shipping with Visual Studio 2008. Sync Services is one of the components of Microsoft Sync Framework (MSF) that focuses on relational data. The framework has more to offer that just syncing relational tables, here is a quick overview:

  • Core Sync Engine (native and managed)
    All the framework components use the engine to orcasterate the sync operation. The core has its own dll (Microsoft.Synchronization.dll).  If you want to build a customer provider for your own store (in the same way we have done for relational and files) you will need to work closely with the core data types and interfaces.
  • Sync Services for ADO.NET v2
    The v2 of sync services enables you to build peer-to-peer sync scenarios.  With that you can build sharing and collaboration application as well as offline applications. The spirit of the sync services remain the same though, so you can carry your experience forward. Just as you did in v1, you will need to supply the commands to select changes from the database as well as apply changes. The commands are different due to increasing functionality. No worries, samples are in the way :)
  • Sync Services for Files
    I am sure many of you like to sync files. In this release, we have built a provider that makes this a reality. It is very simple to use and is peer to peer enabled!
  • SSE Support
    SSE stands for Simple Sharing Extension. SSE protocol allows you to see the popular RSS feeds. If your feeds employ the SSE extension, then the sync framework will synchronize it for you for free. Is not that cool!
  • Metadata Services
    If you embark on building a custom sync provider for your store, then you might find the metadata store is part of the framework helpful. You will need to store the metadata anyways; the metadata store is our way of giving you hand.

This just a quick overview of the framework, there is nothing better than experience with it. The first CTP along with the documentation are already available for you to play with. Moreover , we now have a special MSDN portal just for sync that you can easily memorize: www.msdn.com\sync

One good thing about releasing the product is that more people can talk about freely. I am happy to tell you that Andrei , a senior develop in the sync time, started a new blog, check it out.

That’s a lot of stuff right there. Enjoy!

 

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