Microsoft has recently released Sync Framework 1.0 RTM. According to Microsoft, Sync Framework is "a comprehensive synchronization platform that enables collaboration and offline scenarios for applications, services and devices".
Sync Framework is useful for:
Developers can build sync ecosystems that integrate any application, any type of data, using any protocol over any network.
Rob Tiffany, Senior Technical Product Manager for Windows Mobile at Microsoft, describes the Sync Framework:
Imagine being able to build a solution that seamlessly exchanges contact information between Outlook, a database contact management application, your mobile device and your service based contact management system. Or how about a mobile device that connects with other devices to exchange pictures and videos. How about being able to take data from any of your enterprise databases, file or enterprise systems and make it available offline for users to modify and sync back up to the enterprise.
Some of the key features of Sync Framework are:
- Add sync support to new and existing applications, services, and devices
- Enable collaboration and offline capabilities for any application
- Roam and share information from any data store, over any protocol, and over any network configuration
- Leverage sync capabilities exposed in Microsoft technologies to create sync ecosystems
- Extend the architecture to support custom data types including files
Sync Framework contains Sync Services for ADO.NET which is a "solution for synchronizing ADO.NET enabled databases in offline and collaboration scenarios".
Sync Framework also contains Sync Services for File Systems which is "one of the providers included out-of-the-box that enables synchronization of files between devices".
Sync Framework is offered free for Windows, and can be licensed in order to be ported to other platforms.