Windows Live Mesh
Encyclopedia
Windows Live Mesh is a free-to-use Internet-based file synchronization
application by Microsoft
that is designed to allow files and folders between two or more computers be in sync with each other on Windows
(Vista and later) and Mac OS X
(v. 10.5 Leopard and later, Intel processors only) computers or the Web via Windows Live SkyDrive
. Windows Live Mesh also enables remote desktop access via the Internet.
Windows Live Mesh is part of the free Windows Live Essentials
suite of software.
range of services.
On March 10, 2008, Microsoft released its first user visible update to the then Windows Live FolderShare. This comprised a rewrite of the FolderShare website and an updated Windows Live FolderShare client. Support for discussion groups and Remote Desktop Search was also removed in the update. The new client had some user interface and branding updates and contained several bug fixes - including official support for Windows Vista
and discontinued support for Windows 2000
.
Since its rebrand as Windows Live FolderShare, the client and service had undergone extensive platform changes, switching from the original LAMP
which it was originally built on when acquired, to the Windows Server
platform. In the Windows Live Essentials "Wave 3" release, Windows Live FolderShare was again rebranded as Windows Live Sync. New UI improvements were also announced to be part of the "Wave 3" release, integrating it with other Windows Live services. New features of the then Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" compared to FolderShare included increased limit of sync folders, integration with Windows Live ID
, integration with Recycle Bin, unicode support, support for Mac OS X
, and integration with Windows Live Photo Gallery
and Windows Live Toolbar
to sync photo albums and favorites between PCs. Windows Live Sync Wave 3 was released on December 11, 2008, and an update of Windows Live Sync for Mac was released on November 2, 2009 to add support for Mac OS X
10.6.
Microsoft released the Live Mesh technology preview on April 23, 2008, a data synchronization
system that allowed files, folders and other data to be shared and synchronized across multiple personal devices and up to 5 GB on the web. Live Mesh was based on FeedSync technologies to convey the changes made in each device so that the changes can be synchronized across all devices and the cloud. The information about devices and folders participating in a synchronization relationship was not stored locally but at the service-end.
The Live Mesh software, called Mesh Operating Environment (MOE), was available for Windows XP
, Windows Vista
, Windows 7, Mac OS X
, as well as Windows Mobile
6. It could be used to create and manage the synchronization relationships between devices and data. Live Mesh also included a cloud storage
component, called Live Desktop, which was an online storage service that allows synchronized folders to be accessible via a website. Live Mesh also provided a remote desktop
software called Live Mesh Remote Desktop that could be used to remotely connect to and manage any of the devices in a synchronization relationship. Live Mesh Remote Desktop allowed users to control their devices from the Live Mesh application, as well as from any other internet connected PC.
Live Mesh also included a developer component, which consisted of a set of protocols and Application Programming Interface
s (API) known as Live Framework (which was also briefly known as MeshFX). It was a REST
-based API for accessing the Live Mesh services over HTTP. Microsoft had also provided API
s for managed code
(including .NET Framework
and Microsoft Silverlight
) as well as for Win32 and JavaScript
via a developer Software Development Kit
(SDK). Unlike the Mesh Operating Environment (MOE), which was limited to sharing folders, the Live Framework APIs could be used to share any data item between devices that recognize the data. The API encapsulated the data into a Mesh Object—the native synchronization unit of Live Mesh—which was then tracked for changes and synchronized. A Mesh Object consisted of a collection of Data Feeds, which could be represented in Atom
, RSS
, JSON
or Plain Old XML
formats. The data entries within these feeds were synchronized via the FeedSync protocol. The MOE software also created Mesh Objects for each Live Mesh folder in order for them to be synchronized. However, the Live Framework APIs were discontinued on September 8, 2010 with the aim of being integrated into Windows Live Messenger Connect in the "Wave 4" release. Live Mesh beta was officially discontinued on March 31, 2011.
synced storage, addition of Live Mesh's remote desktop access via Windows Live Devices
, and ability to sync application settings for Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. This new version of Windows Live Sync was also designed to be completely separate from both the previous versions of Windows Live Sync and Live Mesh, and as such any previous synchronisation relationships were not retained when being upgraded from Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" and Live Mesh. The previous Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" website, and the Live Mesh Desktop, was also replaced by the new Windows Live Devices
service in the "Wave 4" release.
The beta was subsequently updated on August 17, 2010, and on August 29, 2010, the service was officially rebranded as Windows Live Mesh, and its cloud-based SkyDrive synced storage was increased to 5 GB
, as was the case for the previous Live Mesh service. The new version also allows users to sync hidden files, view a list of missing files that are awaiting to be synchronised, and various performance improvements. The final version of Windows Live Mesh 2011 (Wave 4) was released on September 30, 2010 as part of Windows Live Essentials 2011
.
File synchronization
File synchronization in computing is the process of ensuring that computer files in two or more locations are updated via certain rules....
application by Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
that is designed to allow files and folders between two or more computers be in sync with each other on Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
(Vista and later) and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
(v. 10.5 Leopard and later, Intel processors only) computers or the Web via Windows Live SkyDrive
Windows Live SkyDrive
Windows Live SkyDrive, initially called Windows Live Folders, is a free-of-charge file hosting service that allows users to upload files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser...
. Windows Live Mesh also enables remote desktop access via the Internet.
Windows Live Mesh is part of the free Windows Live Essentials
Windows Live Essentials
Windows Live Essentials is a suite of freeware applications by Microsoft that aims to offer integrated and bundled e-mail, instant messaging, photo-sharing, blog publishing, security services and other Windows Live entities...
suite of software.
Features
Features of Windows Live Mesh include:- Ability to sync up to 200 folders with 100,000 files each (each file up to 40 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
) for PC-to-PC synchronization - Ability to sync up to 5 GBGigabyteThe gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
of files to "SkyDriveWindows Live SkyDriveWindows Live SkyDrive, initially called Windows Live Folders, is a free-of-charge file hosting service that allows users to upload files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser...
synced storage" in the cloud - Remote Desktop access via Windows Live Mesh and the Windows Live DevicesWindows Live DevicesWindows Live Devices is an online device management service as part of Windows Live which will allow users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers, mobile devices, as well as other peripherals such as digital photo frames...
web service - PC-to-PC synchronisation of application settings for applications such as:
- Windows Internet Explorer - synchronisation of favorites and recently typed URLs between computers
- Microsoft OfficeMicrosoft OfficeMicrosoft Office is a non-free commercial office suite of inter-related desktop applications, servers and services for the Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, introduced by Microsoft in August 1, 1989. Initially a marketing term for a bundled set of applications, the first version of...
- synchronisation of dictionaries, OutlookMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft Outlook is a personal information manager from Microsoft, available both as a separate application as well as a part of the Microsoft Office suite...
email signatures, styles and templates between computers
FolderShare and Windows Live Sync
Microsoft bought FolderShare from ByteTaxi Inc. on November 3, 2005, and subsequently made it a part of their Windows LiveWindows Live
Windows Live is the collective brand name for a set of services and software products from Microsoft, part of their software plus services platform. A majority of these services are Web applications, accessible from a browser, but there are also client-side binary applications that require...
range of services.
On March 10, 2008, Microsoft released its first user visible update to the then Windows Live FolderShare. This comprised a rewrite of the FolderShare website and an updated Windows Live FolderShare client. Support for discussion groups and Remote Desktop Search was also removed in the update. The new client had some user interface and branding updates and contained several bug fixes - including official support for Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
and discontinued support for Windows 2000
Windows 2000
Windows 2000 is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, business desktops, laptops, and servers. Windows 2000 was released to manufacturing on 15 December 1999 and launched to retail on 17 February 2000. It is the successor to Windows NT 4.0, and is the...
.
Since its rebrand as Windows Live FolderShare, the client and service had undergone extensive platform changes, switching from the original LAMP
LAMP (software bundle)
LAMP is an acronym for a solution stack of free, open source software, referring to the first letters of Linux , Apache HTTP Server, MySQL and PHP , principal components to build a viable general purpose web server.The GNU project is advocating people to use the term "GLAMP" since what is known as...
which it was originally built on when acquired, to the Windows Server
Windows Server
Windows Server is a brand name for a group of server operating systems released by Microsoft Corporation. All are part of Microsoft Servers.- Members :This brand includes the following software:* Windows 2000 Server* Windows Server 2003...
platform. In the Windows Live Essentials "Wave 3" release, Windows Live FolderShare was again rebranded as Windows Live Sync. New UI improvements were also announced to be part of the "Wave 3" release, integrating it with other Windows Live services. New features of the then Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" compared to FolderShare included increased limit of sync folders, integration with Windows Live ID
Windows Live ID
Windows Live ID is a single sign-on web service developed and provided by Microsoft that allows users to log in to many websites using one account...
, integration with Recycle Bin, unicode support, support for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, and integration with Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery
Windows Live Photo Gallery is a photo management and photo sharing application released as a part of Microsoft's Windows Live initiative. It is an upgraded version of Windows Photo Gallery, which is a part of Windows Vista....
and Windows Live Toolbar
Windows Live Toolbar
Windows Live Toolbar was an browser extension toolbar for Internet Explorer. It superseded MSN Search Toolbar. Windows Live Toolbar provided a simple search interface that starts to list results as the user types in a search query, and uses Bing as its search engine...
to sync photo albums and favorites between PCs. Windows Live Sync Wave 3 was released on December 11, 2008, and an update of Windows Live Sync for Mac was released on November 2, 2009 to add support for Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
10.6.
Live Mesh Beta
Data synchronization
Data synchronization is the process of establishing consistency among data from a source to a target data storage and vice versa and the continuous harmonization of the data over time. It is fundamental to a wide variety of applications, including file synchronization and mobile device...
system that allowed files, folders and other data to be shared and synchronized across multiple personal devices and up to 5 GB on the web. Live Mesh was based on FeedSync technologies to convey the changes made in each device so that the changes can be synchronized across all devices and the cloud. The information about devices and folders participating in a synchronization relationship was not stored locally but at the service-end.
Windows XP
Windows XP is an operating system produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops and media centers. First released to computer manufacturers on August 24, 2001, it is the second most popular version of Windows, based on installed user base...
, Windows Vista
Windows Vista
Windows Vista is an operating system released in several variations developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
, Windows 7, Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, as well as Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile
Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was used in smartphones and Pocket PCs, but by 2011 was rarely supplied on new phones. The last version is "Windows Mobile 6.5.5"; it is superseded by Windows Phone, which does not run Windows Mobile software.Windows Mobile is...
6. It could be used to create and manage the synchronization relationships between devices and data. Live Mesh also included a cloud storage
Cloud storage
Cloud storage is a model of networked online storage where data is stored on virtualized pools of storage which are generally hosted by third parties. Hosting companies operate large data centers; and people who require their data to be hosted buy or lease storage capacity from them and use it for...
component, called Live Desktop, which was an online storage service that allows synchronized folders to be accessible via a website. Live Mesh also provided a remote desktop
Remote Desktop
Remote Desktop may refer to:* Remote desktop software** Apple Remote Desktop** Remote Desktop Services** Remote Desktop Protocol* Desktop sharing...
software called Live Mesh Remote Desktop that could be used to remotely connect to and manage any of the devices in a synchronization relationship. Live Mesh Remote Desktop allowed users to control their devices from the Live Mesh application, as well as from any other internet connected PC.
Live Mesh also included a developer component, which consisted of a set of protocols and Application Programming Interface
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
s (API) known as Live Framework (which was also briefly known as MeshFX). It was a REST
Rest
Rest may refer to:* Leisure* Human relaxation* SleepRest may also refer to:* Rest , a pause in a piece of music* Rest , the relation between two observers* Rest , a 2008 album by Gregor Samsa...
-based API for accessing the Live Mesh services over HTTP. Microsoft had also provided API
Application programming interface
An application programming interface is a source code based specification intended to be used as an interface by software components to communicate with each other...
s for managed code
Managed code
Managed code is a term coined by Microsoft to identify computer program code that requires and will only execute under the "management" of a Common Language Runtime virtual machine ....
(including .NET Framework
.NET Framework
The .NET Framework is a software framework that runs primarily on Microsoft Windows. It includes a large library and supports several programming languages which allows language interoperability...
and Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight
Microsoft Silverlight is an application framework for writing and running rich Internet applications, with features and purposes similar to those of Adobe Flash. The run-time environment for Silverlight is available as a plug-in for web browsers running under Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X...
) as well as for Win32 and JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a prototype-based scripting language that is dynamic, weakly typed and has first-class functions. It is a multi-paradigm language, supporting object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles....
via a developer Software Development Kit
Software development kit
A software development kit is typically a set of software development tools that allows for the creation of applications for a certain software package, software framework, hardware platform, computer system, video game console, operating system, or similar platform.It may be something as simple...
(SDK). Unlike the Mesh Operating Environment (MOE), which was limited to sharing folders, the Live Framework APIs could be used to share any data item between devices that recognize the data. The API encapsulated the data into a Mesh Object—the native synchronization unit of Live Mesh—which was then tracked for changes and synchronized. A Mesh Object consisted of a collection of Data Feeds, which could be represented in Atom
Atom (standard)
The name Atom applies to a pair of related standards. The Atom Syndication Format is an XML language used for web feeds, while the Atom Publishing Protocol is a simple HTTP-based protocol for creating and updating web resources.Web feeds allow software programs to check for updates published on a...
, RSS
RSS
-Mathematics:* Root-sum-square, the square root of the sum of the squares of the elements of a data set* Residual sum of squares in statistics-Technology:* RSS , "Really Simple Syndication" or "Rich Site Summary", a family of web feed formats...
, JSON
JSON
JSON , or JavaScript Object Notation, is a lightweight text-based open standard designed for human-readable data interchange. It is derived from the JavaScript scripting language for representing simple data structures and associative arrays, called objects...
or Plain Old XML
Plain Old XML
Plain Old XML is a term used to describe basic XML, sometimes mixed in with other, blendable specifications like XML Namespaces, Dublin Core, XInclude and XLink. People typically use the term as a contrast with complicated, multilayered XML specifications like those for web services or RDF...
formats. The data entries within these feeds were synchronized via the FeedSync protocol. The MOE software also created Mesh Objects for each Live Mesh folder in order for them to be synchronized. However, the Live Framework APIs were discontinued on September 8, 2010 with the aim of being integrated into Windows Live Messenger Connect in the "Wave 4" release. Live Mesh beta was officially discontinued on March 31, 2011.
Windows Live Mesh 2011
A beta version Windows Live Sync "Wave 4" was released on June 24, 2010. This new version, while initially branded Windows Live Sync, was the first version which was built using both FolderShare and Live Mesh technologies. Compared to the "Wave 3" version of Windows Live Sync, the new version featured increased limit of sync folders and files, ability to sync up to 2 GB of files to the cloud on Windows Live SkyDriveWindows Live SkyDrive
Windows Live SkyDrive, initially called Windows Live Folders, is a free-of-charge file hosting service that allows users to upload files to a cloud storage and then access them from a Web browser...
synced storage, addition of Live Mesh's remote desktop access via Windows Live Devices
Windows Live Devices
Windows Live Devices is an online device management service as part of Windows Live which will allow users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers, mobile devices, as well as other peripherals such as digital photo frames...
, and ability to sync application settings for Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office. This new version of Windows Live Sync was also designed to be completely separate from both the previous versions of Windows Live Sync and Live Mesh, and as such any previous synchronisation relationships were not retained when being upgraded from Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" and Live Mesh. The previous Windows Live Sync "Wave 3" website, and the Live Mesh Desktop, was also replaced by the new Windows Live Devices
Windows Live Devices
Windows Live Devices is an online device management service as part of Windows Live which will allow users to centrally access and manage the synchronisation of files stored on their computers, mobile devices, as well as other peripherals such as digital photo frames...
service in the "Wave 4" release.
The beta was subsequently updated on August 17, 2010, and on August 29, 2010, the service was officially rebranded as Windows Live Mesh, and its cloud-based SkyDrive synced storage was increased to 5 GB
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
, as was the case for the previous Live Mesh service. The new version also allows users to sync hidden files, view a list of missing files that are awaiting to be synchronised, and various performance improvements. The final version of Windows Live Mesh 2011 (Wave 4) was released on September 30, 2010 as part of Windows Live Essentials 2011
Windows Live Essentials
Windows Live Essentials is a suite of freeware applications by Microsoft that aims to offer integrated and bundled e-mail, instant messaging, photo-sharing, blog publishing, security services and other Windows Live entities...
.