What is Microsoft Live Mesh?

Have you ever struggled to have access to the latest versions of your files no matter which computer you might be using, whether it be a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone? Have you ever tried to collaborate with other people using those same files, documents, or data? Making sure that everyone always has the latest version and that any changes are saved and not lost is a significant challenge. And when those computers or devices don't have access to the Internet, how can you make sure that you still have access to all of the data you need?


Live Mesh is a platform that Microsoft is developing that allows files and folders to be shared across multiple devices. Live Mesh provides three key features: file storage in the cloud, synchronization between the cloud and your devices, and synchronization between your devices through the cloud. When a folder is set for synchronization, the contents of the folder will be accessible from any device, and any changes will be synchronized across all of the devices. It also lets you share specific files or folders with other people and their mesh of devices.


What is the "cloud?"


The terms "cloud" and "cloud computing" are some of the hottest buzzwords in the technology industry these days, but there is a lot of confusion about what these terms actually mean. The "cloud" is a metaphor for the Internet, and usually refers to a style of computing where software is exposed "as a service" that can be consumed by users across any kind of computing device.


In the case of Live Mesh, it provides storage in the "cloud" as well as synchronization of files and folders, both with the cloud and through the cloud. The Live Mesh cloud storage is called your Live Desktop, and is accessible both from devices in your mesh as well as from any Web browser.


Synchronizing with the cloud


Cloud storage has been around for a while, but one of the newer capabilities is the ability to synchronize your files and folders with the cloud. When a change is made on either side (your local machine or on the cloud), the change is automatically made on the other side as well. Whether you're deleting files, adding files, or making changes in the files, you don't need to worry about keeping things up to date because everything is handled automatically for you.


If you have more than one computer synchronizing with the cloud, you'll quickly discover how it can change your daily life. You might be working on a document on your home desktop, and then when you hop on a plane the latest version is already synchronized with your laptop. You don't have to worry about copying the file around, putting it on flash drives, or e-mailing it to yourself. All of your data is always right where you need it, when you need it.


Synchronizing through the cloud


While synchronizing with the cloud is very powerful, there are some drawbacks. First, the current version of Live Desktop only gives you 5 GB of cloud storage, which isn't very much when you start thinking about all your music, movies, and pictures. Secondly, you might not like the idea of your files sitting on a remote server somewhere. Synchronizing through the cloud, instead of with the cloud, is the answer to both of these problems.


Using a peer-to-peer synchronization model, your files and folders (consisting of much more than 5 GB) can be directly synchronized between your different computers. The actual data is not stored in the cloud, but rather just the information describing the data and the synchronization relationships between the devices in the mesh. This way, the data is copied directly from one device in your mesh to another device, without requiring additional storage in the cloud.