Advanced file server apparatus and method

Details Advanced file server apparatus and method Advanced file server apparatus and method

1997-07-28

1998-04-28

Black, Thomas G.

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

707100, G06F 1730

Patent

active

057458880

ABSTRACT:
An apparatus and method for enabling users of a network which have computers running several different operating systems to easily access each others files. In order that files may be referenced and accessed by computers utilizing different operating systems, an algorithm is used to create legitimate, meaningful filenames by combining both a filename from a host computer's "native" name space and a unique "inode" number from the host computer's file system assigned for this file. The preliminary information necessary to apply the algorithm is able to be obtained rather easily, since the to host computer's filename and inode number are returned by a well-known UNIX operating system call "getdents(2)". Client computers whose operating systems do not support a particular filename would both see and access a particular file via special filename that is computed-on-the-fly, wherein this name is not actually stored on the host computer in either the file system or in a file, thereby eliminating a need for storing any additional information in the system. Using a unique file characteristic such as inode number for computing the mapping of a long filename, rather than the long filename alone, improves the uniqueness of resulting filenames, which is crucial if a client is dealing with large directories of files with similar names.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4875159 (1989-10-01), Cary et al.
patent: 5226163 (1993-07-01), Karsh et al.
patent: 5287504 (1994-02-01), Carpenter et al.
patent: 5412808 (1995-05-01), Bauer
patent: 5471615 (1995-11-01), Amatsu et al.
patent: 5485579 (1996-01-01), Hitz et al.
patent: 5555388 (1996-09-01), Shaughnessy
patent: 5574898 (1996-11-01), Leblang et al.
patent: 5611066 (1997-03-01), Keele et al.
patent: 5617568 (1997-04-01), Ault et al.
patent: 5627996 (1997-05-01), Bauer
patent: 5649200 (1997-07-01), Leblang et al.
patent: 5675805 (1997-10-01), Boldo et al.
patent: 5678042 (1997-10-01), Pisello et al.
Bach, The Design of the Unix Operating System, Prentice-Hall, pp. 60-145.
Data Structure in Pascal, Reingold et al. pp. 376-383 Published by Little, Brown and Company, no date.
Database Systems, C.J. Date pp. 733-738 Published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, no date.
"Portable File Services," Burton Group Report; The Authority in Network Computing, by Craig Burton and Jamie Lewis, Mar. 1992.
MS-DOS File Name Generation; Microsoft Press, A Division of Microsoft Corporation, 1994.
The Design of the Unix Operating System, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Maurice J. Bach, no date.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

Rating

Advanced file server apparatus and method does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.

If you have personal experience with Advanced file server apparatus and method, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Advanced file server apparatus and method will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-1544106