Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-14
2002-05-28
Coulter, Kenneth R. (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data transfer regulating
C709S231000, C707S793000, C707S793000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06397258
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a file system, and more particularly, to a real-time remote file system, used in an environment in which a server storing a file and a plurality of clients performing file manipulation are connected to one another through a network, for each of the clients accessing the server through the network and performing file manipulation in real time.
2. Description of the Background Art
A file system is software for performing file manipulation such as file creation and file reading/writing with respect to a recording disk in response to a request from an application, and is generally provided as one function of an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS). Particularly, a system applied to a client server system for performing file manipulation through a network from a client side with respect to a recording disk on a server side is referred to as a remote file system.
FIG. 31
is a block diagram showing the configuration of a client server system to which a conventional remote file system is applied.
In
FIG. 31
, the client server system comprises a file server
3102
and a plurality of clients
3101
. The file server
3102
and the plurality of clients
3101
are connected to one another through a network
3103
. The file server
3102
and the plurality of clients
3101
are respectively realized by computer devices. The network
3103
is realized by a wire network such as ATM or Ethernet or a wireless network such as W-CDMA.
FIG. 32
is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the conventional remote file system (in a case where it is applied to the client server system shown in FIG.
31
).
In
FIG. 32
, a conventional remote file system (hereinafter merely referred to as file system)
3201
is a part of an OS
3203
for preparing an environment in which an application
3202
operates on the computer device realizing the client
3101
, and comprises a file management part
3204
, a file reading part
3205
, and a file writing part
3206
. An application program interface (hereinafter, API)
3207
is provided between the application
3202
and the OS
3203
.
The application
3202
requests file manipulation such as file creation and file writing/reading. The API
3207
converts the format of the request from the application
3202
into a format adapted to the OS
3203
. The OS
3203
feeds the request whose format has been converted by the API
3207
to the file system
3201
, and the file system
3201
performs file manipulation through the network
3103
with respect to the file server
3102
in response to the fed request.
In the file system
3201
, the file management part
3204
judges the type of the request fed to the file system
3201
. If the request is judged as being a file creation request, the file management part
3204
creates a file on a recording disk of the file server
3102
, and generates attribute information (described later) of the file. On the other hand, if the request is a file reading request, the file management part
3204
reads out the attribute information from the file server
3102
and feeds the attribute information together with the file reading request to the file reading part
3205
, while reading out, if the request is a file writing request, the attribute information from the file server
3102
and feeds the attribute information together with the file writing request to the file writing part
3206
.
The file reading part
3205
refers to the fed attribute information in response to the fed request to perform file reading out of the file server
3102
through the network
3103
. The file writing part
3206
refers to the fed attribute information in response to the fed request to perform file writing into the file server
3102
through the network
3103
.
A typical example of the above-mentioned conventional remote file system is a remote file system of Windows NT (Registered Trademark) which is an OS manufactured by Microsoft (Registered Trademark) Corporation. The Windows NT, its remote file system, Win32API which is its standard API, and so forth are described in detail in “ADVANCED WINDOWS NT” issued by “ASCII Co., Ltd.”, written by “Jeffrey Richter” and translated by “Kei Umehara/Shinji Suzuki/Takahiro Nagao” and “Comment on Complete Technology of Windows NT 3.5” (ISBN4-8227-1005-X) issued by “Nikkei BP Publishing Center” and written by “Takuya Oikawa, et.al”.
Examples of the above-mentioned application
3202
include a non-linear editing application handling moving image data as a file (a moving image file) for editing the moving image file using a computer device.
The file manipulation performed through the network
3103
by the conventional remote file system
3201
configured as described above will be described below.
First, the application
3202
requests the file manipulation. At this time, the file manipulation request issued by the application
3202
includes information for designating a file to be an object of manipulation and the type of the file manipulation (any of file creation, file reading, and file writing).
The API
3207
then converts the format of the file manipulation request from the application
3202
into a format adapted to the OS
3203
. The OS
3203
then feeds the request whose format has been converted by the API
3207
to the file system
3201
. The file system
3201
then performs file manipulation through the network
3103
with respect to the file server
3102
in response to the fed request.
FIG. 33
is a flow chart showing processing (file manipulation) that the remote file system
3201
shown in
FIG. 32
performs through the network
3103
upon being applied to the client server system shown in FIG.
31
.
In
FIG. 33
, the file management part
3204
first judges whether or not a file manipulation request is fed to the file system
3201
(step S
3301
). The file management system
3204
waits if the result of the judgment is negative, while judging whether or not the request fed to the file system
3201
is a file creation request if it is affirmative (step S
3302
). When the result of the judgment at the step S
3302
is affirmative, the procedure goes to the step S
3307
.
When the result of the judgement at the step S
3302
is negative, the file management part
3204
reads out attribute information from the file server
3012
through the network
103
(step S
3303
), and then retrieves a file to be an object of manipulation (reading or writing) on the basis of a file name and a directory which are included in the attribute information read out (step S
3304
).
Thereafter, the file management part
3024
judges whether or not the request fed to the file system
3201
is a file writing request (step S
3305
).
If the result of the judgment at the step S
3305
is negative, that is, the request is a reading request, the file reading part
3205
performs file reading (step S
3306
). Thereafter, the procedure goes to the step S
3309
.
The file read out at the step S
3306
is stored once in an area managed by the file system
3201
, and is then delivered to the application
3202
(i.e., is copied on a buffer area on the side of the application
3202
).
On the other hand, if the result of the judgment at the step S
3305
is affirmative, that is, the request is a writing request, the file writing part
3206
performs file writing (step S
3308
). Thereafter, the procedure goes to the step S
3309
.
At the step S
3307
, a file is created, and attribute information of the file (which shall be a moving image file herein) is generated. The generated attribute information, together with the moving image file, is stored in the recording disk of the file server
3102
.
At the step S
3309
, it is judged whether or not the operation of the file system
3201
is terminated. If the result of the judgment is negative, the program is returned to the step S
3301
, so that the same processing as described above is repeated. On the other hand, if the result of the judgment is affirmative, the operation is terminated.
T
Doi Shinzo
Ito Yukiko
Tanaka Tsutomu
Tsuji Atsuhiro
Coulter Kenneth R.
Matsushita Electric - Industrial Co., Ltd.
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