Discovery of calling application for control of file hydration behavior

• US 10,592,470 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Nichols, Jack Allen
• Primary Examiner(s): Cao, Phuong Thao
• Application Number:
  US15/367,297
• Publication Number:
  US 20180046635A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 707827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2125 Just-in-time application of countermeasures, e.g., on-the-fly decryption, just-in-time obfuscation or de-obfuscation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices

Abstract

Variety of approaches to control file hydration behavior are described. A filter driver initiates operations to control file hydration behavior upon receiving a process identifier (PID) registration from a synchronization engine. Upon receiving a file operation request associated with a placeholder file, a PID and a process name associated with the file operation is identified. A hydration behavior is detected based on the PID or the process name. A decision associated with the file operation request is rendered based on the hydration behavior.

Claims

1. A computing device to control file hydration behavior, the computing device comprising:

a memory configured to store instructions associated with a filter driver;

a processor coupled to the memory, the processor, through executing the filter driver in conjunction with the instructions stored in the memory, is configured to;

receive a process identifier (PID) registration from a synchronization engine;

receive a file operation request associated with a placeholder file;

identify a PID and a process name associated with the file operation request;

detect an application based on one or more of the PID and the process name, wherein the application initiates the file operation request;

detect a hydration behavior based on the PID registration and one or more of the application, the PID, and the process name; and

render a decision associated with the file operation request based on the hydration behavior, wherein rendering the decision based on the hydration behavior includes executing a hydration operation and blocking the application from further file operation requests until detecting completion of the hydration operation in response to the hydration behavior indicating an early hydration.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the file operation request includes the hydration operation as a precursor.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the file operation request includes one or more of a read operation and a write operation.

4. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the placeholder file includes a cloud based file.

5. The computing device of claim 1 wherein the processor is further configured to:

process a property of the placeholder file; and

identify the hydration operation to fulfill the file operation request based the property of the placeholder file.

6. The computing device of claim 5, wherein the hydration operation replaces the placeholder file with file system data for fulfilling the file operation request.

7. The computing device of claim 1. wherein the processor is further configured to:

retrieve the PID from an operating system executing the file operation request; and

identify the process name from the PID.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

identity the synchronization engine as an intermediary for the file operation request by matching the PID to the PID registration from the synchronization engine.

10. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

match an actor associated with one or more of the PID and the process name to the hydration behavior, wherein the hydration behavior allows a hydration operation associated. with the file operation request; and

read file system data associated with the placeholder file identified by the file operation request.

11. The computing device of claim 10. Wherein the processor is further configured to:

replace the placeholder file with the file system data; and

provide the file system data in response to the file operation request.

9. The computing device of claim I, wherein the processor is further configured to:

analyze the process name to identify the application that initiates the file operation request.

12. A method executed on a computing device to control file hydration behavior, the method comprising:

receiving a process identifier (PID) registration from a synchronization engine;

receiving a file operation request associated with a placeholder file, wherein the file operation request includes a hydration operation to replace the placeholder file with file system data;

identifying a PID and a process name associated with the file operation request;

detecting an application based on one or more of the PID and the process name, wherein the application initiates the file operation request;

detecting a hydration behavior based on the PID registration and one or more of the application, the PID, and the process name; and

rendering a decision associated with the file operation request based on the hydration behavior, wherein rendering the decision associated with the file operation request includes executing the hydration operation and blocking the application until detecting completion of the hydration operation in response to the hydration behavior indicating an early hydration.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein rendering the decision associated with the file operation request includes maintaining the placeholder file in response to the hydration behavior indicating a denial of the file operation request.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

intercepting the file operation request; and

transmitting a notification to the synchronization engine to proceed with the file operation request based on the decision, wherein the decision directs an execution of the hydration operation.

15. A computer-readable memory device with instructions stored thereon to control file hydration behavior, the instructions comprising;

receiving a process identifier (PID) registration from a synchronization engine;

receiving a file operation request associated with a placeholder file, wherein the file operation request includes a hydration operation to replace the placeholder file with file system data;

identifying a PID and a process name associated with the file operation request;

detecting an application based on one or more of the PID and the process name, wherein the application initiates the file operation request;

detecting a hydration behavior based on the PID registration and one or more of the application, the PID, and the process name; and

rendering a decision associated with the file operation request based on the hydration behavior, wherein rendering the decision associated with the file operation request includes executing the hydration operation and blocking the application until detecting completion of the hydration operation in response to the hydration behavior indicating an early hydration.

16. The computer-readable memory device of claim 15, wherein the instructions further comprise:

matching an actor associated with one or more of the PID and the process name to the hydration behavior, wherein the hydration behavior allows a hydration operation associated with the file operation request;

reading file system data associated with the placeholder file identified by the file operation request;

replacing the placeholder file with the file system data; and

providing the file system data in response to the file operation request.