On-premises and off-premises communication

• US 10,594,770 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2016
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dolby, Trevor C., Golby-Kirk, Matthew E., Reeve, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barker, Todd L
• Application Number:
  US15/340,034
• Publication Number:
  US 20180124153A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,232 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/00 Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00; network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00; security arrangements for protecting computers or computer systems against unauthorised activity G06F21/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

Proposed are concepts for managing communication between off-premises and on-premises servers. A file system event request from an application of a first server (such as an off-premises server or an on-premises server) is received and a requested file system is determined based on the received file system event request. Stored file system path data associated with the requested file system can then be identified. The file system event request is then communicated to a second server (such as an on-premises server or off-premises server) based on the identified file system path data.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

first server;

a second server;

file system path data;

a file system event request;

a memory comprising program instructions; and

a processor in communication with the memory, wherein the computer system is configured to perform a method upon execution of the program instructions by the processor, the method comprising;

receiving the file system path data from at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application of an off-premises server, an application of an on-premises server, an off-premises server module, and an on-premises server module, the file system path data being associated with a plurality of different remote file systems;

storing, in a file system path data store, the file system path data, the file system path data store being part of a switch component of a first network of a first location, the first network also comprising the first server in communication with the switch component across the first network, the remote file systems being of different servers of a plurality of different networks of different locations remote from the first location, wherein the first network is in communication with the plurality of different networks across a wide area network communication link, wherein the stored file system path data comprises, for each remote file system of the remote file systems, a respective identification of a server, of the different servers, of which the remote file system is a part, wherein the storing is performed by a registration module of the switch component and the registration module is adapted to remove the file system path data from the file system path data store in response to at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application, a server, and a file system becoming inaccessible;

receiving by the switch component the file system event request across the first network from an application of the first server, the file system event request being a request by the application of the first server for a file system event to be completed against a requested remote file system of the remote file systems, the requested file system being a remote file system of the second server at a second location remote from the first server at the first location;

processing, by a routing component of the switch component, the file system event request in conjunction with the stored file system path data, the processing comprising;

identifying the requested file system, from the different remote file systems for which the file system path data is stored, based on an identification portion of the received file system event request identifying that the requested file system is the remote file system; and

identifying, from the stored file system path data, file system path data associated with the requested file system, the file system path data associated with the requested file system comprising the identification of the second server of which the requested file system is a part;

communicating by the switch component the file system event request to the second server based on the identified file system path data associated with the requested file system identifying the requested file system is of the second server; and

receiving, by the switch component, a response to the communication file system event request, and communicating, by the switch component, the received response to the application of the first server;

wherein the remote file systems are split into file systems that are implemented in at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an off-premises environment and an on-premises environment, and wherein the remote file systems invoke each other and exchange data via the switch component.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises server and the second server comprises an on-premises server, or the first server comprises an on-premises server and the second server comprises an off-premises server.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises cloud server, and wherein the application of the first server is provided as a service of the off-premises cloud server.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the received file system path data comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a file system name of the remote file system, a server identification of the second server, a server address of the second server, a file system version identifier of a version of the remote file system, supported file system events, permitted file system events, permission information, authentication information, and checksum information.

5. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the file system event request comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a file system name of the remote file system, file system event, a data payload, and entry point data.

6. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises server and the second server comprises an on-premises server, and wherein the receiving the file system event request receives the file system event request from the off-premises server, and the communicating the file system event request communicates the file system event request to the on-premises server based on the identified file system path data.

7. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the first server comprises an on-premises server and the second server comprises an off-premises server, and wherein the receiving the file system event request receives the file system event request from the on-premises server, and the communicating the file system event request communicates the file system event request to the off-premises server based on the identified file system path data.

8. A computer-implemented method of managing communication between off-premises and on-premises servers, the method comprising:

receiving file system path data from at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application of an off-premises server, an application of an on-premises server, an off-premises server module, and an on-premises server module, the file system path data being associated with a plurality of different remote file systems;

storing, in a file system path data store, the file system path data, the file system path data store being part of a switch component of a first network of a first location, the first network also comprising a first server in communication with the switch component across the first network, the remote file systems being of different servers of a plurality of different networks of different locations remote from the first location, wherein the first network is in communication with the plurality of different networks across a wide area network communication link, wherein the stored file system path data comprises, for each remote file system of the remote file systems, a respective identification of a server, of the different servers, of which the remote file system is a part, wherein the storing is performed by a registration module of the switch component and the registration module is adapted to remove the file system path data from the file system path data store in response to at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application, a server, and a file system becoming inaccessible;

receiving by the switch component a file system event request across the first network from an application of the first server, the file system event request being a request by the application of the first server for a file system event to be completed against a requested remote file system of the remote file systems, the requested file system being a remote file system of a second server at a second location remote from the first server at the first location;

processing, by a routing component of the switch component, the file system event request in conjunction with the stored file system path data, the processing comprising;

identifying the requested file system, from the different remote file systems for which the file system path data is stored, based on an identification portion of the received file system event request identifying that the requested file system is the remote file system; and

identifying, from the stored file system path data, file system path data associated with the requested file system, the file system path data associated with the requested file system comprising the identification of the second server of which the requested file system is a part;

communicating by the switch component the file system event request to the second server based on the identified file system path data associated with the requested file system identifying the requested file system is of the second server; and

receiving, by the switch component, a response to the communicated file system event request, and communicating, by the switch component, the received response to the application of the first server;

wherein the remote file systems are split into file systems that are implemented in at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an off-premises environment and an on-premises environment, and wherein the remote file systems invoke each other and exchange data via the switch component.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises server and the second server comprises an on-premises server, or the first server comprises an on-premises server and the second server comprises an off-premises server.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises server and the second server comprises an on-premises server, and wherein the receiving the file system event request comprises receiving the file system event request from the off-premises server, and wherein the communicating the file system event request comprises communicating the file system event request to the on-premises server based on the identified file system path data.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the first server comprises an on-premises server and the second server comprises an off-premises server, and wherein the receiving the file system event request comprises receiving the file system event request from the on-premises server, and wherein the communicating the file system event request comprises communicating the file system event request to the off-premises server based on the identified file system path data.

12. A computer program product for managing communication between off-premises and on-premises servers, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a processing unit to cause the processing unit to perform a method comprising;

receiving file system path data from at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application of an off-premises server, an application of an on-premises server, an off-premises server module, and an on-premises server module, the file system path data being associated with a plurality of different remote file systems;

storing, in a file system path data store, the file system path data, the file system path data store being part of a switch component of a first network of a first location, the first network also comprising a first server in communication with the switch component across the first network, the remote file systems being of different servers of a plurality of different networks of different locations remote from the first location, wherein the first network is in communication with the plurality of different networks across a wide area network communication link, wherein the stored filed system path data comprises, for each remote file system of the remote file systems, a respective identification of a server, of the different servers, of which the remote file system is a part, wherein the storing is performed by a registration module of the switch component and the registration module is adapted to remove the file system path data from the file system path data store in response to at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an application, a server, and a file system becoming inaccessible;

receiving by the switch component a file system event request across the first network from an application of the first server, the file system event request being a request by the application of the first server for a file system event to be completed against a requested remote file system of the remote file systems, the requested file system being a remote file system of a second server at a second location remote from the first server at the first location;

processing, by a routing component of the switch component, the file system event request in conjunction with the stored file system path data, the processing comprising;

identifying the requested file system, from the different remote file systems for which the file system path data is stored, based on an identification portion of the received file system event request identifying that the requested file system is the remote file system; and

identifying, from the stored file system path data, file system path data associated with the requested file system, the file system path data associated with the requested file system comprising the identification of the second server of which the requested file system is a part;

communicating by the switch component the file system event request to the second server based on the identified file system path data associated with the requested file system identifying the requested file system is of the second server; and

receiving, by the switch component, a response to the communicated file system event request, and communicating, by the switch component, the received response to the application of the first server;

wherein the remote file systems are split into file systems that are implemented in at least one selected from the group consisting of;

an off-premises environment and an on-premises environment, and wherein the remote file systems invoke each other and exchange data via the switch component.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises server and the second server comprises an on-premises server, or the first server comprises an on-premises server and the second server comprises an off-premises server.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the first server comprises an off-premises cloud server, and wherein the application of the first server provided as a service of the off-premises cloud server.