System and method for redirection of host data access to multiple non-host file systems or data stores

• US 20020169830A1
• Filed: 05/06/2002
• Published: 11/14/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Mild, Wilhelm, Graul, Karsten, Franzki, Ingo, Schmidbauer, Joerg
• Granted Patent: US 8,001,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for automatic redirection of record-based data access to host files to multiple non-host file systems having non-record-based access comprising a redirector engine, a redirector server and at least one handler. The redirector engine, located on the host side, gets automatic control for each request of a host application (e.g., a read/write request), interprets a property list containing information on whether and how redirection for that request should be processed, makes a redirect decision based on information received from the property list, and establishes a communication with its assigned redirector server. The redirector server, located on a non-host system, handles communication with the redirector engine and the handler, performs data conversions if required and passes control to the handler assigned in the property list. The handler component converts the initial request into a request specific to the non-host file system, controls the execution of the request, and returns the result to the redirector engine. A main advantage of the present invention is that heterogeneous systems using different file systems can work on the same data store without any modification of the host applications themselves. A synchronization of data between the host system and non-host systems can be selected very easily by setting the appropriate parameter in the property list. The data can be stored in different file systems or data stores simultaneously. Finally, the host program is able to access data in different file system, in different encoding formats at the same time in real time.

Claims

1. A system for automatic redirection of a record-based data access via a request for host data stored on a host system to a non-record-based data access to data stored on a non-host system, said host system having a host application which generates requests for said host data, comprising:

a redirector engine associated with the host system which receives an initial request for host data from said host application;

a handler associated with the non-host system which converts a request for host data into a request specific to the non-record-based data access; and

a redirector server associated with the non-host system which intermediates between said redirector engine and said handler to pass said request for host data to said handler and to return a result of said non-record-based data access to said host application;

2. The system of claim 1 in which said redirector server returns said result to said host application via said redirector engine.

3. The system of claim 1 in which said host system has a record-based access component for accessing said host data and said non-host system has a non-record-based access component for accessing said data stored on said non-host system.

4. The system of claim 1 in which said redirector server performs data conversion if required.

5. The system of claim 1 in which said redirector engine interprets a property list containing information on whether and how redirection for the initial request should be processed and makes a redirect decision based on information received from the property list.

6. The system of claim 5 in which said redirector server passes control to a handler specified by the property list.

7. The system of claim 5 in which said property list contains parameters for catalogue name, filename, owner, IP address, port, and handler.

8. The system of claim 1 in which the initial request is of a given type, said redirector engine sending a data package to said redirector server containing information about said request type.

9. The system of claim 8 in which said request type is an open request, a read request, or a write request.

10. The system of claim 1 in which said redirector engine sends a data package to said redirector server containing one or more parameters identifying data to be accessed.

11. The system of claim 10 in which said parameters include catalogue name and filename.

12. The system of claim 1 in which said redirector engine sends a data package to said redirector server specifying a handler.

13. The system of claim 1 in which said handler is located on the non-host system .

15. The system of claim 14 in which said redirector server passes said request for host data to one of a plurality of handlers on said non-host system as specified for said request by said host system.

16. The system of claim 14 in which said handler converts a request for host data into a request specific to the non-record-based data access.

18. The system of claim 17 in which said redirector engine accesses an entry in a property list corresponding to the host data being requested to determine whether to redirect said request to said non-host system.

19. The system of claim 17 in which said redirector accesses an entry in a property list corresponding to the host data being requested to determine which of a plurality of host systems to redirect said request to.

20. The system of claim 17 in which said redirector engine receives a result of said non-record-based data access from said non-host system and returns said result to said host application.

14. A non-host system using a non-record-based access component for accessing data stored on said non-host system, said non-host system having communication with a host system using a system for automatic redirection of a record-based data access via a request for host data stored on said host system to a non-record-based data access to said data stored on said non-host system, said non-host system comprising:

a handler which processes a request for host data as a non-record-based data access to data stored on said non-host system; and

a redirector server which intermediates between said host system and said handler to pass a request for host data from said host system to said handler and to return a result of said non-record-based data access to said host system.

17. A system for automatic redirection of a record-based data access via a request for host data stored on a host system to a non-record-based data access to data stored on a non-host system, said host system having a host application which generates requests for host data and a record-based access component for accessing said host data, comprising:

a redirector engine associated with the host system which intercepts a request for host data from said host application to said record-based access component and redirects said request to said non-host system for processing as a non-record-based data access to data stored on said non-host system.

21. A method for processing a request for record-based data originating from a host system on a non-host system using a non-record-based access component for accessing non-record-based data stored on said non-host system, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for record-based data from said host system;

processing said request for record-based data as a non-record-based data access to said non-record-based data stored on said non-host system; and

returning a result of said non-record-based data access to said host application.

22. The method of claim 21 in which said processing step comprises the step of converting said request for record-based data into a request specific to the non-record-based data access.

23. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium, containing software code which executes the method of claim 21 if the code is run on a computer.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

accessing an entry in a property list corresponding to the host data being requested to determine whether to redirect said request to said non-host system.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of:

accessing an entry in a property list corresponding to the host data being requested to determine which of a plurality of host systems to redirect said request to.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a result of said non-record-based data access from said non-host system; and

returning said result to said host application.

28. The method of claim 24 in which said steps are performed on said host system, said method further comprising the following steps performed on said non-host system:

receiving said request for host data from said host system;

processing said request for host data as a non-record-based data access to data stored on said non-host system; and

returning a result of said non-record-based data access to said host system.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the following steps performed on said host system:

receiving said result of said non-record-based data access from said non-host system; and

returning said result to said host application.

30. A computer program product stored on a computer-readable medium, containing software code which executes the method of claim 24 if the code is run on a computer.

24. A method for automatic redirection of a record-based data access via a request for host data stored on a host system to a non-record-based data access to data stored on a non-host system, said host system having a host application which generates requests for host data and a record-based access component for accessing said host data, comprising the steps of:

intercepting a request for host data from said host application to said record-based access component; and

redirecting said request to said non-host system for processing as a non-record-based data access to data stored on said non-host system.