Selective file purging for delete or rename

• US 20030009480A1
• Filed: 06/18/2001
• Published: 01/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lin, Yun, Pardikar, Shishir, Ramanathan, Venkataraman
• Granted Patent: US 6,889,233 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method of purging cached open files from a client-side delayed close list on a remote file system. The remote file system stores a unique file identifier for each cached open file which is independent of the cached file'"'"'s namespace. In response to a delete or rename command of a remote target file, the remote file system obtains a target file identifier from the target file'"'"'s server. The remote file system then compares the target file identifier with each of the cached file'"'"'s unique file identifier. If a cached file'"'"'s unique file identifier matches the target file identifier, the cached file is purged from the delayed close list.

Claims

1. In a network operating system containing a client-side delayed close list of cached open files with cached filenames, a method for purging from the delayed close list the cached open files which reference a target file located on a remote server, the target file having a target filename, the method comprising:

storing a unique file identifier for each of the cached files, wherein the unique file identifier is independent of the cached filenames;

receiving a target file identifier for the target file from the server, wherein the target file identifier is independent of the target filename; and

purging from the delayed close list the cached open files having the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a delete command for the target file from an application executing on the networking operating system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising issuing the delete command to the remote server.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a rename command for the target file from an application executing on the networking operating system.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising issuing the rename command to the remote server.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the remote server for the unique file identifier.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising querying the remote server for the target file identifier.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the purging further comprises comparing the unique file identifier with the target file identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the purging further comprises closing the cached open files having the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the purging further comprises deleting entries from the delayed close list corresponding to the cached open files having the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the unique file identifier and the target file identifier are universal file identifiers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is encoded in a computer program product readable by a computing system.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the unique file identifier is a universal file identifier.

16. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer process further comprises receiving a delete command for the target file from an executing application.

17. The computer program of claim 16, wherein the computer process further comprises issuing the delete command to the server.

18. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer process further comprises receiving a rename command for the target file from an executing application.

19. The computer program of claim 18, wherein the computer process further comprises issuing the rename command to the server.

20. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer process further comprises querying the server for the unique file identifier.

21. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the computer process further comprises querying the server for the target file identifier.

22. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the purging further comprises comparing the unique file identifier with the target file identifier.

23. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the purging further comprises closing the cached open files having the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.

24. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the purging further comprises deleting entries from the delayed close list corresponding to the cached open files having the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.

25. The computer program of claim 15, wherein the unique file identifier and the target file identifier are universal file identifiers.

13. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure for purging a delayed close list of cached open files, the data structure comprising:

a namespace field representing a network filename for a remote file; and

a unique file identifier independent of the network filename.

15. A computer program product readable by a computing system and encoding a computer program of instructions for executing a computer process for purging from a client-side delayed close list a cached open file which references a target file located on a server, the computer process comprising:

storing a file namespace for the cached open file;

storing a unique file identifier for the cached open file, wherein the unique file identifier is independent of the file namespace;

receiving a target namespace for the target file;

receiving a target file identifier for the target file from the server, wherein the target file identifier is independent of the target namespace; and

purging from the delayed close list the cached open file if the cached open file has the same unique file identifier as the target file identifier.