Transferring data and storing metadata across a network

• US 20040003013A1
• Filed: 10/31/2002
• Published: 01/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Voutsinas, George, Dykstal, David, Coulthard, Phil
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Data is now able to be transferred back and forth between computer systems which have disparate file systems, e.g., between a computer having a hierarchical file system and a computer having a nonhierarchical file system. The differences, however, are not limited to the file storage system. Data may now be transferred across different platforms, different human and computer languages, different binary codes, etc. From one computer system the associated metadata is stored in a interpretable format on the second computer system so that when data and its associated metadata are transferred, the second computer system can interpret the transferred data. Data transfer can be accomplished in both directions. Thus, a tool writer or a software developer using a integrated development environment, such as Eclipse, on a Linux workstation with its hierarchical file system may download source files and other resources from an iSeries computer server with its OS/400 nonhierarchical file system, modify the resources, and then put them back onto the iSeries machine for use on the iSeries. The metadata of the source file and other resources are stored in a properties file which, if in XML format, supports the transfer of resources across the Internet.

Claims

1. A method to transfer data from a first computer to a second computer, the first and second computer having disparate file structures, each of the file structures characterized by its metadata, the method comprising the steps of:

(1) listing a data structure of the data to be transferred from the first computer;

(2) scanning the metadata of the data structure to be transferred;

(3) storing the metadata in a properties file;

(4) creating a corresponding data structure of the data structure in the second computer;

(5) translating the metadata in the properties file to corresponding metadata in the second computer; and

(6) transferring the data; and

(7) converting the data in the data structure of the first computer to a usable format in the corresponding data structure in the second computer using the corresponding metadata.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure of the first computer is a file in a nonhierarchical file system and the data is within at least one member of the file, and the corresponding data structure in the second computer is a folder and the transferred data is in a file, the second computer having a hierarchical file structure.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure of the first computer is a folder and the data is within at least one file, the first computer having a hierarchical file structure, and the corresponding data structure in the second computer is a file and the transferred data is in a member, the second computer having a nonhierarchical file structure.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the data structure of the first computer is different than the corresponding data structure in the second computer, the metadata representing the differences in the data structures.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first computer has a hierarchical file structure, and the second computer has a hierarchical file structure.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first computer has a nonhierarchical file structure, and the second computer has a nonhierarchical file structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the files of a folder in a hierarchical file structure have the same values of metadata.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the members of a file in a nonhierarchical file structure have the same values of metadata.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the properties file may be located on a third computer connected to a network to which the first and the second computers are connected.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata includes at least one of the following:

binary code format, human language, computer language, permissions, dates.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical file system may be on a Linux operating system.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the hierarchical file system may be on a Windows operating system.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the nonhierarchical file system may be on an OS/400 operating system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the nonhierarchical file system may be on an a OS/390 operating system.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the data may be pushed, pulled, imported, released, and/or caught up between the first computer and the second computer across a network.

16. A method by which to transfer data across a network, comprising reading metadata of the data on a first computer system and storing the metadata on a second computer system and then converting the data from the first computer to usable data on the second computer by applying the stored metadata.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the metadata is stored in an XML file on the second computer.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the metadata is stored on a third computer connected to a network connecting the first and second computers.

19. A computer processing device, comprising:

(1) a processor;

(2) a memory functionally connected to the processor, the memory having a first file structure;

(3) a network interface by which the processor can access one or more remote systems across a connected or wireless network, the one or more remote systems having a second file structure;

(4) an application within the memory needing data having the second file structure, and

(5) a properties file in the memory, the properties file having attributes of the second file structure for use in converting the data to the first file structure.

20. An article of manufacture, comprising a data storage medium tangibly embodying a program of machine readable instructions executable by an electronic processing apparatus to perform method steps for operating an electronic processing apparatus, said method steps comprising the steps of:

(1) obtaining a data structure and its associated metadata from a first operating system;

(2) converting the associated metadata into a properties file; and

(3) using the properties files, creating a second data structure with its second associated metadata on a second operating system.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the method steps may further comprise:

(1) transferring data having the data structure from the first operating system to the second operating system;

(2) storing the transferred data in the second data structure usable by the second operating system.

22. A computer processing system, comprising:

(1) a processor under the operation of a first operating system;

(2) a memory connected to the processor wherein data is stored in a data structure accessible by the first operating system;

(3) a network interface connected to the processor by which the processor can receive input data; and

(4) the received input data being converted from a second operating system using a metadata properties files to convert the input data to the data structure.

23. The computer processing system of claim 22, wherein the second operating system is on a second computer processing system.

24. The computer processing system of claim 22, wherein the memory is connected to the processor across at least one network.

25. The computer processing system of claim 23, wherein the metadata properties files is located on a third computer processing system connected to the computer processing system and the second computer processing system.

26. The computer processing system of claim 25, wherein the memory is on a fourth computer processing system connected to the computer processing system and the second computer processing system and the third computer processing system across the at least one network.

27. A computer file transfer mechanism, comprising:

(1) means for reading a first data structure on a first operating system;

(2) means for creating a properties file having metadata of the first data structure;

(3) means for transferring the properties file;

(4) means for creating a second data structure on a second operating system from the properties file;

(5) means for transferring data having the first data structure to the second data structure.

28. The computer file transfer mechanism of claim 27, wherein the means for transferring the properties file is connected to the Internet and a transfer of the data occurs across the Internet.

29. The computer file transfer mechanism of claim 27, wherein the means for transferring the properties file is connected to a local area network and a transfer of the data occurs across the local area network.

30. The computer file transfer mechanism of claim 27, wherein the means for transferring the properties file is connected to a wide area network and a transfer of the data occurs across the wide area network.

31. The computer file transfer mechanism of claim 27, wherein the properties file is in XML format.