System and method for providing a programming-language-independent interface for querying file system content

• US 20060004709A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Veritas Operating Corporation (Gen Digital Inc.)
• Inventors: Premo, Nur, Borthakur, Dhrubajyoti
• Granted Patent: US 8,306,991 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A system and method for providing a programming-language-independent interface for querying file system content. In one embodiment, the system may include a storage device configured to store a plurality of files and a file system configured to manage access to the storage device and to store file system content. The file system may include a programming-language-independent interface whereby an application queries the file system content. In various specific implementations of the system, file system content may include file data stored in one or more of the plurality of files, or metadata stored in a named stream corresponding to a given file, respectively. In another specific implementation of the system, the application querying file system content may include the application generating a query in a query language, the application submitting the query to a query engine via the programming-language-independent interface, and the query engine evaluating said query.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of files; and

a file system configured to manage access to said storage device and to store file system content, wherein said file system comprises a programming-language-independent interface whereby an application queries said file system content.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said file system content comprises file data stored in one or more of said plurality of files.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said file system content comprises metadata stored in a named stream corresponding to a given file.

4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein said metadata is stored in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said application querying said file system content comprises:

said application generating a query in a query language;

said application submitting said query to a query engine via said programming-language-independent interface; and

said query engine evaluating said query.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said query language is compliant with XML Query (XQuery) language.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said file system implements a security model, and wherein said application querying said file system content is performed contingently upon said security model.

8. A method, comprising:

storing file system content; and

querying said file system content via a programming-language-independent interface.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said file system content comprises file data stored in one or more files.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said file system content comprises metadata stored in a named stream corresponding to a given file.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein said metadata is stored in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein querying said file system content comprises:

generating a query in a query language;

submitting said query to a query engine via said programming-language-independent interface; and

evaluating said query.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said query language is compliant with XML Query (XQuery) language.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising implementing a security model, wherein said querying said file system content is performed contingently upon said security model.

15. A computer-accessible medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to:

store file system content; and

query said file system content via a programming-language-independent interface.

16. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said file system content comprises file data stored in one or more files.

17. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said file system content comprises metadata stored in a named stream corresponding to a given file.

18. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 17, wherein said metadata is stored in Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

19. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said program instructions are further executable to:

generate a query in a query language;

submit said query to a query engine via said programming-language-independent interface; and

evaluate said query.

20. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein said query language is compliant with XML Query (XQuery) language.

21. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said program instructions are further executable to implement a security model, and wherein said querying said file system content is performed contingently upon said security model.

22. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of files; and

a file system configured to manage access to said storage device and to store file system content, wherein said file system comprises an XML Query (XQuery) query language interface whereby an application queries said file system content.