System and method for querying file system content

• US 20060004787A1
• 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, Pasqua, Joseph, Borthakur, Dhrubajyoti
• Granted Patent: US 7,831,552 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 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. The file system may be further configured to perform in-band detection of a file system content access event and to responsively generate a given metadata record. The system may further include a query system configured to query the given metadata record.

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, wherein said file system is further configured to perform in-band detection of a file system content access event and to responsively generate a given metadata record; and

a query system configured to query said given metadata record.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said query system is further configured to query file data stored in one or more of said plurality of files.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said file system is further configured to generate an event record in response to said in-band detection of said file system content access event, and wherein said query system is further configured to query said event record.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a content processing daemon configured to notify said query system of said file system content access event, in response to which said query system is further configured to maintain referential integrity of an index of said file system content with respect to said file system content access event.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said given metadata record is stored in an extensible, self-describing data format.

6. The system as recited in claim 5, wherein said extensible, self-describing data format is compliant with a version of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein querying said given metadata record includes evaluating a query generated in XML Query (XQuery) language.

8. A method, comprising:

storing file system content;

performing in-band detection of a file system content access event;

in response to performing said in-band detection, generating a given metadata record; and

querying said given metadata record.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising querying file data stored in one or more of a plurality of files.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

generating an event record in response to said in-band detection of said file system content access event; and

querying said event record.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

maintaining an index of said file system content;

receiving notification of said file system content access event;

in response to receiving said notification, maintaining referential integrity of said index with respect to said file system content access event.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said given metadata record is stored in an extensible, self-describing data format.

13. The method as recited in claim 12, wherein said extensible, self-describing data format is compliant with a version of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein querying said given metadata record includes evaluating a query generated in XML Query (XQuery) language.

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

store file system content;

perform in-band detection of a file system content access event;

in response to performing said in-band detection, generate a given metadata record; and

query said given metadata record.

16. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein the program instructions are further executable to query file data stored in one or more of a plurality of files.

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

generate an event record in response to said in-band detection of said file system content access event; and

query said event record.

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

maintain an index of said file system content;

receive notification of said file system content access event;

in response to receiving said notification, maintain referential integrity of said index with respect to said file system content access event.

19. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said given metadata record is stored in an extensible, self-describing data format.

20. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 19, wherein said extensible, self-describing data format is compliant with a version of the Extensible Markup Language (XML) format.

21. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein querying said given metadata record includes evaluating a query generated in XML Query (XQuery) language.