Full text search capabilities integrated into distributed file systems

• US 20060053157A1
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Published: 03/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: William M. Pitts
• Original Assignee: William M. Pitts
• Inventors: Pitts, William M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing

Abstract

A hierarchical distributed search mechanism is integrated into a distributed file system. Traditional file system APIs (create, open, close, read, write, link, rename, delete, . . . ) and the over-the-wire protocols employed to project these APIs into remote client sites (CIFS, NFS, DDS, Appletalk) are extended to enable the dynamic creation of temporary directories containing links to objects identified by search engines (executing at sites “close” to “their” data) as meeting the search criteria specified by the first parameter of a search function call. The search function, derived from the standard file system API function create, is added to the file system API.

Claims

1. A method for incrementally indexing information contained in files within a distributed file system residing upon a virtual file server assembled by integrating a plurality of file servers comprising the steps of:

a. upon closing one of the files of the distributed file system after information contained in the file being closed has been changed;

i. parsing the information contained in the file; and

ii. creating inverted index entries from the parsed information;

b. sorting the inverted index entries; and

c. merging the sorted inverted index entries into inverted file records of an inverted file that is associated with content of the distributed file system.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of including in each inverted index entry created from the parsed information a global scope object id which uniquely specifies an object contained within the distributed file system.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein parsing of the information contained in the file, creating the inverted index entries, sorting of the inverted index entries and merging the sorted inverted index entries into the inverted file records completes during closing of the file.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein closing the file initiates parsing of the information contained in the file, creating the inverted index entries, sorting of the inverted index entries and merging the sorted inverted index entries into the inverted file records.

5. The method of claim 2 comprising, after the step of sorting the inverted index entries, the further steps of:

a. differencing the sorted inverted index entries against inverted index entries for a prior version of the file thereby producing a difference file containing inverted index entries that indicate additions and deletions to the file; and

b. using the inverted index entries of the difference file, updating the inverted file that is associated with with the content of the distributed file system.

6. A method for generating a unique global object system id for a file system included in a distributed file system residing on a virtual file server assembled by integrating a plurality of file servers comprising the step of concatenating:

a. the file system'"'"'s origin file server'"'"'s ip address; and

b. the origin file server'"'"'s then current time.

7. A method for establishing a unique global object system id for a file system included in a distributed file system residing on a virtual file server assembled by integrating a plurality of file servers comprising the steps of:

a. concatenating;

i. the file system'"'"'s origin file server'"'"'s ip address; and

ii. the origin file server'"'"'s then current time; and

b. registering the concatenated origin file server'"'"'s ip address and origin file server'"'"'s current time with a provider locator service.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein when the provider locator service rejects registration of the concatenated origin file server'"'"'s ip address and origin file server'"'"'s current time for lack of uniqueness:

a. at a later time again concatenating;

i. the file system'"'"'s origin file server'"'"'s ip address; and

ii. the origin file server'"'"'s then current time; and

b. registering the subsequently concatenated origin file server'"'"'s ip address and origin file server'"'"'s current time with the provider locator service.