Prioritized files

• US 20060136446A1
• Filed: 12/17/2004
• Published: 06/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hughes, Aidan T., Barr, Paul C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,610,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

An entry for a file to be stored in a file system can be created. A priority is assigned to the file that indicates an importance of the file relative to a plurality of additional files stored in the file system, the priority being one of three or more priorities available to files in the file system. Additionally, one or more of the files that are associated with the lowest priority values can be automatically deleted.

Claims

1. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computer, causes the one or more processors to:

create an entry for a file to be stored in a file system; and

assign a priority to the file that indicates an importance of the file relative to a plurality of additional files stored in the file system, the priority being one of three or more priorities available to files in the file system.

2. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to include the priority in the entry for the file.

3. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the entry further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was created.

4. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the entry further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was last modified.

5. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the entry further includes a deleted attribute identifying whether the file has been deleted.

6. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the entry is an entry in a file table maintained by an operating system executed by the one or more processors.

7. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions are part of an operating system.

8. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the three or more priorities include a first one or more priorities assigned to user-explicit data, a second one or more priorities assigned to user-implicit data, and a third one or more priorities assigned to system data.

9. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein the user-explicit data is a higher priority than the user-implicit data, and wherein the user-implicit data is a higher priority than the system data.

10. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the priority for the file is received from an application that requested that the file be created.

11. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the three or more priorities are selected by a user of the computer.

12. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to automatically delete one or more of the plurality of additional files that are assigned the lowest priorities.

13. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to automatically move one or more of the plurality of additional files that are assigned the lowest priorities from one storage device of the computer to another storage device.

14. A method comprising:

accessing data describing a file stored on a storage device; and

obtaining, from the data, a priority value for the file, wherein multiple files of a plurality of other files stored on the storage device have different ones of a plurality of priority values, and wherein each of the plurality of priority values is different than the priority value for the file.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was created.

16. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was last modified.

17. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data further includes a deleted attribute identifying whether the file has been deleted.

18. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the data describing the file is data included in a data entry of a file storage table.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, wherein the file storage table is maintained by an operating system being executed by one or more processors of a computer.

20. A method as recited in claim 14, further comprising automatically deleting one or more of the plurality of other files that are assigned the lowest priority values.

21. One or more computer readable media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the one or more processors to:

maintain, for each of a plurality of files stored on a storage device, a priority value associated with the file; and

automatically delete one or more of the plurality of files associated with the lowest priority values.

22. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the plurality of instructions are part of an operating system.

23. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the one or more of the plurality of files are deleted when less than a threshold amount of free space remains on the storage device.

24. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the storage device comprises a hard disk included in a same computer as the one or more processors.

25. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the storage device comprises a portable flash memory device.

26. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to maintain, for each of the plurality of files, a date or time attribute identifying when the file was created.

27. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to maintain, for each of the plurality of files, a date or time attribute identifying when the file was last modified.

28. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the instructions further cause the one or more processors to maintain, for each of the plurality of files, a deleted attribute identifying whether the file has been deleted.

29. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the priority values are maintained in a file table by an operating system executed by the one or more processors.

30. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the priority values include a first one or more priority values assigned to user-explicit data, a second one or more priority values assigned to user-implicit data, and a third one or more priority values assigned to system data.

31. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 30, wherein the user-explicit data is a higher priority than the user-implicit data, and wherein the user-implicit data is a higher priority than the system data.

32. One or more computer readable media as recited in claim 21, wherein the plurality of instructions further cause the one or more processors to, prior to deletion of the one or more of the plurality of files associated with the lowest priority values, automatically copy the one or more of the plurality of files associated with the lowest priority values to another storage device.

33. A computer comprising:

a processor;

a storage device;

a system memory, coupled to the processor, to store instructions for execution by the processor, wherein the instructions cause the processor to;

access data describing a file stored on the storage device; and

obtain, from the data, a priority value for the file, wherein multiple files of a plurality of other files stored on the storage device have different ones of a plurality of priority values, each of the plurality of priority values being different than the priority value for the file.

34. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein the data further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was created.

35. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein the data further includes a date or time attribute identifying when the file was last modified.

36. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein the data further includes a deleted attribute identifying whether the file has been deleted.

37. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein the data describing the file is data included in an entry in a file table maintained by an operating system of the computer.

38. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to automatically delete one or more of the plurality of other files that are assigned the lowest priorities.

39. A computer as recited in claim 33, wherein two or more of the plurality of files have the same one of the plurality of priority values.