Method and system for creating and maintaining version-specific properties in a file

• US 20060242208A1
• Filed: 06/06/2006
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goldick, Jonathan S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,849,054 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 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

A method and system creates and maintains a version-specific attribute or property that is stored as part of a file in a file system, contains specific version information relating to how or when the attribute was created and is automatically invalidated when a predetermined “update” event occurs. Third party applications generally create and access these versions-specific attributes to thereby eliminate the need for external logs or databases to store persistent state information.

Claims

1. A method of providing a file stored in a computer system with version-specific information relating to a replicator application that is independent from an application used to create the file, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the replicator application to create a version-specific attribute associated with the file, wherein the version-specific attribute contains version-specific information relating to the replicator application;

maintaining the version-specific attribute to reflect relevant updates to the file by automatically invalidating the version-specific information in response to a predetermined event, wherein the version-specific attribute comprises mask information providing information related to which predetermined events invalidate the version-specific information;

receiving a request from the replicator application to evaluate the version-specific attribute; and

providing the version specific information to the replicator application in response to the request to evaluate the version-specific attribute.

2. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, wherein the data structure comprises:

an actual file data section containing actual file data;

a header section;

a version-specific attribute section, wherein the version-specific attribute section is created by a virus scanning application that is independent from an application used to create the actual file data, and wherein the version-specific attribute comprises a meta information section and a mask information section, the mask information section providing information related to which predetermined events invalidate the version-specific attribute, and wherein the version-specific attribute is invalidated in response to one of said predetermined events; and

wherein the predetermined event relates to a modification of metadata associated with the file.

3. A method of providing a services layer with a virus-scan function for performing virus scanning and cleaning functions each time a file is accessed by another application or module, the method comprising:

receiving a request from the services layer to create a version-specific attribute associated with one or more files, wherein the version-specific attribute contains version-specific information relating to an application; and

providing a virus-scan function that performs virus scanning and cleaning functions each time a file is accessed by an application or module.