Method and system for managing files in a file system

• US 20060271538A1
• Filed: 05/24/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ur, Shmuel, Mizrachi, Boaz
• Application Number:
  US11/135,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20060271538A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/152 using file content signatures, e.g. hash values

Abstract

A method and system for managing files in a file system is provided. The method and system generate a signature of a file, the signature storing a plurality of characteristics of the file. The method and system then delete the file from the file system, and enable searching for a substantially identical copy of the file based on the characeristics stored on said signature. The method and system may be used to determine the probability of finding a substantially identical copy of a file prior to deleting said file from a file system, by searching for at least one copy of the file, and calculating a rating of the probability of finding the substantially identical copy of the file based on the results of the search.

Claims

1. A method of managing files in a file system, comprising:

generating a signature of a file, said signature storing a plurality of characteristics of said file; and

providing user interface to enable searching for a substantially identical copy of said file based on the characteristics stored on said signature.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising deleting said file.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching for at least one copy of said file;

and

determining a rating of the probability of finding a substantially identical copy of said file based on the results of said searching.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising deleting said file if said rating is below a given probability threshold.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising deleting said file.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing user interface comprises presenting a hypertext link to perform a search of said file, said link holding the characteristics of said file.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said providing user interface comprises presenting a user interface (UI) button, said UI button holding the characteristics of said file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of characteristics includes any one of the following:

name of said file, size of said file, type of said file, keywords related to said file, hash function of said file, that allows identifying said file.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said plurality of characteristics includes a pointer to an identical file that was found.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising displaying said rating in proximity to said signature.

11. The method of claim 3 wherein said searching is performed in configurable predefined places.

12. The method of claim 3 wherein said searching is performed in any one of the following:

a plurality of storage databases in the Local Area Network (LAN), a plurality of storage databases in the Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet, and in mail applications.

13. The method of claim 3 wherein said searching further comprising sending said signature or a subset of the characteristics of said signature to a search engine for searching said file.

14. A system for managing files in a file system, comprising:

a signature generation module to generate a signature of a file, said signature storing a plurality of characteristics of said file; and

a search module to search for a substantially identical copy of said file based on the characteristics stored on said signature.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein said signature generation module generates a hypertext link to perform a search of said file, said link holds said plurality of characteristics of said file.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein said signature generation module generates a user interface (UI) button, said UI button holds said plurality of characteristics of said file.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein said plurality of characteristics includes any one of the following:

name of said file, size of said file, type of said file, keywords related to said file, hash function of said file, that allows identifying said file.

18. The system of claim 14 wherein said plurality of characteristics includes a pointer to an identical file that was found.

19. The system of claim 14 wherein said search module is adapted to search in configurable predefined places.

20. The system of claim 14 wherein said search module is adapted to send said signature or a subset of the characteristics of said signature to a search engine for searching said file.

21. A method of determining a probability of finding a substantial identical copy of a file prior to deleting said file from a file system, comprising:

searching for at least one copy of said file; and

calculating a rating of the probability of finding said substantially identical copy of said file based on the results of said searching.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying said rating in proximity to said file.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising displaying said rating in proximity to a signature of said file.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

comparing said rating and a plurality of characteristics related to said file system to at least one rule of a policy for management of said file system; and

if said rule is fulfilled by said rating and said plurality of characteristics related to said file system, automatically deleting said said file from said file system.

25. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of managing files in a file system, comprising:

generating a signature of a file, said signature storing a plurality of characteristics of said file; and

providing user interface to enable searching for a substantially identical copy of said file based on the characteristics stored on said signature.

26. The computer software product of claim 25, further comprising deleting said file.

27. The computer software product of claim 25, further comprising searching for at least one copy of said file;

and

determining a rating of the probability of finding a substantially identical copy of said file based on the results of said searching.

28. The computer software product of claim 27, further comprising deleting said file if said rating is below a given probability threshold.

29. The computer software product of claim 27, further comprising deleting said file.

30. A computer software product, including a computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of determining a probability of finding a substantially identical copy of a file prior to deleting said file from a file system, comprising:

searching for at least one copy of said file; and

calculating a rating of the probability of finding said substantially identical copy of said file based on the results of said searching.