Server-centric versioning virtual file system

• US 20090171971A1
• Filed: 12/26/2007
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Pandey, Rahul, Goddard, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,270 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems

Abstract

Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with a server-centric virtual file system (VFS) that securely provides version control for file system objects associated with the VFS are described. One example system includes a VFS logic to provide virtual access to file system objects associated with a server. The VFS logic may receive a file handle from an NFS server in response to a VFS mount request made by a client computing system. The example system may also include a version logic that encodes a workspace identifier and a file system object identifier into the provided file handle. The version logic then provides file-handle based version control for the set of file system objects.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a virtual file system (VFS) logic to provide virtual access to a set of file system objects associated with a server computing system, the virtual access being provided to a user of a client computing system who mounts the VFS using a network file system (NFS), the user being associated with a workspace; and

a version logic to encode a file handle provided by the NFS with a workspace identifier and a file system object identifier, where the file handle is provided by the NFS in response to the user mounting the VFS, and where the version logic is to provide file-handle based version control for the set of file system objects.

2. The system of claim 1, where the set of file system objects includes one or more of, a file, a directory, and a symbolic link.

3. The system of claim 1, where the VFS logic is incorporated into the server computing system.

4. The system of claim 1, where the workspace identifier uniquely identifies a combination of a user and a workspace.

5. The system of claim 1, where the file system object identifier uniquely identifies a file system object.

6. The system of claim 1, where the version logic includes a workspace rule logic to provide file-handle based version control based, at least in part, on an ordered set of rules specific to a workplace, where members of the ordered set of rules are evaluated in light of the file handle that includes the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.

7. The system of claim 6, where the version logic includes a version request logic to provide file-handle based version control based, at least in part, on version syntax associated with a file system object name, where the version syntax is evaluated in light of the file handle that includes the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.

8. The system of claim 7, where the version logic includes a metadata request logic to provide file-handle based version control based, at least in part, on metadata syntax associated with a file system object name, where the metadata syntax is evaluated in light of the file handle that includes the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.

9. The system of claim 1, where the client computing system receives version controlled file system objects while accessing the VFS using standard NFS client-side software.

10. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving a file handle in response to a virtual file system (VFS) being mounted in response to a network file system (NFS) action initiated by a user of a client computing system;

manipulating the file handle to include a workspace identifier and a file system object identifier, where the workspace identifier identifies a combination of the user and the client computing system and where the file system object identifier identifies a file system object accessible through the VFS;

receiving a request from the user of the client computing system for a file system object accessible through the VFS; and

providing a version of the file system object that is selected based, at least in part, on the file handle that includes the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, the file handle being associated with a standards-based, non-proprietary NFS server.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where manipulating the file handle to include the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier includes encoding the file handle with the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where receiving the request from the user of the client computing system for a file system object accessible through the VFS includes receiving an NFS client-side request from a standards-based, non-proprietary NFS client.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, where the file system object is selected based, at least in part, on analyzing an ordered set of rules specific to a workspace associated with the workspace identifier.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, where the file system object is selected based, at least in part, on version qualifying syntax associated with a file name provided in the request.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the file system object is selected based, at least in part, on metadata qualifying syntax associated with a file name provided in the request.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, where the metadata qualifying syntax identifies one or more of, an author, a creation date, an updated date, a touched date, a file type, a file size, and a user-definable attribute.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 15, where the version qualifying syntax identifies one or more of, a first version, a most recent version, and an Nth version, N being an integer greater than zero, where versions are organized into one or more branches.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 11:

where manipulating the file handle to include the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier includes encoding the file handle with the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier;

where receiving the request from the user of the client computing system for a file system object accessible through the VFS includes receiving an NFS client-side request from a standards-based, non-proprietary NFS client;

where the file system object is selected based, at least in part, on one or more of;

an ordered set of rules specific to a workspace associated with the workspace identifier;

version qualifying syntax associated with a file name provided in the request; and

metadata qualifying syntax associated with a file name provided in the request.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 11:

where manipulating the file handle to include the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier includes encoding a filesystem object not under version control.

21. A system to facilitate providing version control for file system objects accessed through a VFS, comprising:

means for manipulating an NFS file handle to include a workspace identifier and a file system object identifier; and

means for selecting a version of a file system object requested through the VFS where the selecting is based, at least in part, on the NFS file handle that includes the workspace identifier and the file system object identifier.