TRACKING FILE CONTENTS

• US 20130013653A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: THOMPSON, ROBERT W.
• Application Number:
  US13/613,318
• Publication Number:
  US 20130013653A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/822
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06

Abstract

A method, system, and computer usable program product for tracking file contents are provided in the illustrative embodiments. A content inode corresponding to a content is created, the content being in a file, the file being stored in a computer memory, and the file being locatable using a file system executing under an operating system in a data processing system. An operation, a component, an application, or a combination thereof, is detected operating with respect to the content. A descriptor and a location corresponding to the operation, the component, the application, or the combination thereof, is determined and added to the content inode. A location identifier corresponding to the location is added to the content inode. The content inode with the added descriptor and location identifier enables an application to learn about the operation, the component, the application, or the combination thereof, having operated with respect to the content.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for tracking file content in a computer memory, the computer implemented method comprising:

creating a content inode corresponding to a content, the content being a part of a file, the file being stored in a computer memory, and the file being locatable using a file system executing under an operating system in a data processing system;

detecting one of (i) an operation, (ii) a component, and (iii) an application, operating with respect to the content;

determining a descriptor and a location corresponding to the one of the operation, the component, and the application;

adding the descriptor to the content inode; and

adding a location identifier corresponding to the location to the content inode, the content inode with the added descriptor and location identifier enabling a second application to learn about the one of the operation, the component, and the application having operated with respect to the content.

2. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content inode is created when the file is created, creating the content inode further comprising:

adding a primary descriptor to the content inode based on an inode for the file; and

adding a location identifier corresponding to the primary descriptor to the content inode.

3. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content inode is created for a pre-existing file, the computer implemented method further comprising:

discovering a related content, the related content being related to the content referenced by the content inode;

adding a second descriptor to the content inode, the second descriptor referencing one of (i) an inode of the related content, and (ii) the related content; and

adding a second location identifier corresponding to the second descriptor, the second location identifier referencing one of (i) a location of the inode of the related content, and (ii) a location of the related content.

4. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

adding a third descriptor to the content inode, the third descriptor corresponding to one of an operation, a component, and an application that formed the basis of discovering the related content.

5. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content inode is created when the file is created, creating the content inode further comprising:

adding a first descriptor to the content inode, the first descriptor including a data structure suitable for storing inode attributes.

6. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the operation is one of (i) defragmentation, (ii) copy, (iii) mirror, (iv) remove, (v) read, (vi) write, (vii) delete, and (viii) backup, wherein the component is one of (i) FTP, and (ii) virtual I/O server.

7. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

requesting a content history of the content;

retrieving a set of descriptors and a set of corresponding location identifiers from the content inode of the content;

determining a content fragment at a first location corresponding to a first location identifier in the set of location identifiers; and

publishing the content fragment.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 7, further comprising:

publishing the first location corresponding to the location identifier.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the content inode references a second content by including a descriptor for a second content inode in the content inode.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying an abstract of the content inode such that the abstract contains a description of a history of manipulations of the content.

11. A computer usable program product comprising a computer usable storage device including computer usable code for tracking file content in a computer memory, the computer usable code comprising:

computer usable code for creating a content inode corresponding to a content, the content being a part of a file, the file being stored in a computer memory, and the file being locatable using a file system executing under an operating system in a data processing system;

computer usable code for detecting one of (i) an operation, (ii) a component, and (iii) an application, operating with respect to the content;

computer usable code for determining a descriptor and a location corresponding to the one of the operation, the component, and the application;

computer usable code for adding the descriptor to the content inode; and

computer usable code for adding a location identifier corresponding to the location to the content inode, the content inode with the added descriptor and location identifier enabling a second application to learn about the one of the operation, the component, and the application having operated with respect to the content.

12. The computer usable program product of claim 11, wherein the content inode is created when the file is created, the computer usable code for creating the content inode further comprising:

computer usable code for adding a primary descriptor to the content inode based on an inode for the file; and

computer usable code for adding a location identifier corresponding to the primary descriptor to the content inode.

14. The computer usable program product of claim 11, wherein the content inode is created when the file is created, the computer usable code for creating the content inode further comprising:

computer usable code for adding a first descriptor to the content inode, the first descriptor including a data structure suitable for storing inode attributes.

15. The computer usable program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable code for requesting a content history of the content;

computer usable code for retrieving a set of descriptors and a set of corresponding location identifiers from the content inode of the content;

computer usable code for determining a content fragment at a first location corresponding to a first location identifier in the set of location identifiers; and

computer usable code for publishing the content fragment.

16. The computer usable program product of claim 11, further comprising:

computer usable code for modifying an abstract of the content inode such that the abstract contains a description of a history of manipulations of the content.

17. The computer usable program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is transferred over a network from a remote data processing system.

18. The computer usable program product of claim 11, wherein the computer usable code is stored in a computer readable storage medium in a server data processing system, and wherein the computer usable code is downloaded over a network to a remote data processing system for use in a computer readable storage medium associated with the remote data processing system.

19. A data processing system for tracking file content, the data processing system comprising:

a computer usable storage device including a computer usable storage medium, wherein the computer usable storage device stores computer usable program code; and

a processor, wherein the processor executes the computer usable program code, and wherein the computer usable program code comprises;

computer usable code for creating a content inode corresponding to a content, the content being a part of a file, the file being stored in a computer memory, and the file being locatable using a file system executing under an operating system in a data processing system;

computer usable code for detecting one of (i) an operation, (ii) a component, and (iii) an application, operating with respect to the content;

computer usable code for determining a descriptor and a location corresponding to the one of the operation, the component, and the application;

computer usable code for adding the descriptor to the content inode; and

computer usable code for adding a location identifier corresponding to the location to the content inode, the content inode with the added descriptor and location identifier enabling a second application to learn about the one of the operation, the component, and the application having operated with respect to the content.

20. The data processing system of claim 19, further comprising:

computer usable code for requesting a content history of the content;

computer usable code for retrieving a set of descriptors and a set of corresponding location identifiers from the content inode of the content;

computer usable code for determining a content fragment at a first location corresponding to a first location identifier in the set of location identifiers; and

computer usable code for publishing the content fragment.