AUTOMATED LARGE FILE PROCESSING WITH EMBEDDED VISUAL CUES

• US 20160269329A1
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Published: 09/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2015
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Quest Software, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Dell Software, Inc. (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Willis, Tomas
• Application Number:
  US14/645,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20160269329A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]

Abstract

A network-based solution for automatically processing large email attachments or other files during migration and archiving operations may involve downloading mailboxes from a source email platform and inspecting the mailboxes for emails containing attachment files. The solution may involve uploading a copy of the detected attachment to a storage server when a comparison determines that the file size of the detected attachment file exceeds a predetermined size limit. The solution may involve modifying the email by replacing the detected attachment with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server. Modifying the email may also involve generating a visual cue of the detected attachment and embedding the generated visual cue into the email.

Claims

1. A system for automatically processing large email attachments during migration and archiving operations, the system comprising:

a first email platform hosted by a first computing device, the first email platform storing a plurality of mailboxes, each mailbox including a plurality of emails;

a storage server; and

an application server communicatively coupled to the first email platform and the storage server by a network, the application server having stored in memory a predetermined attachment size limit and an executable application that, when executed by a processor of the application server;

downloads the mailboxes from the first email platform,

inspects each downloaded mailbox for an email containing an attachment file,

determines a file size of a detected attachment file,

compares the file size of the detected attachment file to the predetermined attachment size limit stored in memory,

uploads a copy of the detected attachment to the storage server to be stored in memory when the comparison determines that the file size of the detected attachment file exceeds the predetermined attachment size limit stored in memory,

generates a visual cue of the detected attachment,

modifies the email by;

replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server, and

embedding the generated visual cue into the email, and

transmits the modified email to at least one of the first email platform and a second email platform hosted by a second computing device communicatively coupled to the network.

2. The system of claim 1, further including a database associated with the storage server, the database storing the copy of the detected attachment.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage server provisions a user account for each user associated with one of the mailboxes stored in the first email platform.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the application server uploads a separate copy of the detected attachment to the storage server for each user listed in a recipient line of the inspected email.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the application server uploads a single copy of the detected attachment to the storage server and the storage server grants access to one or more users listed in the recipient line of the inspected email in accordance with certain predetermined permissions information.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein determining the file size of the detected attachment file includes reading metadata associated with the attachment file.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the application server downloads and inspects the mailboxes on a rolling basis as the mailboxes are received from the first email platform.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the application server inspects the mailboxes after all of the mailboxes designated for download have been successfully received from the first email platform.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined attachment size limit is automatically determined by an attachment size limit built into at least one of the first email platform and the second email platform.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined attachment size limit is custom determined by an administrator.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server includes generating a stub file.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server further includes inserting the link into the stub file, removing the detected attachment, and attaching the stub file in place of the removed attachment.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the stub file is a word processing document.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the stub file contains text in addition to the link.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the link is an HTML link containing a UNC path that points to the location of the uploaded copy of the detected attachment stored in the storage server.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the link is a view link that permits a user to read the uploaded copy of the detected attachment without permitting the user to write to or edit the copy of the detected attachment.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is an iconic representation of the file type of the detected attachment.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment displays at least a portion of the content of the detected attachment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is a thumbnail image.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is a video clip.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the video clip only plays when hovered over or selected by a user of the second email platform through a graphical user interface of a user computing device.

22. A method for automatically processing large email attachments during migration and archiving operations, the method comprising:

downloading from a first email platform a plurality of mailboxes, each mailbox including a plurality of emails; and

executing instructions stored in memory, wherein execution of the instructions;

inspects each downloaded mailbox for an email containing an attachment file,

determines a file size of a detected attachment file,

compares the file size of the detected attachment file to a predetermined attachment size limit,

uploads a copy of the detected attachment to a storage server for storage when the comparison determines that the file size of the detected attachment file exceeds the predetermined attachment size limit,

generates a visual cue of the detected attachment,

modifies the email by;

replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server, and

embedding the generated visual cue into the email, and

transmitting the modified email to at least one of a the first email platform and a second email platform hosted by a second computing device communicatively coupled to the network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein uploading the copy of the detected attachment to the storage server includes uploading a separate copy of the detected attachment to the storage server for each user listed in a recipient line of the inspected email.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein uploading the copy of the detected attachment to the storage server includes uploading a single copy of the detected attachment to the storage server to be rights managed by the storage server according to the certain predetermined permissions information.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the file size of the detected attachment file includes reading metadata associated with the attachment file.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of inspecting the mailboxes is performed on a rolling basis as the mailboxes are downloaded from the first email platform.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of inspecting the mailboxes is performed after all of the mailboxes designated for download have been successfully received from the first email platform.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the predetermined attachment size limit is automatically determined by an attachment size limit built into the second email platform.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the predetermined attachment size limit is custom determined by an administrator.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server includes generating a stub file.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server further includes inserting the link into the stub file, removing the detected attachment, and attaching the stub file in place of the removed attachment.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the stub file is a word processing document.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein the stub file contains text in addition to the link.

34. The method of claim 22, wherein the link is an HTML link containing a UNC path that points to the location of the uploaded copy of the detected attachment stored in the storage server.

35. The method of claim 22, wherein the link is a view link that permits a user to read the uploaded copy of the detected attachment without permitting the user to write to or edit the copy of the detected attachment.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is an iconic representation of the file type of the detected attachment.

37. The method of claim 22, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment displays at least a portion of the content of the detected attachment.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is a thumbnail image.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the visual cue of the detected attachment is a video clip.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the video clip only plays when hovered over or selected by a user of the second email platform through a graphical user interface of a user computing device.

41. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a computer program executable by a processor to perform a method for automatically processing large email attachments during migration and archiving operations, the method comprising:

downloading from a first email platform a plurality of mailboxes, each mailbox including a plurality of emails;

inspecting each downloaded mailbox for an email containing an attachment file;

determining a file size of a detected attachment file;

comparing the file size of the detected attachment file to a predetermined attachment size limit;

uploading a copy of the detected attachment to a storage server for storage when the comparison determines that the file size of the detected attachment file exceeds the predetermined attachment size limit;

generating a visual cue of the detected attachment;

embedding the generated visual cue into the email;

modifying the email by replacing the detected attachment in the email with a link to the copy of the detected attachment stored at the storage server; and

transmitting the modified email to the at least one of the first email platform and a second email platform hosted by a second computing device communicatively coupled to the network.