REDUCING READ OPERATIONS AND BRANCHES IN FILE SYSTEM POLICY CHECKS

• US 20180075043A1
• Filed: 09/15/2016
• Published: 03/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Tohru, Itagaki, Hiroshi, Matsui, Sosuke, Mitsuma, Shinsuke, Miyamura, Tsuyoshi, Yamamoto, Noriko
• Granted Patent: US 10,642,784 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1448 Management of the data involved in backup or backup restore
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

A method to identify data elements conforming to a policy includes receiving a request to identify data elements in an input set of data elements that conform to one or more requested policies. According to the method, policy output information describing data elements that conform to a requested policy are saved in association with the requested policy. In response to receiving a subsequent request to identify data elements in a subsequent set of data elements that conform to the requested policy, the method includes outputting the saved policy output information based on the policy output information having been saved in association with the requested policy. A computer program product and a system, configured with processors and a memory that can store saved policy information, can implement the method.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for identifying a set of data elements conforming to a policy, the method comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, a first request to determine a set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to at least one input policy;

identifying, by the at least one processor, in response to the first request, a first subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a requested policy, wherein the requested policy is included in the at least one input policy;

saving, by the at least one processor, in association with the requested policy, first policy output information descriptive of data elements included in the first subset of data elements;

receiving, by the at least one processor, a subsequent request to determine a subsequent set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy; and

outputting, by the at least one processor, in response to the subsequent request and based, at least in part, on the first policy output information saved in association with the requested policy, the first policy output information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying, by the at least one processor, in response to the first request and based, at least in part, on the first input set of data elements associated with a saved policy set, a second subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a first saved policy, wherein the first saved policy is included in the saved policy set; and

saving, by the at least one processor, in association with the first saved policy, second policy output information comprising information descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises including, by the at least one processor, the requested policy in a saved policy set.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one processor including the requested policy in the saved policy set is based, at least in part, on the requested policy not included in the saved policy set and at least one of a setting and an indication, wherein each of the setting and the indication denote to include the requested policy in the saved policy list.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

identifying a common policy attribute, wherein the common policy attribute is a policy attribute included in each of a first policy and a second policy, and wherein the first and the second policy are included in the at least one input policy;

combining a check for the common policy attribute included in the first policy with a check for the common policy attribute included in the second policy, wherein the combining reduces the computation required for the at least one processor to determine a set of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to the first policy and the second policy.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor outputting the first policy output information in response to the subsequent request further comprises:

determining, by the at least one processor, based at least in part on the first policy output information saved in association with the requested policy, a difference set comprising data elements included in the subsequent input set of data elements that are not included in the first input set of data elements;

identifying, by the at least one processor, a second subset of data elements, included in the difference set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy;

generating second policy output information, wherein the second policy output information is descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements; and

outputting, by the at least one processor, the saved first policy output information merged with second policy output information.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the data elements included in the first and the subsequent input sets of data elements comprise a file component included in a file system.

8. A computer program product for identifying a set of data elements conforming to a policy, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by an at least one processor to cause the at least one processor to:

receive a first request to determine a set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to at least one input policy;

identify, in response to the first request, a first subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a requested policy, wherein the requested policy is included in the at least one input policy;

save, in association with the requested policy, first policy output information descriptive of data elements included in the first subset of data elements;

receive a subsequent request to determine a subsequent set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy; and

output, in response to the subsequent request and based, at least in part, on the first policy output information saved in association with the requested policy, the first policy output information.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions further cause the at least one processor to:

identify, in response to the first request, and based, at least in part, on the first input set of data elements associated with a saved policy set, a second subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a first saved policy, wherein the first saved policy is included in the saved policy set; and

save, by the at least one processor, in association with the first saved policy, second policy output information comprising information descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions further cause the at least one processor to include the requested policy in a saved policy set.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the program instructions cause the at least one processor to include the requested policy in the saved policy set based, at least in part, on the requested policy not included in the saved policy set and at least one of a setting and an indication, wherein each of the setting and the indication denote to include the requested policy in the saved policy list.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions cause the at least one processor to:

identify a common policy attribute, wherein the common policy attribute is a policy attribute included in each of a first policy and a second policy, and wherein the first and the second policy are included in the at least one input policy;

combine a check for the common policy attribute included in first policy with a check for the common policy attribute included in the second policy, wherein the combining reduces the computation required for the at least one processor to determine a set of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to the first policy and the second policy.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the program instructions cause the at least one processor to:

determine, based at least in part on the first policy output information saved in association with the requested policy, a difference set comprising data elements included in the subsequent input set of data elements that are not included in the first input set of data elements;

identify, a second subset of data elements, included in the difference set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy;

generate second policy output information, wherein the second policy output information is descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements; and

output the saved first policy output information merged with second policy output information.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein each of the data elements included in the first and the subsequent input sets of data elements comprise a file component included in a file system.

15. A computing system for identifying a set of data elements conforming to a policy, the computing system comprising:

a memory configured to store policy output information; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to;

receive a first request to determine a set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to at least one input policy;

identify, in response to the first request, a first subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a requested policy, wherein the requested policy is included in the at least one input policy;

store in the memory, in association with the requested policy, first policy output information descriptive of data elements included in the first subset of data elements;

receive a subsequent request to determine a subsequent set of data elements, included in a first input set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy; and

output, in response to the subsequent request and based, at least in part, on the first policy output information stored in the memory, in association with the requested policy, the first policy output information.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the memory is further configured to store a saved policy set, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

identify, in response to the first request and based, at least in part, on the first input set of data elements associated with a saved policy set, a second subset of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to a first saved policy, wherein the first saved policy is included in a first saved policy set stored in the memory; and

save, in association with the first saved policy, second policy output information comprising information descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein a first and a second policy are included in the at least one input policy, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

identify a common policy attribute included in both of the first policy and the second policy;

combine a check for the common policy attribute, included in applying the first policy, with a check for the common policy attribute, included in applying the second policy, to reduce the computation required for the at least one processor to determine a set of data elements, included in the first input set of data elements, that conform to both of the first and the second policies.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to output the first policy output information in response to the subsequent request by:

determining, based at least in part on the first policy output information saved in association with the requested policy, a difference set comprising data elements included in the subsequent input set of data elements that are not included in the first input set of data elements;

identifying a second subset of data elements, included in the difference set of data elements, that conform to the requested policy;

generating second policy output information, wherein the second policy output information is descriptive of data elements included in the second subset of data elements; and

outputting the saved first policy output information merged with second policy output information.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to include the requested policy in the saved policy set based, at least in part, on the requested policy not included in the saved policy set and at least one of a setting and an indication, wherein each of the setting and the indication denote to include the requested policy in the saved policy list.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein each of the data elements included in the first and the subsequent input sets of data elements comprise a file component included in a file system.