System and method for providing compatibility between distributed file system namespaces and operating system pathname syntax

• US 5,689,701 A
• Filed: 12/14/1995
• Issued: 11/18/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Wilkes, Michael David, Rich, Bruce Arland, Ault, Michael Bradford, Plassmann, Ernst Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/572,582
• Time in Patent Office: 705 Days
• Field of Search: 395/600, 395/575, 395/200, 395/700, 395/500, 364/200
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/166 File name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method facilitating an operating system user'"'"'s ability to reference objects in a distributed file system having an incompatible namespace. Compatibility is thereby provided between DFS namespaces and operating system pathname syntax not supported in the DFS. A DFS pathname prefix is associated with each drive letter that is attached to a DFS IFS driver. Before an IFS driver is used, an application program issues a command to associate a drive letter with a particular IFS driver. The command issued also carries a DFS pathname prefix within a data buffer. The IFS services the command by validating existence of the DFS pathname prefix, and thereafter stores such prefix into an internal table of the buffer where it is associated with the attached drive letter. File system requests later received by the DFS client IFS driver carrying a pathname containing that drive letter will have their file specifications edited by the DFS code prior to processing. The drive letter in the pathname is replaced by the DFS pathname prefix from the IFS driver'"'"'s internal table, and operating system slashes in operating system pathname are converted to DFS slashes. The operating system user may thereby reference DFS objects relative to a point in the DFS namespace using the operating system'"'"'s pathname syntax which the user is more comfortable with.

Claims

1. A method implemented on a computer system including a computer executing a first operating system, for referencing, with a computer executing a second operating system, objects in a distributed file system (DFS) having an incompatible namespace, said second operating system having at least one drive and drive designator associated therewith and said DFS including a DFS client installable file system (IFS) client driver, comprising:

generating a first request including a DFS pathname prefix with said second operating system to associate said drive designator with said client driver;

servicing said first request by validating existence of said prefix;

generating a second request having a file specification for said second operating system including said drive designator in a pathname;

servicing said second request with said client drive by determining if said second request carries said pathname containing a letter for said drive designator;

editing said file specification with said DFS in response to said servicing said second request by replacing said drive designator in said pathname with said prefix;

generating, in response to said editing, a single universal distributed file system namespace accessible by said first and second operating system and having a syntax native to said second operating system; and

performing said referencing with said single universal distributed file system namespace, said referencing being of said objects in said DFS on said computer executing said first operating system.

2. A system implemented on a computer system including a computer executing a first operating system, for referencing, with a computer executing a second operating system, objects in a distributed file system (DFS) having an incompatible namespace, said second operating system having at least one drive and drive designator associated therewith and said DFS including a DFS client installable file system (IFS) driver, comprising:

means for generating a first request including a DFS pathname prefix with said second operating system to associate said drive designator with said client driver;

means for servicing said first request by validating existence of said prefix;

means for generating a second request having a file specification for said second operating system including said drive designator in a pathname;

means for servicing said second request with said client driver by determining if said second request carries said pathname containing a letter for said drive designator;

means for editing said file specification with said DFS in response to said second servicing said request by replacing said drive designator in said pathname with said prefix;

means for generating, in response to said editing, a single universal distributed file system name space accessible by said first and said second operating system and having a syntax native to said second operating system; and

performing said referencing with said single universal distributed file system namespace, said referencing being of said objects in said DFS on said computer executing said first operating system.