Method and apparatus for accepting and rejecting files according to a manifest

• US 6,430,608 B1
• Filed: 02/09/1999
• Issued: 08/06/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: BMC Software Incorporated (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Marimba, Inc. (KKR & Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Shaio, Sami
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/247,199
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/230, 709/232, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/225, 707/200, 707/201, 707/203, 707/204, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity

Abstract

A method and apparatus checks a set of files against a manifest to determine whether to accept or reject the files. The manifest contains one or more policy sections that describe whether to accept files that are described in the manifest but not received, or received but not described in the manifest. The method and apparatus determines whether files are listed in the manifest but not received, or received but not listed in the manifest, and can accept the files in these circumstances based on the policy section of the manifest. The manifest may also contain a hash result for each file. The method and apparatus can hash the files received and compare the hash result produced with the hash result specified in the manifest. If the hash results computed for the file are different from the hash result for the file in the manifest, the file or the set of files may be rejected.

Claims

1. An apparatus for accepting a set of files, the apparatus comprising:

a filename/hash result compare having an first input operatively coupled to receive a first list of identifiers, describing a set of files potentially received in conjunction with the first list and a second input operatively coupled to receive a second list of identifiers corresponding to a set of a plurality of files actually received by the apparatus, the filename/hash result compare for identifying and indicating at an output an existence of an identifier in exactly one of the first list and the second list; and

an acceptor/rejector having a first input coupled to the filename/hash result compare output, the acceptor/rejector for signaling at an output acceptance of the set of files responsive to the acceptor/rejector first input indicating the existence of an identifier in exactly one of the first list and the second list.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the acceptor/rejector additionally has a second input operatively coupled to receive a policy indicating conditions for accepting at least some of the set of files; and

the acceptor/rejector signals at the output acceptance of the set of files responsive to the acceptor/rejector first input indicating the existence of an identifier in exactly one of the first list and the second list and the policy received at the acceptor/rejector second input.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, additionally comprising:

a hasher having an input operatively coupled to receive at least one of the set of files, the hasher for hashing each of said at least one file in the set of files to produce a first set of at least one hash result, and for providing said first set of at least one hash result at an output; and

wherein;

the filename/hash result compare additionally comprises a third input coupled to the hasher output for receiving the first set of at least one hash result and a fourth input for receiving a second set of at least one hash result, the filename/hash result compare additionally for identifying and indicating at the output an existence of a hash result in exactly one of the first set and the second set; and

the acceptor/rejector signals at the output acceptance of the set of files additionally responsive to the existence of a hash result in exactly one of the first set and the second set.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein each hash result in the first set of hash results and the second set of hash results comprises a hash result and a second identifier of the file from which the hash result was generated.

5. A method of accepting a set of files, the method comprising:

receiving the set of files comprising an identifier and content;

receiving a manifest comprising an identifier for each of a first plurality of the set of files;

identifying a first set of at least one of the identifiers , the first set comprising at least one of;

at least one identifier of at least one file identified on the manifest as being potentially received in conjunction with the manifest and not received in the set of files; and

at least one identifier of at least one file received in the set of files and not identified on the manifest; and

accepting at least one of the set of files.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the accepting step comprises accepting substantially all of the set of files.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the manifest additionally comprises at least one policy; and

accepting the set of files is responsive to the at least one policy.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the policy has a first state and a second state, and the accepting step is responsive to:

the policy in the first state and the identifying step identifying at least one identifier of at least one file identified on the manifest as being potentially received in conjunction with the manifest and not received in the set of files in the first set of at least one identifier; and

the policy in the second state and the identifying step identifying at least one identifier of at least one file received in the set of files and not identified on the manifest in the first set of at least one identifier.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein thee manifest additionally comprises a first set of at least one hash result for at least one file of the set of files, the method additionally comprising:

computing a second set of at least one hash result for at least one file of the set of files received; and

wherein

the accepting step is additionally responsive to a hash result in exactly one of the first set of at least one hash result and the second set of at least one hash result.

10. The method of claim 7, comprising the additional step of rejecting at least one of the set of files responsive to the policy.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the rejecting step comprises deleting at least one of the set of files.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the rejecting step comprises requesting retransmission of the at least one of the set of files rejected.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the accepting step comprises providing the set of files.

14. A computer program product comprising a computer useable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for accepting a set of files, the tsar computer program product comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive the set of files comprising an identifier and content;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to receive a manifest comprising an identifier for each of a first plurality of the set of files;

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to identify a first set of at least one of the identifiers the first set comprising at least one of;

at least one identifier of at least one file identified on the manifest as being potentially received in conjunction with the manifest and not received in the set of files; and

at least one identifier of at least one file received in the set of files and not identified on the manifest; and

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept at least one of the set of files.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept substantially all of the set of files.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein:

the manifest additionally comprises at least one policy; and

the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept the set of files are responsive to the at least one policy.

17. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the policy has a first state and a second state, and the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept are responsive to:

the policy in the first state and the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to identify identifying at least one identifier of at least one file identified on the manifest as being potentially received in conjunction with the manifest and not received in the set of files in the first set of at least one identifier; and

the policy in the second state and the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to identify identifying at least one identifier of at least one file received in the set of files and not identified on the manifest in the first set of at least one identifier.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the manifest additionally comprises a first set of at least one hash result for at least one file of the set of files, the computer program product additionally comprising:

computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to compute a second set of at least one hash result for at least one file of the set of files received; and

wherein

the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept are additionally responsive to a hash result in exactly one of the first set of at least one hash result and the second set of at least one hash result.

19. The computer program product of claim 16, additionally comprising computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to reject at least one of the set of files responsive to the policy.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to reject comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to delete at least one of the set of files.

21. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to reject comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to request retransmission of the at least one of the set of files rejected.

22. The computer program product of claim 16, wherein the computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to accept comprise computer readable program code devices configured to cause a computer to provide the set of files.