METHOD, SYSTEM FOR USING FILE NAME TO ACCESS APPLICATION PROGRAM WHERE A LOGICAL FILE SYSTEM PROCESSES PATHNAME TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE REQUEST IS A FILE ON STORAGE DEVICE OR OPERATION FOR APPLICATION PROGRAM

• US 6,594,675 B1
• Filed: 08/26/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schneider, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANNAVAJJALA, SRIRAMA T
• Application Number:
  US09/383,704
• Time in Patent Office: 1,419 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1-7, 707/200-206, 707/100-104, 709/200-209
• US Class Current: 707/703
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method, and program for accessing an application program, such as a transaction manager. A request for a file is received. The request includes a pathname and the pathname includes at least one directory name and the file name. The pathname is processed by a file system to determine whether the request is for a file on a storage device or an operation for the application program to perform. The file request is processed to generate a control message for the application program after determining that the request is not for a file on the storage device. The control message is then passed to the application program to cause the application program to perform an operation.

Claims

1. A method for accessing an application program, comprising:

receiving a request for a file, wherein the request includes a pathname, wherein the pathname includes at least one directory name and the file name;

processing the pathname to determine whether the request.is for one of;

(i) a file on a storage device and (ii) an operation for the application program to perform;

transmitting the request to a first file system if the request is for a file on the storage device;

transmitting the request to a second file system if the request is for the operation for the application program to perform;

processing, with the second file system, the file request to generate a control message for the application program after determining that the request is for the application program; and

passing the control message to the application program to cause the application program to perform an operation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein processing the pathname comprises processing one directory name in the pathname to determine whether the directory name indicates the application program, wherein the request is for the application program after determining that the directory name indicates the application program.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the file name includes input data to the application program and one directory name indicates a command to control the application program, wherein the control message includes the command indicated in the directory name and the input data indicated in the file name to control the operation of the application program.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program is a transaction manager, wherein the control message causes the transaction manager to schedule the execution of one application program pursuant to information included in the pathname.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein one directory indicates a query for a database and the file name indicates parameters of the query, wherein the control message requests the transaction manager to execute the query indicated in the directory and file name against the database.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein a logical file system processes the pathname to determine whether the request is for a file on the storage device or the operation for the application program, and wherein the first file system comprises a first physical file system and wherein the second file system comprises a second physical file system, wherein the logical file system transmits the request to the first physical file system to access the requested data in the file in the pathname from the storage device after determining that the request is for a file on the storage device, and wherein the logical file system transmits the request to the second physical file system by transmitting information in the pathname to a the second physical file system, wherein the second physical file system generates the control message and sends the control message to the application program.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the control message causes the application program to perform an action that is a member of the set of actions consisting of transferring a message to a second application program for processing;

transferring a message to a terminal device;

sending a command to the application program to control the second application program.

8. A system for accessing an application program, comprising:

a computer system;

a storage device accessible to the computer system;

a memory accessible to the computer system including a first and second file systems providing a mapping of file names to one of addressable location in the storage device and the application program;

program logic, executed by the computer system, comprising;

(i) means for receiving a request for a file, wherein the request includes a pathname, wherein the pathname includes at least one directory name and the file name;

(ii) means for processing the pathname and the file system to determine whether the request is for one of;

(a) a file on a storage device and (b) the application program;

(iii) means for transmitting the request to a first file system if the request is for a file on the storage device;

(iv) means for transmitting the request to a second file system if the request is for the operation for the application program to perform;

(iii) means for processing, with the second file system, the file request to generate a control message for the application program after determining that the request is for the application program; and

(iv) means for passing the control message to the application program to cause the application program to perform an operation.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the program logic for processing the pathname comprises means for processing one directory name in the pathname to determine whether the directory name indicates the application program, wherein the request is for the application program after determining that the directory name indicates the application program.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the file name includes input data to the application program and one directory name indicates a command to control the application program, wherein the program logic generates the control message to include the command indicated in the directory name and the input data indicated in the file name to control the operation of the application program.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the application program is a transaction manager, wherein the control message causes the transaction manager to schedule the execution of one application program pursuant to information included in the pathname.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein one directory indicates a query for a database and the file name indicates parameters of the query, wherein the program logic generates the control message to request the transaction manager to execute the query indicated in the directory and file name against the database.

13. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a logical file system that processes the pathname to determine whether the request is for a file on the storage device or the operation for the application program, wherein the first file system comprises a first physical file system and wherein the second file system comprises a second physical file system, wherein the means for transmitting the request to the first physical file system is performed by the logical file system that transmits a request to the first physical file system to access the requested data in the file in the pathname from the storage device after determining that the request is for a file on the storage device, and wherein the means for transmitting the request to the second file system is performed by the logical file system that transmits information in the pathname to a second physical file system, wherein the second file system generates the control message and sends the control message to the application program.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the control message causes the application program to perform an action that is a member of the set of actions consisting of:

transferring a message to a second application program for processing;

transferring a message to a terminal device;

sending a command to the application program to control the second application program.

15. An article of manufacture for accessing an application program, the article of manufacture comprising computer usable storage media including at least one computer program embedded therein that is capable of causing a computer system to perform:

receiving a request for a file, wherein the request includes a pathname, wherein the pathname includes at least one directory name and the file name;

processing the pathname to determine whether the request is for one of;

(i) a file on a storage device and (ii) an operation for the application program to perform;

transmitting the request to a first file system if the request is for a file on the storage device;

transmitting the request to a second file system if the request is for the operation for the application program to perform;

processing, with the second file system, the file request to generate a control message for the application program after determining that the request is for the application program; and

passing the control message to the application program to cause the application program to perform an operation.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein processing the pathname comprises processing one directory name in the pathname to determine whether the directory name indicates the application program, wherein the request is for the application program after determining that the directory name indicates the application program.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the file name includes input data to the application program and one directory name indicates a command to control the application program, wherein the control message includes the command indicated in the directory name and the input data indicated in the file name to control the operation of the application program.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the application program is a transaction manager, wherein the control message causes the transaction manager to schedule the execution of one application program pursuant to information included in the pathname.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein one directory indicates a query for a database and the file name indicates parameters of the query, wherein the control message requests the transaction manager to execute the query indicated in the directory and file name against the database.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein a logical file system processes the pathname to determine whether the request is for a file on the storage device or the operation for the application program, wherein the first file system comprises a first physical file system and wherein the second file system comprises a second physical file system, wherein the logical file system transmits the request to the first physical file system to access the requested data in the file in the pathname from the storage device after determining that the request is for a file on the storage device, and wherein the logical file system transmits the request to the second physical file system by transmitting information in the pathname to the second physical file system, wherein the second physical file system generates the control message and sends the control message to the application program.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein the control message causes the application program to perform an action that is a member of the set of actions consisting of:

transferring a message to a second application program for processing;

transferring a message to a terminal device;

sending a command to the application program to control the second application program.