Method of, system for, and computer program product for providing a data structure for configuring connections between a local workstation file system and a remote host file system

• US 8,145,724 B1
• Filed: 05/25/2000
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hawks, Brent C., Johnson, Edmund, Mazo, Gary I., Nicholls, Peter A., Sheftman, Ira L.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIRZA, ADNAN M
• Application Number:
  US09/579,864
• Time in Patent Office: 4,324 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/230, 709/212, 709/213, 709/214, 709/219, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/213
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/11 File system administration, e.g. details of archiving or snapshots file system backup G06F11/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A data structure embodied in a computer-readable storage medium for configuring connections from a local workstation between a file system residing on the local workstation and a file system residing on a remote host system. The data structure provides for such configuration by allowing the user to specify the host system, specify a host directory path within the host file system, and specify a mapping between a file within the host directory path on the host file system and a file on the local file system. After such configuration, the user may access the host file system file in the same manner as a local file system file. The data structure can encode information describing a file system connection between a local system and a host system in a metalanguage format comprising one or more tags, each tag having an identifier and a set of one or more attributes, wherein the encoded information comprises a file system connection descriptor which can be parsed according to the metalanguage tags.

Claims

1. A method for providing information describing a file system connection between a local file system located on a local system and a host file system located on a host system, said method comprising:

encoding a local system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the local file system;

encoding a host system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the host file system;

encoding a mapping data structure comprising at least one tag representing a mapping between a file in the local file system and a file in the host file system and a transfer type that defines a data format for transferring data between the host system and the local system to support remote editing of files in the host file system from the local file system, wherein the tags are in a metalanguage format, wherein each tag has an identifier and a set of one or more attributes, and wherein the encoded local system data structure, host system data structure, and mapping data structure form a file system connection descriptor; and

using the file system connection descriptor to access the host file indicated in the mapping data structure by using the mapping data structure to determine a pattern describing a host file system type that maps to a local file system type, wherein the transfer type for the pattern defines how data is transferred between a host file of the host file system type having the determined pattern to the local file system in which the local file system type applies, wherein a first transfer type indicates to transfer one file unmodified between the host file system and the local file system, and wherein a second transfer type indicates to translate text in the file to transfer from the host file system to the local file system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local file system type comprises a local file extension, wherein the mapping data structure comprises:

a local file extension data structure storing the local file extension for each mapping;

a host file pattern data structure storing the pattern for each mapping describing a host file to which the local file extension will be applied.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the mapping data structure further comprises:

a host codepage data structure storing an identification of a host codepage in which data in the host file is encoded; and

a local-codepage data structure storing an identification of a local codepage in which data in a local file is encoded.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system data structure comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a user of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a preferred drive on the local system; and

a data structure storing an indication that the preferred drive be automatically connected by default when a remote connection is established with the host system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the host system data structure further comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of a list of qualifier data structures, wherein each qualifier data structure stores a qualifier name, a name identifying a directory on the host system, and an identification of file attributes of a file located in the host system directory.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the file system connection descriptor is encoded in a tagged metalanguage document comprising one or more tags, each tag having an identifier and a set of one or more attributes.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the tagged metalanguage is Extensible Markup Language (XML).

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the first transfer type comprises a binary transfer type and wherein the second transfer type comprises a text transfer type.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a host and local code pages are used to translate text for the text transfer type.

10. A system for providing information describing a file system connection between a local file system located on a local system and a host file system located on a host system, comprising:

a processor; and

a computer readable storage device including code executed by the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising;

encoding a local system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the local file system;

encoding a host system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the host file system;

encoding a mapping data structure comprising at least one tag representing a mapping between a file in the local file system and a file in the host file system and a transfer type that defines a data format for transferring data between the host system and the local system to support remote editing of files in the host file system from the local file system, wherein the tags are in a metalanguage format, wherein each tag has an identifier and a set of one or more attributes, and wherein the encoded local system data structure, host system data structure, and mapping data structure form a file system connection descriptor; and

using the file system connection descriptor to access the host file indicated in the mapping data structure by using the mapping data structure to determine a pattern describing a host file system type that maps to a local file system type, wherein the transfer type for the pattern defines how data is transferred between a host file of the host file system type having the determined pattern to the local file system in which the local file system type applies, wherein a first transfer type indicates to transfer one file unmodified between the host file system and the local file system, and wherein a second transfer type indicates to translate text in the file to transfer from the host file system to the local file system.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the local file system type comprises a local file extension, wherein the mapping data structure comprises:

a local file extension data structure storing the local file extension for each mapping;

a host file pattern data structure storing the pattern for each mapping describing a host file to which the local file extension will be applied.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mapping data structure further comprises:

a host codepage data structure storing an identification of a host codepage in which data in the host file is encoded; and

a local-codepage data structure storing an identification of a local codepage in which data in a local file is encoded.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the host system data structure comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a user of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a preferred drive on the local system; and

a data structure storing an indication that the preferred drive be automatically connected by default when a remote connection is established with the host system.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the host system data structure further comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of a list of qualifier data structures, wherein each qualifier data structure stores a qualifier name, a name identifying a directory on the host system, and an identification of file attributes of a file located in the host system directory.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the file system connection descriptor is encoded in a tagged metalanguage document comprising one or more tags, each tag having an identifier and a set of one or more attributes.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the tagged metalanguage is Extensible Markup Language (XML).

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the first transfer type comprises a binary transfer type and wherein the second transfer type comprises a text transfer type.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein a host and local code pages are used to translate text for the text transfer type.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage device including code executed by a processor for providing information describing a file system connection between a local file system located on a local system and a host file system located on a host system, wherein the code is executed to perform operations, the operations comprising:

encoding a local system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the local file system;

encoding a host system data structure comprising at least one tag representing the host file system;

encoding a mapping data structure comprising at least one tag representing a mapping between a file in the local file system and a file in the host file system and a transfer type that defines a data format for transferring data between the host system and the local system to support remote editing of files in the host file system from the local file system, wherein the tags are in a meta language format, wherein each tag has an identifier and a set of one or more attributes, and wherein the encoded local system data structure, host system data structure, and mapping data structure form a file system connection descriptor; and

using the file system connection descriptor to access the host file indicated in the mapping data structure by using the mapping data structure to determine a pattern describing a host file system type that maps to a local file system type, wherein the transfer type for the pattern defines how data is transferred between a host file of the host file system type having the determined pattern to the local file system in which the local file system type applies, wherein a first transfer type indicates to transfer one file unmodified between the host file system and the local file system, and wherein a second transfer type indicates to translate text in the file to transfer from the host file system to the local file system.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the local file system type comprises a local file extension, wherein the mapping data structure comprises:

a local file extension data structure storing the local file extension for each mapping;

a host file pattern data structure storing the pattern for each mapping describing a host file to which the local file extension will be applied.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the mapping data structure further comprises:

a host codepage data structure storing an identification of a host codepage in which data in the host file is encoded; and

a local-codepage data structure storing an identification of a local codepage in which data in a local file is encoded.

22. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the host system data structure comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a user of the host system;

a data structure storing an identification of a preferred drive on the local system; and

a data structure storing an indication that the preferred drive be automatically connected by default when a remote connection is established with the host system.

23. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the host system data structure further comprises:

a data structure storing an identification of a list of qualifier data structures, wherein each qualifier data structure stores a qualifier name, a name identifying a directory on the host system, and an identification of file attributes of a file located in the host system directory.

24. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the file system connection descriptor is encoded in a tagged metalanguage document comprising one or more tags, each tag having an identifier and a set of one or more attributes.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the tagged metalanguage is Extensible Markup Language (XML).

26. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the first transfer type comprises a binary transfer type and wherein the second transfer type comprises a text transfer type.

27. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein a host and local code pages are used to translate text for the text transfer type.