File system directory attribute correction

• US 9,600,486 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2014
• Issued: 03/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/03/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Open Invention Network LLC
• Original Assignee: OSR Open Systems Resources, Inc.
• Inventors: Mason, W. Anthony, Noone, Scott J., Widdowson, Roderick David Wolfe
• Primary Examiner(s): Gofman, Alex
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mian, Umar
• Application Number:
  US14/557,130
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113011A1
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/116 Details of conversion of file system types or formats
• 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 16/16 File or folder operations, e.g. details of user interfaces specifically adapted to file systems

Abstract

Various embodiments are directed to systems and methods for facilitating file attribute correction. A computer system may receive a request to enumerate a first directory stored on a data storage. For a first file in the first directory, the computer system may determine that the first file has a corresponding first entry in an attribute cache, determine that the first entry for the first file indicates native file attributes that match the first file, and return for the first file at least one logical attribute indicated by the first entry.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for enumerating a directory, the method comprising:

transforming, by a computer system component, a first file in a manner that modifies a file attribute of the first file, wherein the computer system component is executed by a computer system comprising at least one processor and data storage, and wherein the computer system component is logically positioned below an operating system of the computer system;

receiving, by the computer system component, a request to enumerate a directory stored on the data storage, wherein the request is received from the operating system and wherein the directory comprises a plurality of files comprising the first file;

determining, by the computer system component, that the first file has a corresponding first entry in an attribute cache;

determining, by the computer system component, that the first entry indicates a first file native attribute and a first file logical attribute, wherein the first file native attribute describes the first file after it is transformed and the first file logical attribute describes the first file before it was transformed;

determining, by the computer system component, that a second file selected from the plurality of files does not have a corresponding entry in the attribute cache;

determining, by the computer system component, that a second file native attribute does not match a second file logical attribute;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived second file logical attribute;

generating, by the computer system component, a second entry in the attribute cache for the second file, wherein the second entry indicates the second file native attribute and the derived second file logical attribute; and

returning, by the computer system component, a response to the request to enumerate the directory, wherein the response comprises the first file logical attribute and the derived second file logical attribute.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising tagging, by the computer system component, the second file to indicate that the second file native attribute does not match the second file logical attribute.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein tagging the second file comprises at least one action selected from the group consisting of:

renaming the second file with an algorithmically-determined name;

renaming the second file with an encrypted version of an original name of the second file;

modifying a native size of the second file;

adding an alternate data stream to the second file; and

modifying at least one time stamp of the second file.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising;

determining, by the computer system component, that a third file selected from the plurality of files does not have a corresponding entry in the attribute cache;

determining, by the computer system component, that the third file is tagged to indicate that a third file native attribute does not match a third file logical attribute;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived third file logical attribute for the third file;

generating, by the computer system component, a third entry in the attribute cache corresponding to the third file, wherein the third entry indicates the third file native attribute and the derived third file logical attribute; and

return for the third file at least the derived third file logical attribute.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the computer system component pre-populating the attribute cache for the directory with entries for the plurality of files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first file native attribute is selected from the group consisting of:

a file name, a file size, and a file timestamp.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the computer system component, that a third file selected from the plurality of files has a corresponding third entry in the attribute cache;

determining, by the computer system component, that at third file native attribute indicated by the third entry does not match a third file logical attribute;

removing, by the computer system component, the third entry from the attribute cache;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived third file logical attribute; and

writing, by the computer system component, a new third entry in the attribute cache corresponding to the third file, wherein the new third entry indicates the derived third file logical attribute.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating, by the computer system component, a predicted usage frequency for each of the plurality of files; and

for each of the plurality of files that has a predicted usage frequency above a threshold, generating for the file a corresponding entry in the attribute cache.

9. A computer-implemented system comprising:

at least one processor and an operatively associated data storage, wherein the at least one processor is programmed to;

execute an operating system; and

execute a computer system component, wherein the computer system component is logically positioned below the operating system, and wherein the computer system component is configured to;

transform a first file in a manner that modifies an attribute of the first file;

receive a request to enumerate a directory stored on the data storage, wherein the request is received from the operating system and wherein the directory comprises a plurality of files comprising the first file;

determine that the first file has a corresponding first entry in an attribute cache;

determine that the first entry indicates a first file native attribute and a first file logical attribute, wherein the first file native attribute describes the first file after it is transformed and the first file logical attribute describes the first file before it was transformed;

determine that a second file selected from the plurality of files does not have a corresponding entry in the attribute cache;

determine that a second file native attribute does not match a second file logical attribute;

derive a derived second file logical attribute;

generate a second entry in the attribute cache for the second file, wherein the second entry indicates the second file native attribute and the derived second file logical attribute; and

return a response to the request to enumerate the directory, wherein the response comprises the first file logical attribute and the derived second file logical attribute.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribute cache is at least partially stored at a memory device of the computer-implemented system.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribute cache is at least partially stored at a persistent storage device of the data storage.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the attribute cache comprises a plurality of attribute cache files.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of attribute cache files comprises entries for files in the directory only.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the computer system component comprises a file system filter driver.

15. A computer-implemented method for enumerating a directory, the method comprising:

transforming, by a computer system component, a first file in a manner that modifies an attribute of the first file, wherein the computer system component is executed by a computer system comprising at least one processor and data storage, and wherein the computer system component is logically positioned below an operating system of the computer system;

receiving, by the computer system component, a request to enumerate the directory at the data storage, wherein the directory comprises a plurality of files comprising the first file, and wherein the request is received from the operating system;

determining, by the computer system component, that the first file is tagged to indicate that a first file native attribute does not match a first file logical attribute, wherein the first file logical attribute describes the first file before it was transformed and the first file native attribute describes the first file after it was transformed;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived first file logical attribute;

determining, by the computer system component, that a second file selected from the plurality of files does not have a corresponding entry in an attribute cache;

determining, by the computer system component, that a second file native attribute does not match a second file logical attribute;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived second file logical attribute;

generating, by the computer system component, an entry in the attribute cache corresponding to the second file and the derived second file logical attribute; and

returning, by the computer system component, a response to the request, wherein the response comprises the derived first file logical attribute and the derived second file logical attribute.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the computer system component tagging the second file.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein tagging the second file comprises modifying a native size of the second file.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein after the modifying the native size of the second file is divisible by a predetermined value.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein tagging the second file comprises adding an alternate data stream to the second file.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein deriving the at least one first file logical attribute comprises:

determining that the first file has a corresponding first entry in an attribute cache;

determining that the first entry for the first file indicates native file attributes that match the first file; and

retrieving from the first entry the derived first file logical attribute.

21. The method of claim 15, wherein deriving the at least one first file logical attribute further comprises performing at least one transformation on the first file.

22. A computer-implemented method for enumerating a directory, the method comprising:

transforming, by a computer system component, a first file in a manner that modifies an attribute of the first file, wherein the computer system component is executed by a computer system comprising at least one processor and data storage, and wherein the computer system component is logically positioned below an operating system of the computer system;

receiving, by the computer system component, a request to enumerate the directory at the data storage, wherein the directory comprises a plurality of files comprising the first file, and wherein the request is received from the operating system;

determining, by the computer system component, that the first file is tagged to indicate that a first file native attribute does not match a first file logical attribute, wherein the first file logical attribute describes the first file before it was transformed and the first file native attribute describes the first file after it was transformed;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived first file logical attribute;

determining, by the computer system component, that a second file native attribute for a second file selected from the plurality of files does not match a second file logical attribute;

deriving, by the computer system component, a derived second file logical attribute; and

returning, by the computer system component, a response to the request, wherein the response comprises the derived first file logical attribute and the derived second file logical attribute.