Smarter operating systems: file system events

• US 9,733,922 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2015
• Issued: 08/15/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fletcher, Benjamin L., Barkie, Eric J., Wyskida, Andrew P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Khatri, Anil
• Application Number:
  US14/791,529
• Publication Number:
  US 20170010878A1
• Time in Patent Office: 771 Days
• Field of Search: 717168-176, 709203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/65 Updates security arrangements therefor G06F21/57

Abstract

An on device client that augments operating system functionality may monitor for an event from an operating system running on a processor of a device. Responsive to determining that the event is indicative of an installation of an application on the device, the on device client may generate a table associated with the application. The table comprises locations of file system entities associated with the application. The table is stored in a memory device. Responsive to determining that the event is indicative of a modification to the application installed on the device, the on device client may trigger one or more automatic processor actions to keep the modification consistent across the file system entities of the application.

Claims

1. A method of an on device client that augments operating system functionality, comprising:

monitoring for an event from an operating system running on a processor of a device;

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of an installation of an application on the device,

generating a table associated with the application, the table comprising locations of file system entities associated with the application, and storing the table in a memory device, the file system entities comprising files associated with the application, the files being components of the application needed for the application to operate as intended; and

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of a modification to the application installed on the device, triggering one or more automatic processor actions to keep the modification consistent across the file system entities of the application,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a copy operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation and performing copying of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a move operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation and performing moving of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a delete operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation and performing deleting of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation; and

wherein the triggering of one or more automatic processor actions comprises obtaining one or more rules for handling the event indicative of a modification to the application, and executing the one or more rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring is performed by a background process running on the processor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the table is stored in a memory device that is locally coupled to the device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the table is stored in a memory device that is remotely coupled to the device over a computer network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the modification comprises one or more of copy, delete, or move.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the triggering of one or more automatic processor actions comprises accessing the table and determining which one or more of the file system entities remain unmodified after the modification to the application, and performing the modification on the one or more of the file system entities determined to remain unmodified.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring comprising monitoring for events triggered by one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) associated with the operating system.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the table is accessed via one or more web interfaces.

9. A computer readable storage medium storing a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform a method of an on device client that augments operating system functionality, the method comprising:

monitoring for an event from an operating system running on a processor of a device;

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of an installation of an application on the device,

generating a table associated with the application, the table comprising locations of file system entities associated with the application, and storing the table in a memory device, the file system entities comprising files associated with the application, the files being components of the application needed for the application to operate as intended; and

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of a modification to the application installed on the device, triggering one or more automatic processor actions to keep the modification consistent across the file system entities of the application

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a copy operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation and performing copying of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a move operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation and performing moving of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a delete operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation and performing deleting of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation; and

wherein the triggering of one or more automatic processor actions comprises obtaining one or more rules for handling the event indicative of a modification to the application, and executing the one or more rules.

10. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the monitoring is performed by a background process running on the processor.

11. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the table is stored in a memory device that is locally coupled to the device.

12. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the table is stored in a memory device that is remotely coupled to the device over a computer network.

13. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the modification comprises one or more of copy, delete, or move.

14. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the triggering of one or more automatic processor actions comprises accessing the table and determining which one or more of the file system entities remain unmodified after the modification to the application, and performing the modification on the one or more of the file system entities determined to remain unmodified.

15. The computer readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the monitoring comprising monitoring for events triggered by one or more application programming interfaces (APIs) associated with the operating system.

16. A system for an on device client that augments operating system functionality, comprising:

a device comprising at least a processor and a memory,

the processor operable to run a background process to monitor for an event from an operating system running on the device,

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of an installation of an application on the device,

the processor is further operable to generate a table associated with the application, the table comprising locations of file system entities associated with the application, the file system entities comprising files associated with the application, the files being components of the application needed for the application to operate as intended, the processor further operable to store the table in the memory,

responsive to determining that the event is indicative of a modification to the application installed on the device, the processor is further operable to trigger one or more automatic processor actions to keep the modification consistent across the file system entities of the application,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a copy operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation and performing copying of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the copy operation,

wherein responsive to determining that the event is a move operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation and performing moving of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the move operation, wherein responsive to determining that the event is a delete operation on the application, the one or more automatic processor actions comprises

detecting, based on the entries in the table, one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation and performing deleting of the one or more of the file system entities that are missing in the delete operation; and

wherein the processor triggers the one or more automatic processor actions by obtaining one or more rules for handling the event indicative of a modification to the application, and executing the one or more rules.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor triggers the one or more automatic processor actions by accessing the table and determining which one or more of the file system entities remain unmodified after the modification to the application, and performing the modification on the one or more of the file system entities determined to remain unmodified.