Computer system

• US 20040193879A1
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Published: 09/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sonoda, Koji, Iwasaki, Masaaki, Matsunami, Naoto
• Granted Patent: US 7,036,149 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/30 Administration of product recycling or disposal
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 90/00 Enabling technologies or technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to greenhouse gas [GHG] emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

To solve a problem of waste of management resources/wasteful management involved in the setting of information defining access rights of multiple users to a single file and the setting of differing file attributes information for each file, this system has a file attributes DB operating as a database managing file attributes, a accounting information DB as a database managing accounting information and a local file system storing file data. The accounting information DB holds records for each combination of a user or group and a server and adds records for each additional user or server.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising:

a first storage device storing file management information,

a first computer connected to said first storage device,

a second computer connected to said first computer via a network, and

a second storage device for storing file data managed by said file management information, connected to said second computer.

2. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein

when said first computer receives a request to update file data stored in said second storage device, said first computer confirms the contents of said file management information stored in said first storage device and in accordance with said file management information, transmits to said second computer, a request instructing updating of the file data that is the subject of said request to update file data and

based on said instructing request, said second computer updates said file data stored in said second storage device and transmits the result to said first computer.

3. A computer system according to claim 2, wherein

when said first computer receives a request to read file data stored in said second storage device, said first computer confirms the contents of said file management information stored in said first storage device and in accordance with said file management information transmits to said second computer a request instructing read of the file data that is the subject of said request to read file data,

based on said instructing request, said second computer reads said file data stored in said second storage device and transmits said file data thus read to said first computer, and

said first computer transmits said file data thus received to the originating sender of the request to read said file data.

4. A computer system according to claim 3, wherein said file management information includes information on file attributes, information on the storage location of file data and information on access rights to a file.

5. A computer system according to claim 4, wherein said file management information includes a table managing only files possessing certain specified file attributes.

6. A computer system according to claim 5, wherein

as said first computer receives a request to read said file data or a request to update said file data, said first computer confirms whether or not a file specified by these requests is registered in said table and if registered, performs processes in accordance with the file attributes of said table.

7. A computer system according to claim 6, wherein

a file attribute of said table is a file attribute for encryption, and

as said first computer receives a request to read said file data, said first computer confirms whether or not the file specified by these requests is registered in said table for the encryption attribute, and if registered, said first computer encrypts the file data received from said second computer based on the information registered in said table for the encryption attribute and transmits said encrypted file data to the originator of said request.

8. A computer system according to claim 7, wherein said file management information includes information necessary to calculate charges for a user using the computer system.

9. A computer system according to claim 8, wherein

said necessary information includes information on the total volume of file data stored in said second storage device used by said user,

information on the total volume of data written-in to said second storage device by said user and the total volume of data read from said second storage device by said user,

and wherein this information is managed by said second computer managing said second storage device.

10. A computer system according to claim 9, wherein

when said second computer receives from said first computer said request to update file data, said second computer transmits to said first computer information on the volume of data stored in said second storage device at the time of processing said request to update said file data and information on the increased data volume through the data update, and

said first computer uses said information thus received to update the contents of said necessary information stored in said first storage device.

11. A computer system according to claim 10,

further comprising a third computer and a third storage device connected to said third computer,

wherein said third storage device holds information concerning accounting conditions in respect of each said second computer,

and wherein said third computer reads-out said necessary information stored in said first storage device via said first computer and calculates charges applied to said user based on said necessary information thus read and said information concerning accounting conditions.

12. A computer system according to claim 8, further comprising a plurality of said first computers and said first storage devices,

wherein said information on file attributes and said necessary information are each stored in different said first storage devices and each managed by different said first computers.

13. A computer system according to claim 12, further comprising a plurality of said second storage devices,

wherein said file data is replicated and stored respectively in of said storage devices existing in plurality.