SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETECTING AND STORING FILE IDENTITY CHANGE INFORMATION WITHIN A FILE SYSTEM

• US 20080126374A1
• Filed: 02/04/2008
• Published: 05/29/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Dhrubajyoti Borthakur, Nur Premo
• Inventors: Premo, Nur, Borthakur, Dhrubajyoti
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,866 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A system and method for detecting and storing file identity change information within a file system. In one embodiment, the system may include a storage device configured to store a plurality of files and a file system configured to manage access to the storage device. The file system may be configured to detect an operation to modify an identity of a first file stored on the storage device and, subsequent to detecting the operation, store a record of the operation associated with the first file, where the record includes a signature corresponding to the first file.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of files; and

a file system configured to manage access to said storage device, wherein said file system is configured to;

detect an operation to modify an identity of a first file stored on said storage device;

subsequent to detecting said operation, store a record of said operation associated with said first file, wherein said record includes a signature corresponding to said first file.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said operation corresponds to a file create operation, a file delete operation, a file rename operation, or a file copy operation.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said record is stored in a named stream corresponding to said first file, wherein said file system comprises a history stream, and wherein said file system is further configured to store an indication of said operation in said history stream in response to storing said record in said named stream.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said record is stored in a database configured to store a plurality of entries, and wherein said database is further configured to respond to a query of said plurality of entries.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said record is stored in extensible markup language (XML) format.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said signature is computed according to the Message Digest 5 (MD5) algorithm.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein subsequent to storing said record, said file system is further configured to associate said record with a second file in response to detecting a second operation to modify the identity of said first file, wherein said second operation corresponds to a file copy operation specifying said first file as a copy source and said second file as a copy destination.

8. A method, comprising:

storing a plurality of files;

detecting an operation to modify an identity of a first stored file;

subsequent to detecting said operation, storing a record of said operation associated with said first stored file, wherein said record includes a signature corresponding to said first stored file.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said operation corresponds to a file create operation, a file delete operation, a file rename operation, or a file copy operation.

10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said record is stored in a named stream corresponding to said first stored file, and wherein the method further comprises storing an indication of said operation in a history stream in response to storing said record in said named stream.

11. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said record is stored in a database configured to store a plurality of entries, and wherein said database is further configured to respond to a query of said plurality of entries.

12. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said record is stored in extensible markup language (XML) format.

13. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein said signature is computed according to the Message Digest 5 (MD5) algorithm.

14. The method as recited in claim 8, further comprising associating said record with a second stored file in response to detecting a second operation to modify the identity of said first stored file, wherein said second operation corresponds to a file copy operation specifying said first file as a copy source and said second file as a copy destination.

15. A computer-accessible medium comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to:

store a plurality of files;

detect an operation to modify an identity of a first stored file;

subsequent to detecting said operation, store a record of said operation associated with said first stored file, wherein said record includes a signature corresponding to said first stored file.

16. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said operation corresponds to a file create operation, a file delete operation, a file rename operation, or a file copy operation.

17. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said record is stored in a named stream corresponding to said first stored file, and wherein said program instructions are further computer-executable to store an indication of said operation in a history stream in response to storing said record in said named stream.

18. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said record is stored in a database configured to store a plurality of entries, and wherein said database is further configured to respond to a query of said plurality of entries.

19. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said record is stored in extensible markup language (XML) format.

20. The computer-accessible medium as recited in claim 15, wherein said program instructions are further computer-executable to associate said record with a second stored file in response to detecting a second operation to modify the identity of said first stored file, wherein said second operation corresponds to a file copy operation specifying said first file as a copy source and said second file as a copy destination.

21. A system, comprising:

a storage device configured to store a plurality of files; and

a file system configured to manage access to said storage device, wherein said file system is further configured to determine a file lineage relationship between a first file and a second file.

22. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein determining said file lineage relationship comprises determining whether said first file and said second file are members of the same lineage pool.

23. The system as recited in claim 21, wherein determining said file lineage relationship comprises determining whether said first file is an ancestor of said second file.