FILE SYSTEM, DATA PROCESSING APPARATUS, FILE REFERENCE METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20090083317A1
• Filed: 09/17/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yoshihara, Toshio
• Application Number:
  US12/212,383
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083317A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support

Abstract

A file system which is reduced in time taken to refer to a file stored for reference in an apparatus on a network from another apparatus on the network, and is improved in the usage efficiency of a storage resource. In the file system, a file stored in a first apparatus for reference is referred to from a second apparatus via a network. Based on a user operation, a linking method for referring to the file from the second apparatus is set to one of soft linking for directly accessing and referring to the file and hard linking for referring to a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus. The one of soft linking and hard lining is changed to the other according to frequency of reference from the second apparatus to the file.

Claims

1. A file system including a first apparatus that stores a file for reference, and a second apparatus that is connected to the first apparatus via a network, in which the file can be referred to from the second apparatus, comprising:

a linking method-setting unit configured to set, based on a user operation, a linking method for referring to the file stored in the first apparatus from the second apparatus, to one of a first linking method in which the file is directly accessed and referred to and a second linking method in which a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus is referred to; and

a linking method-changing unit configured to change the one of the first and second linking methods set as the linking method to the other of the first and second linking methods, according to frequency of reference from the second apparatus to the file.

2. A file system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an access management unit configured to manage a count of reference to the file from the second apparatus during a predetermined time period,

wherein said linking method-changing unit changes the one of the first and second linking methods set as the linking method to the other of the first and second linking methods depending on the count of reference to the file during the predetermined time period.

3. A file system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said management unit manages the count of reference to the file from the second apparatus, using the linking method set by said linking method-setting unit, during the predetermined time period.

4. A file system as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the set linking method is the first linking method, said linking method-changing unit determines whether or not the count of reference to the file is more than a predetermined threshold value, and if it is determined that the count of reference to the file is more than the predetermined threshold value, said linking method-changing unit changes the set linking method to the second linking method.

5. A file system as claimed in claim 2, wherein when the set linking method is the second linking method, said linking method-changing unit determines whether or not the count of reference to the file is not more a predetermined threshold value, and if it is determined that the count of reference to the file is not more than the predetermined threshold value, said linking method-changing unit changes the set linking method to the first linking method.

6. A file system as claimed in claim 4, wherein when the set linking method is changed to the second linking method by said linking method-changing unit, a duplicate of the file is stored in the second apparatus.

7. A file system as claimed in claim 5, wherein when the set linking method is changed to the first linking method by said linking method-changing unit, a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus is deleted.

8. A file system as claimed in claim 2, comprising a determination unit configured to determine, when the linking method set by the user is the second linking method, whether the file stored in the first apparatus and a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus are identical to each other, before referring to the duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus, and

wherein when it is determined that the file stored in the first apparatus and the duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus are not identical to each other, the second apparatus accesses the file stored in the first apparatus, and after referring to the file, stores a duplicate of the file sent from the first apparatus.

9. A data processing apparatus, comprising:

a setting unit configured to set a linking method by which a file stored in another apparatus is referred to from the data processing apparatus to one of a first linking method in which the file is referred to by directly accessing the file, and a second linking method in which a duplicate of the file stored in the data processing apparatus is referred to; and

a change unit configured to change the one of the first and second linking methods set as the linking method to the other of the first and second linking methods, according to frequency of reference from the second apparatus to the file.

10. A file reference method of referring to a file stored in a first apparatus for reference from a second apparatus connected to the first apparatus via a network, comprising:

a linking method-setting step of setting, based on a user operation, a linking method by which the file stored in the first apparatus is referred to from the second apparatus, to one of a first linking method in which the file is directly accessed and referred to and a second linking method in which a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus is referred to; and

a linking method-changing step of changing the one of the first and second linking methods set as the linking method to the other of the first and second linking methods, according to frequency of reference from the second apparatus to the file.

11. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute a file reference method of referring to a file stored in a first apparatus from a second apparatus connected to the first apparatus via a network, in a computer-readable manner,

wherein the file reference method comprises:

a linking method-setting step of setting, based on a user operation, a linking method by which the file stored in the first apparatus is referred to from the second apparatus, to one of a first linking method in which the file is directly accessed and referred to and a second linking method in which a duplicate of the file stored in the second apparatus is referred to; and

a linking method-changing step of changing the one of the first and second linking methods set as the linking method to the other of the first and second linking methods, according to frequency of reference from the second apparatus to the file.