EXPORT OF METADATA STREAMS TO APPLICATIONS

• US 20090248887A1
• Filed: 03/28/2008
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Craft, David Jones, Russell, Lance Warren
• Granted Patent: US 8,601,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/231
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

The present invention provides a computer storage server implemented method for generating attribute streams. The storage server receives a request from an application to write data to at least one storage object, the request having a request type. The storage server then updates an attribute stream with metadata associated with the at least one storage object. The storage server also updates the attribute stream with the at least one checksum, such that the attribute stream is associated with the at least one storage object. The storage server determines the request type to be one selected from among the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type. Responsive to a determination that the request type is among one selected from the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type, the storage server verifies the application. Based on the determination of the request type, the storage server then updates the attribute stream by applying a filter among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter.

Claims

1. A storage server implemented method for generating attribute streams, the method comprising:

receiving a request from an application to write data to at least one storage object, the request having a request type;

updating the attribute stream with metadata associated with the at least one storage object;

updating an attribute stream with the at least one checksum, the attribute stream associated with the at least one storage object;

determining the request type to be among one selected from the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type;

responsive to a determination that the request type is among one selected from the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type, verifying the application; and

updating the attribute stream by applying a filter among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, based on the determination of the request type.

2. The storage server implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the attribute stream comprises updating the attribute stream to conform to extensible markup language format.

3. The storage server implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the attribute stream among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, is responsive to verification of the application.

4. The storage server implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the attribute stream further comprising:

calculating an at least one checksum associated with the at least one storage object; and

updating the attribute stream with the at least one checksum, the attribute stream associated with the at least one storage object.

5. The storage server implemented method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving a senior block address having the at least one checksum;

receiving a junior block address having the at least one checksum;

pointing the junior block address to the senior block address; and

deleting a block associated with the junior block address.

6. The storage server implemented method of claim 1, wherein updating the attribute stream further comprises:

obtaining provenance data; and

updating the attribute stream with the provenance data.

7. The storage server implemented method of claim 6, wherein updating the attribute stream among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, is responsive to verification of the application.

8. A storage server implemented method for handling a read request for an attribute stream from an application, the method comprising:

receiving a request having a request type, and associated with a storage object and the application;

packaging an attribute stream based on the request type; and

returning an attribute stream to the application.

9. The storage server implemented method of claim 8, wherein the request type is provenance, the provenance having a subtype.

10. The storage server implemented method of claim 9, wherein the request type is checksum.

11. The storage server implemented method of claim 9, further comprising:

providing a handle to the application.

12. The storage server implemented method of claim 11, wherein providing the handle is based on a name of the storage object.

13. The storage server implemented method of claim 12, wherein the storage object is comprised of XML formatted data that matches a physical disk location with a checksum.

14. A computer program product for generating attribute streams, the computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer program product comprising;

computer usable program code configured to receive a request from an application to write data to at least one storage object, the request having a request type;

computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream with metadata associated with the at least one storage object;

computer usable program code configured to update an attribute stream with the at least one checksum, the attribute stream associated with the at least one storage object;

computer usable program code configured to determine the request type to be among one selected from the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type;

computer usable program code configured to, responsive to a determination that the request type is among one selected from the group consisting of an email type, a file transfer protocol type, and a hypertext transfer protocol type, verify the application; and

computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream by applying a filter among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, based on the determination of the request type.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream comprises computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream to conform to extensible markup language format.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, is responsive to verification of the application.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to calculate an at least one checksum associated with the at least one storage object; and

computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream with the at least one checksum, the attribute stream associated with the at least one storage object.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream further comprises:

computer usable program code configured to obtain provenance data; and

computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream with the provenance data.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein computer usable program code configured to update the attribute stream among one selected from the group consisting of an email attribute stream filter, file transfer protocol attribute stream filter and a hypertext transfer protocol attribute stream filter, is responsive to verification of the application.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein the attribute stream is updated to conform to extensible markup language format.