Method, apparatus, and program for updating a java archive to encode a file system delta

• US 7,136,878 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2005
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bitonti, Thomas F., Jerkewitz, Hans P., Abdallah, Nabeel W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cottingham, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lu, Kuen S.
• Application Number:
  US11/255,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20060036654A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 707/203, 707/204, 707/103.R, 707/200, 707/206
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/658 Incremental updates; Differential updates
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A mechanism is provided for extending a Java archive file to include additional information that describes the contents of the archive as update information. A program is provided for determining differences between an initial file system tree and a final file system tree and encoding those differences into entries in a Java archive file. An extractor class is included in the Java archive file and named as the main class. The Java archive file may be transported to a site that needs a file system update. The Java archive file may be executed in a Java runtime environment to update a target file system. The extractor class is executed to decode and effectuate the difference entries in the archive file.

Claims

1. A method for updating a file system, comprising:

identifying a target file system tree;

receiving a delta pre-specified archive file that includes at least one difference entry and an extractor class,

wherein the delta pre-specified archive file includes a main class specification the extractor class as the main class; and

executing the extractor class,

wherein the extractor class applies difference information in the at least one difference entry to the target file system tree to form a final file system tree, and

wherein the extractor class applies the difference information by performing an update operation comprising at least one of removing a file, removing a directory, creating a directory, updating directory attributes, placing file contents, and updating file attributes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of executing the extractor class is performed by executing the pre-specified archive file relative to the target file system tree.

3. An apparatus for updating a file system, comprising:

identification means for identifying a target file system tree;

receipt means for receiving a delta pre-specified archive file that includes at least one difference entry and an extractor class,

wherein the delta pre-specified archive file includes a main class specification the extractor class as the main class; and

execution means for executing the extractor class,

wherein the extractor class applies difference information in the at least one difference entry to the target file system tree to form a final file system tree, and

wherein the extractor class applies the difference information by performing an update operation comprising at least one of removing a file, removing a directory, creating a directory, updating directory attributes, placing file contents, and updating file attributes.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the execution means executes the extractor class by executing the pre-specified archive file relative to the target file system tree.

5. A computer program product, in a computer readable storage medium, for updating a file system, comprising:

instructions for identifying a target file system tree;

instructions for receiving a delta pre-specified archive file that includes at least one difference entry and an extractor class,

wherein the delta pre-specified archive file includes a main class specification the extractor class as the main class; and

instructions for executing the extractor class,

wherein the extractor class applies difference information in the at least one difference entry to the target file system tree to form a final file system tree, and

wherein the extractor class applies the difference information by performing an update operation comprising at least one of removing a file, removing a directory, creating a directory, updating directory attributes, placing file contents, and updating file attributes.