Effective file-sharing among virtual environments

• US 7,783,665 B1
• Filed: 07/17/2007
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtuozzo International GmbH
• Original Assignee: Parallels Holdings Limited (HNA Technology Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Protassov, Stanislav S., Beloussov, Serguei M., Tormasov, Alexander G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Truong; Cam Y T
• Application Number:
  US11/779,258
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/783
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for sharing files among users of multiple Virtual Environments (VEs). Each VE user has private objects, such as files or directories, that contain links to selected shareable files or directories in a common memory storage area. Each VE user also has a private file area to store files. If a VE user wishes to access a shareable file to perform an action that does not modify the shareable file, then the VE user private file allows the VE user to access the sharable file in a common memory storage area. The VE user private file contains a metadata attribute specifying the link to the shareable file. If the VE user wishes to access a shareable file and perform an operation that modifies the shareable file, the system makes a copy of the shareable file and places the copy in the VE user'"'"'s private file area.

Claims

1. A file sharing system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

an operating system;

a plurality of Virtual Environments (VEs) running under the operating system, each VE contains at least one VE user process running locally on a computer system;

a file system containing objects comprising files and folders;

at least one dedicated private area in the file system associated with one VE of the VEs and accessible only from the one VE, each area containing at least one of the objects;

a plurality of mounting points in the file system, each mounting point providing a view of a shared area and a dedicated private area, each view containing at least one object of the file system;

at least one shared object in the file system that is accessible to a plurality of VE user processes through a plurality of views,

wherein the dedicated private area of one VE user is not visible in the views of the dedicated private areas of other VE users; and

at least one VE user dedicated private area includes an object containing reference data for redirection to contents of the shared object corresponding to the reference data,

wherein;

when the VE user attempts to modify the shared object, the contents of the shared object is copied to user'"'"'s private file area and the VE user modifies a corresponding private object instead,

the reference data is hidden from the VE user process,

the VE user private object is created and modified on an operating system level transparently to the VE user processes through the corresponding view of the VE user dedicated private area,

the VE user'"'"'s private file or directory file comprises metadata associated with the VE user that allows the VE user to access a selected shareable file without copying the selected shareable file into the VE user'"'"'s private area; and

the VE user private file is modified such that a link associated with the selected shareable file points to the copy of the selected shareable file located in the dedicated private area and the link is replaced by the copy of the selected shareable file to which it points.

2. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein:

the private area further comprises a private folder containing the VE user private file pointing to a shared folder of the file system; and

contents of the shared folder is visible as at least a part of a content of the private folder.

3. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein the private folder has a file system attribute reflecting storing the VE user private file inside the folder.

6. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein the metadata allows the VE user to access a selected shareable file without copying the selected shareable file into the VE user private file area.

7. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein the private file area is associated with a group of VE users and each VE user has access only to an associated private file.

8. The file sharing system of claim 7, wherein the group of VE users is associated with at least one Virtual Private Server.

9. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein the VE user private file stores a file that does not contain a link to the shareable file.

10. The file sharing system of claim 1, wherein a host operating system runs as one of the VEs.

4. The file sharing system 1, wherein the VE user private file pointing to the sharable file has a file system attribute reflecting storing a link inside the VE user private file.

5. The file sharing system 1, wherein contents of the shared folder, except for the shared object, is hidden from the user.

11. A method for providing access to shareable files objects in a Virtual Environment (VE) to a plurality of VE users, comprising:

activating a plurality of VEs on an operating system, each VE containing at least one VE user process running locally on a computer system;

creating a plurality of private files for each of the VE users;

activating a file system containing objects comprising files and folders, and at least one dedicated private area in the file system associated with a VE and accessible only from this VE, each area containing at least one of the objects,

the file system including a plurality of mounting points, each mounting point providing a view of a shared area and of a dedicated private area, each view containing at least one object of the file system,

the file system also including at least one shared object, file or directory that is accessible to a plurality of VE user processes through a plurality of views;

wherein the dedicated private area of one VE user is not visible in the views of the dedicated private areas of other VE users; and

at least one VE user dedicated private area includes the shared object, file or directory containing reference data for redirection to contents of the shared object, file or directory corresponding to the reference data,

wherein;

when the VE user attempts to modify the shared object, file or directory, the contents of the shared object is copied to user'"'"'s private file area and the VE user modifies a corresponding private object, file or directory instead, and the link is replaced by the copy of the selected shareable file to which it points,

the reference data is hidden from the VE user process, and

the VE user private object, file or directory is created and modified on an operating system level transparently to the VE user processes through the corresponding view of the VE user dedicated private area, and

the VE user'"'"'s private file or directory file comprises metadata associated with the VE user that allows the VE user to access a selected shareable file without copying the selected shareable file into the VE user'"'"'s private area.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a VE user request to delete a selected private file stored in the dedicated private area, wherein the selected private file contains a link to a sharable file in a common file storage memory;

deleting the selected private file in response to the user request; and

deleting a metadata attribute associated with the selected private file in response to the user request.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the step of creating the dedicated private area further comprises creating a private file area associated with a selected set of the plurality of VE users.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising creating the file metadata attributes for each link associated with a shareable file in the common file storage memory.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising receiving a VE user request to access a selected shareable file and pointing to the selected shareable file in response to the VE user request.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a user request to delete a selected shareable file; and

deleting the link located in the VE user private file that is associated with the selected shareable file in response to the VE user request.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving a VE user request to delete a selected private file stored in the dedicated private area, wherein the selected private file does not contain a link; and

deleting the selected private file in response to the VE user request.

18. A non-transitory computer useable storage media comprising computer readable code for executing on a processor for implementing the steps of claim 11.