System and method for a desktop agent for use in managing file systems

• US 8,510,331 B1
• Filed: 07/21/2010
• Issued: 08/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Storediq Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Zoellner, Keith, Lee, Peter A., Blok, Dmitriy
• Primary Examiner(s): Ehichioya, Fred I
• Assistant Examiner(s): MACKES, KRIS E
• Application Number:
  US12/840,804
• Time in Patent Office: 1,119 Days
• Field of Search: 707/770
• US Class Current: 707/770
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06

Abstract

Embodiments of desktop agents for use in file management are disclosed. Specifically, in certain embodiments a set of desktop computers within a particular networked environment where it is desired to install these desktop agents may be determined. Desktop agents may then be installed on these desktops. A desktop agent on a particular desktop computer may register with an appliance such as that described above and be given an objective including one or more tasks. For each of the tasks provided, the desktop agent may return a list of files which can be collected based on the classification(s) associated with that task. Specific files to collect may then be selected from the list of files such that these specific files may be sent from the desktop computer to the appliance by the desktop agent and stored.

Claims

1. A system for desktop computer file management in a network, comprising:

an appliance communicatively coupled to the network and having a computer readable medium storing a first set of computer instructions configured to select a set of desktop computers and further configured to deploy a desktop agent to a desktop computer in the set of desktop computers, the desktop agent comprising a second set of computer instructions configured to;

install the desktop agent on a computer readable medium in the desktop computer;

automatically implement the following on the desktop computer without communicating with the appliance over the network;

a task queue for storing a set of tasks, wherein each task in the set of tasks is associated with;

a classification defining files to which the each task applies;

a directory scope defining areas of a local filesystem on the desktop computer on which the each task is to be performed; and

a policy action associated with the each task;

a harvest module configured to access one or more locations in the local filesystem of the desktop computer to obtain or determine metadata on one or more files in the local filesystem according to the directory scope associated with the each task;

a classification module configured to determine if each of the one or more files in the local filesystem meets the classification associated with the each task by evaluating at least a portion of the metadata obtained or determined by the harvest module; and

a policy module configured to apply the policy action associated with the each task to the one or more files based on the classification determined by the classification module;

process the set of tasks in the task queue; and

uninstall the desktop agent from the desktop computer after the set of tasks in the task queue has been completed.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the desktop agent is further configured to:

collect one or more selected files from the local filesystem of the desktop computer; and

send the collected one or more selected files from the desktop computer to the appliance.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the desktop agent is configured to execute multiple tasks from the set of tasks in the task queue in parallel or substantially in parallel.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the desktop agent is configured to operate when the desktop computer is off-line.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the desktop agent is further configured to send a list of one or more selected files associated with the each task to the appliance.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the list of the one or more selected files comprises a hash of each of the one or more selected files, wherein the appliance is configured to send a list of designated files to the desktop agent, wherein the desktop agent is further configured to receive the list of designated files from the appliance.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the desktop agent is further operable for receiving a list of designated files from the appliance, and wherein the policy action is applied by the desktop agent only to the designated files.

8. A method for desktop computer file management in a network, the method comprising:

installing a desktop agent of an appliance on a desktop computer communicatively coupled to the appliance over the network, wherein the desktop agent comprises instructions translatable by the desktop computer;

automatically implementing, by the desktop agent, the following on the desktop computer without communicating with the appliance over the network;

a task queue for storing a set of tasks, wherein each task in the set of tasks is associated with;

a classification defining files to which the each task applies;

a directory scope defining areas of a local filesystem on the desktop computer on which the each task is to be performed; and

a policy action associated with the each task;

a harvest module configured to access one or more locations in the local filesystem of the desktop computer to obtain or determine metadata on one or more files in the local filesystem according to the directory scope associated with the each task;

a classification module configured to determine if each of the one or more files in the local filesystem meets the classification associated with the each task by evaluating at least a portion of the metadata obtained or determined by the harvest module; and

a policy module configured to apply the policy action associated with the each task to the one or more files based on the classification determined by the classification module;

processing, by the desktop agent, the set of tasks in the task queue; and

uninstalling the desktop agent from the desktop computer after the set of tasks in the task queue has been completed.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

collecting, by the desktop agent, one or more selected files from the local filesystem of the desktop computer; and

sending the collected one or more selected files from the desktop computer to the appliance.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the processing further comprises:

executing, by the desktop agent, multiple tasks from the set of tasks in the task queue in parallel or substantially in parallel.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the desktop agent is configured to operate when the desktop computer is off-line.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

sending, by the desktop agent, a list of one or more selected files associated with the each task to the appliance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the list of the one or more selected files comprises a hash of each of the one or more selected files, wherein the method further comprises:

sending, by the appliance a list of designated files to the desktop agent; and

receiving, by the desktop agent, the list of designated files from the appliance.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the desktop agent is further configured to receive a list of designated files from the appliance, and wherein the policy action is applied by the desktop agent only to the designated files.

15. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions translatable by a processor for:

installing a desktop agent of an appliance on a desktop computer communicatively coupled to the appliance over a network;

automatically implementing the following on the desktop computer without communicating with the appliance over a network;

a task queue for storing a set of tasks, wherein each task in the set of tasks is associated with;

a classification defining files to which the each task applies;

a directory scope defining areas of a local filesystem on the desktop computer on which the each task is to be performed; and

a policy action associated with the each task;

a harvest module configured to access one or more locations in the local filesystem of the desktop computer to obtain or determine metadata on one or more files in the local filesystem according to the directory scope associated with the each task;

a classification module configured to determine if each of the one or more files in the local filesystem meets the classification associated with the each task by evaluating at least a portion of the metadata obtained or determined by the harvest module; and

a policy module configured to apply the policy action associated with the each task to the one or more files based on the classification determined by the classification module;

processing the set of tasks in the task queue; and

uninstalling the desktop agent from the desktop computer after the set of tasks in the task queue has been completed.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by a processor for:

collecting one or more selected files from the local filesystem of the desktop computer; and

sending the collected one or more selected files from the desktop computer to the appliance.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by a processor for:

executing multiple tasks from the set of tasks in the task queue in parallel or substantially in parallel.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by a processor for:

operating the desktop agent when the desktop computer is off-line.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by a processor for:

sending a list of one or more selected files associated with the each task to the appliance.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the list of the one or more selected files comprises a hash of each of the one or more selected files, wherein the appliance is configured to send a list of designated files to the desktop agent, wherein the desktop agent is further configured to receive the list of designated files from the appliance.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions are further translatable by a processor to receive a list of designated files from the appliance, wherein the policy action is applied only to the designated files.