Local agent for remote file access system

• US 9,332,058 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2002
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Citrix Systems, Inc. (Cloud Software Group)
• Original Assignee: Benhov GmbH, LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Anderson, Jeffrey G., Hoffman, Daniel G., Hoffman, Amy N.
• Primary Examiner(s): TANG, KAREN C
• Application Number:
  US10/053,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20030084128A1
• Time in Patent Office: 5,220 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/208, 709/224, 709/217, 709/220, 709/232, 709/203, 709/329, 709/201, 709/202, 709/313, 709/213
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and methods for remote file access are disclosed. According to an embodiment, a local agent polls a server for a task request at a polling interval scheduled by a schedule timer in accordance with a set of local agent and remote client preferences. The local agent is responsible for executing a task from the task request and causing a file to be uploaded to the server. The local agent uses a task processor for polling a server, a schedule timer for controlling polling, and one or more protocol stacks, such as TCP/IP and SOAP, for communicating with the server. The local agent can also interface with a MAPI database for message delivery.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a local computer periodically polling a server for task requests stored on the server and generated by a remote computer distinct from the local computer;

in response to said periodically polling, the local computer receiving one of said task requests, wherein at least a portion of said one of said task requests comprises a request for directory information of the local computer;

the local computer transmitting the directory information to the server;

in response to said periodically polling, the local computer receiving a subsequent one of said task requests, wherein at least portion of said subsequent one of said task requests comprises a request for a file stored on the local computer and identified in the directory information; and

in response to receiving said subsequent one of said task requests, the local computer transmitting the file to the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

the local computer identifying user preferences corresponding to the remote computer; and

the local computer transmitting the file to the server based on the user preferences.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said periodically polling occurs over a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol stack.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the file to the server includes:

requesting the file from an operating system of the local computer; and

receiving the file from the operating system; and

uploading the file to the server.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the file to the server includes:

instructing an operating system of the local computer to upload the file to the server; and

receiving an indication from the operating system that the file was uploaded to the server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the file to the server includes:

initiating a request to a message access protocol interface for the file from a message access protocol interface database; and

receiving the file from the message access protocol database.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein transmitting the file to the server further includes transmitting the file to the server from the message access protocol database.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the local computer controlling said periodic polling with a schedule timer that resides in the local computer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the directory information enables navigation of directories within the local computer.

10. An article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions stored thereon that, in response to execution by a local computer, cause the local computer to perform operations comprising:

periodically polling a server for task requests generated by a remote computer separate from the local computer;

receiving one of the task requests for file directory information of the local computer in response to said periodically polling;

causing the file directory information to be uploaded from the local computer to the server;

receiving another of the task requests for a file indicated in the file directory information in response to said periodically polling; and

causing the file to be uploaded from the local computer to the server.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10, the operations further comprising:

identifying remote user preferences associated with the remote computer; and

uploading the file based on the user preferences.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the periodically polling occurs over a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol stack.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said causing the file to be uploaded includes:

requesting the file from an operating system;

receiving the file from the operating system; and

uploading the file to the server.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said causing the file to be uploaded includes:

instructing an operating system to upload the file to the server; and

receiving an indication from the operating system that the file was uploaded to the server.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein said causing the file to be uploaded includes:

initiating a request to a message access protocol interface for the file from a message access protocol interface database; and

receiving the file from the message access protocol database.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15, wherein said causing the file to be uploaded includes causing the file to be sent to the server from the message access protocol database.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 10, the operations further comprising controlling said periodic polling with a schedule timer residing in the local computer.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 10, wherein the file directory information comprises information that enables browsing of files in the local computer.

19. A system comprising a local computer having at least one hardware processor and at least one memory communicatively coupled to said hardware processor, the at least one memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions that implement:

a task processor that, during operation, periodically polls a server for a task request at a polling interval, wherein the task request is generated by a remote computer distinct from the local computer and stored on the server in response to an inquiry from the remote computer for file structure information of the local computer; and

a schedule timer communicatively coupled to the task processor that, during operation, controls the polling interval.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions further implement a transmission control protocol/Internet protocol stack configured to communicate with the server.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the task processor, during operation, is executable to initiate a request to a message application programming interface database storing at least one of an e-mail or a calendar information.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the task processor, during operation, is executable to receive at least one of the e-mail or the calendar information from the message application programming interface database.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the file structure information at least in part enables inspection of a portion of a file structure residing on the local computer.