Cloud operating system and method

A method of performing electronic data interchange among a plurality of provisioned entities using a cloud operating system to be run by a plurality of machines including an external computer system and a server cluster, the server cluster comprising a gateway computer system having a gateway storage volume and a plurality of processing server instances, to facilitate electronic data interchange among a plurality of provisioned entities interacting with the server cluster through the gateway computer system, comprising programmed instructions stored in a storage medium readable by the external computer system, gateway computer system, and processing server instances, the instructions including instructions for one of the processing server instances to send a service call to a server component residing in the external computer system, the service call comprising a request for the processing server instance to access the gateway storage volume to transfer at least one file to or from the gateway storage volume;

• instructions for the server component to apply permission logic to the file transfer request, the permission logic specifying rules for granting or deferring the request, including at least a rule to defer the request if the requested file transfer would conflict with a file transfer to or from another processing server instance, and to grant or defer the request in accordance with the permission logic;
• if the request is granted, instructions for the server component to dynamically grant access to the requesting processing server instance, the dynamic access granting instructions configured to provide any requesting processing server instance equal access to the gateway storage volume;
• and instructions for the processing server instance, if the server component grants the request, to create a transfer session with the gateway computer system for the requested file transfer to be executed;
• the method comprising:
• the gateway computer system receiving a file transfer comprising a document from a sending one of said provisioned entities and storing the document in the gateway storage volume;
• one of the processing server instances sending a service call to the server component comprising a request for the processing server instance to access the gateway storage volume to transfer the document from the gateway storage volume;
• the server component applying said permission logic to the request to transfer the document from the gateway storage volume and granting the request based on said permission logic;
• the server component dynamically granting said one of the processing server instances said equal access to the gateway storage volume to transfer the document from the gateway storage volume;
• said one of the processing server instances creating a transfer session with the gateway computer system for executing the requested transfer of the document from the gateway storage volume;
• the requested transfer of the document from the gateway storage volume being executed;
• said one of the processing server instances converting the document into a format for sending to a receiving one of said provisioned entities;
• said one of the processing server instances sending a service call to the server component comprising a request for the processing server instance to access the gateway storage volume to transfer the converted document to the gateway storage volume;
• the server component applying said permission logic to the request to transfer the converted document to the gateway and granting the request based on said permission logic;
• the server component dynamically granting said one of the processing server instances said equal access to the gateway storage volume to transfer the converted document to the gateway storage volume;
• said one of the processing server instances creating a transfer session with the gateway computer system for executing the requested transfer of the converted document to the gateway storage volume;
• the requested transfer of the converted document to the gateway storage volume being executed;
• and
• the gateway sending the converted document to said receiving one of said provisioned entities.

A computer system for performing electronic data interchange among a plurality of provisioned entities using a cloud operating system to be run by a plurality of machines including an external computer system and a server cluster, the server cluster comprising a gateway computer system having a gateway storage volume and a plurality of processing server instances, to facilitate electronic data interchange among a plurality of provisioned entities interacting with the server cluster through the gateway computer system, comprising programmed instructions stored in a non-transitory storage medium readable by the external computer system, gateway computer system, and processing server instances, the instructions including instructions for one of the processing server instances to send a service call to a server component residing in the external computer system, the service call comprising a request for the processing server instance to access the gateway storage volume to transfer at least one file to or from the gateway storage volume;

• instructions for the server component to apply permission logic to the file transfer request, the permission logic specifying rules for granting or deferring the request, including at least a rule to defer the request if the requested file transfer would conflict with a file transfer to or from another processing server instance, and to grant or defer the request in accordance with the permission logic;
• if the request is granted, instructions for the server component to dynamically grant access to the requesting processing server instance, the dynamic access granting instructions configured to provide any requesting processing server instance equal access to the gateway storage volume;
• and instructions for the processing server instance, if the server component grants the request, to create a transfer session with the gateway computer system for the requested file transfer to be executed;
• the system comprising:
• said external computer system hosting said server component;
• and
• said server cluster comprising said gateway computer system having the gateway storage volume and said plurality of processing server instances;
• the gateway storage volume provisioned to send and receive file transfers from each of said provisioned entities.