US 5,706,510 AGranted

Zymbolic history management system

AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company

InventorDavid A. Burgoon

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Abstract

A zymbolic history management system (ZHMS) allows a user to create annotated symbolic links (zymlinks) to files in a shared file system. A single link is created to each file of the shared file system which a user wishes to access. A zymlink to the shared file system may be updated via a zupdate command. Rather than selectively updateing individual files, a user simply zupdate's whole trees of files. When it comes time to edit files, a user makes use of standard history managed file system commands to obtain a writable copy of a file. Use of one of these commands destroys a zymlink corresponding to the file, and substitutes a privately owned copy of the file on a user's disk. When the edited file is checked back into the history managed file system, a read-only copy of the file remains on a user's disk. When a user updates his or her file system, the read-only file copy may be replaced with a new zymlink. A user will normally view current versions of shared files. Rather than viewing current versions of shared files, a user may wish to maintain a static view of file versions by issuing a zreset command. The system provides a user with more free disk space than in conventional history managed systems.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer implemented method for allowing a user to access a plurality of files stored in one or more computer accessible storage medias, and more specifically, a method for allowing a user to access specific versions of the plurality of files, the method comprising:

a) constructing a plurality of file versions to be stored within a shared file system, said file versions being constructed from a plurality of file revision archives stored in a history managed file system, said shared and history managed file systems being logically separate from one another;
b) providing a plurality of user file systems with read-only access to the shared file system, said plurality of user file systems being logically separate from both the shared file system, the history managed file system, and each other, and said plurality of user file systems already having read/write access to the history managed file system;
c) mapping directory hierarchies of the plurality of user file systems into directory hierarchies of the shared file system;
d) creating a plurality of files under the directory hierarchies of a user file system wherein each of the created files is a symbolic link corresponding to a file version comprising the shared file system, said correspondence of symbolic links and file versions being based on the mappings of directory hierarchies;
e) creating first revision information files, said first revision information files being derived from said file revision archives, each first revision information file comprising file revision information corresponding to the file versions of one or more directories of the shared file system's directory hierarchies;
and
f) creating second revision information files, said second revision information files being initially derived from said first revision information files, each second revision information file comprising file revision information corresponding to the symbolic links of one or more of a user file system's directory hierarchies.

4 more elements

A system stored in one or more computer readable storage medias for allowing a user to access a plurality of files, and more particularly, specific versions of the plurality of files, the system comprising:

a) a shared file system, and a plurality of user file systems, all of said file systems being physically stored within the one or more computer readable storage medias as logically separate file systems,
i) said shared file system employing read-only access to a number of file revision archives stored in a history managed file system which is logically separate from said shared and plurality of user file systems, said shared file system comprising,
A) a plurality of file versions, organized in directory hierarchies and derived from said file revision archives;
and
B) first revision information files, also derived from said file revision archives, each first revision information file comprising file revision information corresponding to the file versions of one or more directories of the shared file system's directory hierarchies;
ii) said plurality of user file systems having read-only access to said plurality of file versions, and read/write access to said file revision archives;
b) a number of map entries, the number of map entries indicating which directory hierarchies comprising any of said plurality of user file systems correspond with the directory hierarchies of the shared file system;
c) a plurality of symbolic links stored as files in the directory hierarchies comprising any of the plurality of user file systems, each of said symbolic links corresponding to a file version comprising the shared file system, said correspondence of symbolic links and file versions being based on the number of map entries;
and
d) second revision information files, initially derived from said first revision information files, each second revision information file comprising file revision information corresponding to the symbolic links of one or more of a user file system's directory hierarchies.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.