JP2009205480A - File management, file server, client, file management method and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for improving the reliability of a file operation in a file management system. <P>SOLUTION: This file management system for managing a file based on meta data having information for managing a file is provided with: a client which requests the update of extended meta data having information for managing a relevant file relevant to the file according to the operation of the file by a user; and a file server which stores the extended meta data, and updates the stored extended data according to the request of the update of the extended meta data from the client. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technology for managing a plurality of files by a file server, and particularly to a technology for managing files distributed over a network.

  There is a file management system that has a file server and a client, and the client accesses a file via a network. In this file management system, software for managing a disk area mounted on a file server on a network manages a file using an area management mechanism for each file or a file operation API (Application Program Interface). In that case, in the file access on the external storage device, operations such as open, read, write, and close based on the identifier for specifying the file need to be executed by the API. Therefore, an operation such as tracing a directory via an API related to directory operation of the file management system is required.

  In order to avoid such a complicated operation and improve processing performance, the file management system disclosed in Patent Document 1 stores metadata (information indicating a data storage location or the like) for managing data. A metadata cache is provided. In this case, in order to improve the efficiency of the metadata cache, server-side analysis such as analysis of the history of specific user file operations and reconstruction of search data by searching similar data in the server The countermeasure was increased by increasing the processing.

  Further, in Patent Document 2, a cache device grasps content frequently used by a user by using metadata giving a file type or user profile information for a network-connected storage that performs file management. Then, based on the grasped information, the cache device efficiently filters and stores the information, thereby efficiently reducing traffic.

  Alternatively, the data processing system disclosed in Patent Document 3 uses the data owner, the data name, the data type, the location of the data, and the access authority of each user for the data as metadata representing the attributes of the target data. Etc. are recorded. And the data processing system extracts metadata expected to improve the processing performance by holding it on the cache by executing the metadata search processing in the server based on these information, The extracted metadata is loaded into the metadata cache.

In this data processing system, as shown in FIG. 14, in order to improve the efficiency of metadata caching, metadata is searched on the metadata server, that is, the file server S1 side, and cached on the client C1 side. Yes.
JP 2003-150424 A JP 2002-180319 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-73085

  However, in the file management systems disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3, the file server needs to manage a database based on the past history for each user in order to improve the efficiency of hits such as a cache. Those data had to be updated frequently. For this reason, there is a problem that the server load increases and the responsiveness of the file operation decreases.

  In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for improving the responsiveness of file operations in a file management system.

  In order to achieve the above object, a file management system of the present invention is a file management system for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file, and according to the operation of the file by a user. A client requesting updating of extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file, and storing the extended metadata, and storing the stored extended metadata from the client And a file server that is updated in response to a metadata update request.

  The file management server of the present invention is a file server in a file management system that manages a file based on metadata having information for managing the file, and manages a related file related to the file. Storage means for storing extended metadata having the above information, and update means for updating the extended metadata stored in the storage means in response to a request for updating the extended metadata from a client.

  The client of the present invention is a client in a file management system for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file, and has an information for managing a related file related to the file Receiving means for receiving metadata, storage means for storing the extended metadata received by the receiving means, and updating the extended metadata stored in the storage means in response to an operation of the file by a user. Update request means for requesting the file server to update based on the update.

  The file management method of the present invention is a file management method for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file, wherein the client relates to the file according to the operation of the file by a user. A request is made to update extended metadata having information for managing related files, the file server stores the extended metadata, and the file server stores the extended metadata from the client. Update in response to a data update request.

  A program of the present invention is a program for controlling a file server in a file management system that manages a file based on metadata having information for managing the file, and for managing a related file related to the file. The computer is caused to execute a procedure for storing the extended metadata having the above information and an update procedure for updating the stored extended metadata in response to a request for updating the extended metadata from the client.

  According to the present invention, when a user of a client performs a file operation involving updating of extended metadata, the client requests the file server to update the extended metadata according to the operation, and the file server responds to the request. Update extended metadata. Therefore, the file server does not need to reflect the file operation of the client user on the update of the extended metadata by itself, and the load of the file server is reduced, so that the responsiveness of the file operation in the file management system is improved. Can do.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the file management system 1 of the present embodiment. Referring to FIG. 1, the file management system 1 has a client 10 and a file server 11. The client 10 and the file server 11 are connected to the network 2. In addition, the storage device 3 and the file server 11 are connected to a network 4 different from the network 2, and the file server 11 can access the storage device 3 via the network 4.

  In the present embodiment, the file includes not only software resources such as programs and data, but also hardware resources such as an optical drive, a printer, a keyboard, and a mouse.

  Although the number of clients 10 is one in this embodiment, it is needless to say that the file server 11 may provide a service to a plurality of clients 10. Further, a configuration in which a plurality of file servers 11 provide services to one client 10 may be employed.

  The client 10 requests the file server 11 to input / output a file, transmits data input to the file to the file server 11, and receives data output from the file from the file server 11. The client 10 includes an application execution unit 101, a file control unit 103, and a network I / F unit 105.

  The application execution unit 101 executes an application for a user to operate a file managed by the file server 11. In the application, the user can perform an operation of starting use of the file (opening the file) or ending use of the file (closing the file). In addition, the user can perform operations such as writing data to a file, reading data from the file, and creating or changing metadata. Details of the metadata will be described later.

  The file control unit 103 issues a predetermined command according to a user's file operation, and transmits the issued command to the server 11 via the network I / F unit 105.

  For example, when the user performs an operation of opening or closing a file, the file control unit 103 issues an “Open” or “Close” command specifying the file.

  When the user performs an operation of writing data in the opened file, the file control unit 103 issues a “Write” command requesting input to the file, and transmits the data to be written. When the user performs an operation of reading data from the opened file, the file control unit 103 issues a “Read” command for requesting output of the file, and receives the output data. When the user performs an operation for creating a file or changing a file name, the file control unit 103 issues an “ExtWrite” command for requesting creation or update of extended metadata of the file, and transmits data indicating the update contents To do.

  The network I / F unit 105 is a communication interface that connects a client to the network 2.

  The file server 11 provides a file input / output service to the client 10 through the network 2. The file server 11 includes a network I / F unit 111, a cache 113, and a management unit 115.

  The network I / F unit 111 is a communication interface that connects the file server 11 to the network 2 and the network 4.

  The cache 113 includes a data cache 1131 and a metadata cache 1133, and temporarily stores data, metadata, and extended metadata in order to shorten the access time to the file.

  The data cache 1131 temporarily stores data output from the file. The metadata cache 1133 temporarily stores metadata or extended metadata.

  Here, the metadata is information for managing files. For example, the metadata includes information indicating a file name, access authority, file attribute, file storage location, and the like. An inode structure indicating a file system area in the case of UNIX or Linux can be said to be a typical example of metadata. When realizing a directory structure in UNIX or the like, for example, metadata indicating the directory structure is recorded in a data area of a file. In that case, when tracing the files under the directory, after reading the metadata indicating the directory structure in the data area of the directory, file identification information (generally the file name) based on the directory structure In general, metadata associated with a file under the directory, that is, inode, is determined from the association between the above and the inode. The metadata described in the present embodiment mainly refers to a data structure that gives an area in which data such as an inode structure is recorded. However, a directory structure may be handled as metadata.

  In Windows and the like, information indicating properties for managing settings and attributes in files and data is metadata.

  The extended metadata corresponds to a file and is information for managing a related file of the file. The related file is a file related to a file (own file) when attention is paid to a certain file. Extended metadata has a structure that is independent from the metadata that indicates the data area of each file, etc., and the identification information of the related file that is strongly related to the local file corresponding to the extended metadata, and the area information that indicates the storage location of the related file It is assumed that information indicating an area in which metadata of related files is recorded is recorded. The metadata stores pointer information, area information, and the like to the area where the extended metadata is recorded.

  The reference relationship between metadata, extended metadata, and files will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a reference relationship among the metadata X1 of the file X, the extended metadata E1 of the file X, and the files X, A, B, C, and D. In the figure, dotted arrows indicate a reference relationship, and solid lines between files mean that there is a relationship between files. For example, a file corresponding to a root and a node in a tree structure, or a plurality of files frequently used by a user in combination can be related files.

  Referring to FIG. 2, files A, B, C, and D are associated with file X. Focusing on file X, files A, B, C, and D are related files. The metadata M1 of the file X includes information (for example, a pointer) that refers to the storage location of the file X, and information that refers to the storage location of the extended metadata E1 of the file X. The extended metadata E1 of the file X (own file) has information that refers to the storage location of the files (related files) A, B, C, and D related to the file X.

  If attention is paid to the file A and this file is the self file, the related files are the files X, B, C, and D. For this reason, the extended metadata of the file A has information that refers to the storage location of the related files X, B, C, and D.

  3 to 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of the data structure of the extended metadata E1 of the file X. Referring to FIG. 3, the extended metadata E1 stores identification information (for example, file names) of files A, B, C, and D related to the file X. In the figure, “FileA”, “FileB”, “FileC”, and “FileD” are file names of the respective files.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the extended metadata E1 can store information indicating the priority of each related file in association with the metadata. The priority for each related file means a high possibility that the user will follow the own file and access the related file. The priority is determined according to the degree of association of the related file with the own file, the access history (last access date and time, number of accesses), and the like. For example, when a parameter called Priority indicating priority is defined and the user frequently accesses the files A and B after opening the file X as shown in FIG. As B, the user assigns Priority 0 to them. Then, the user assigns Priority 1 to the files C and D having a relatively low priority. The file server 11 preferentially stores metadata or extended metadata corresponding to a high priority file in the metadata cache 1131.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the extended metadata E1 can also store information indicating the storage location of the files A, B, C, and D related to the file X and information indicating the data size. As shown in FIG. 6, the extended metadata E1 may further store a parameter (Priority) indicating the degree of association. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, “AddrA”, “AddrB”, “AddrC”, and “AddrD” are information indicating the storage locations of files, and “LengthA”, “LengthB”, “LengthC”, and “LengthD” are Information indicating the data size of the file.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the extended metadata E1 is a copy of data output from each file in addition to the storage location and data size for each of the files A, B, C, and D, “Data A” and “Data B”. , “DataC”, and “DataD” can also be stored.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the extended metadata may store the metadata itself. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a reference relationship between metadata, extended metadata, and files. Referring to FIG. 8, the metadata of files X, A, B, C, and D includes information that refers to the storage locations of files X, A, B, C, and D, respectively. Referring to FIG. 9, the extended metadata E2 of the file X stores “Metadata A”, “Metadata B”, “Metadata C”, and “Metadata D”, which are metadata of the files A, B, C, and D.

  3, 5, 7, and 9, the extended metadata E <b> 1 and E <b> 2 do not have information indicating the degree of file association, but for example, a file closer to the head of the list is more relevant than a file farther from the head. It is also possible to give meaning such as high degree.

  As described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9, the metadata refers to the storage location of the corresponding file and the extended metadata, and the extended metadata refers to the storage location of the file related to the corresponding file. . Therefore, by analyzing the data structure of the metadata and extended metadata corresponding to the file, the file server 11 can determine the storage location of the file related to the file.

  Also, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 9, the metadata cache 1131 can be efficiently used by collectively storing information for managing related files as extended metadata.

  In the example of the case metadata shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 9, list structure data is assumed, but a management structure using a flexible data format such as XML is applied to these data structures. You can also.

  The extended metadata shown in FIGS. 2 to 9 is stored in advance in the storage device 3 or the metadata cache 1133, or is created by the file server 11 in response to a user operation. When the user newly defines a file relationship, the client 10 transmits information indicating the newly defined related file to the file server 11. The file server 11 creates extended metadata based on the information indicating the related file received in step T25 and stores it in the metadata cache 1131 or the storage device 3.

  Returning to FIG. 1, the management unit 115 manages the file according to the command received from the client 10. Referring to the figure, the management unit 115 includes a file management unit 1151, a data structure analysis unit 1153, and an input / output control unit 1155.

  The file management unit 1151 reads a command transmitted from the client 10. For example, when an “Open” command is received, the file management unit 1151 reads metadata corresponding to the file indicated by the command from the metadata cache 1133. If the corresponding metadata is not in the metadata cache 1133, the metadata is read from the storage device 3. The file management unit 1151 reads the extended metadata corresponding to the file from the read metadata, and obtains information indicating the name of the file related to the file indicated by the “Open” command. Then, the file management unit 1151 transmits the information to the client 10. When the “Open” command is transmitted again from the client 10 for any of the read related files, the file management unit 1151 performs the same processing.

  When the “Write” command is received, the file management unit 1151 receives a file to be written from the client 10 and data to be written to the file, and stores (inputs) the data in the file. When the “Read” command is received, the file management unit 1151 transmits the data read (output) from the file indicated by the command from the storage device 3 or the data cache 1131 to the client 10.

  When the “ExtWrite” command is received, the file management unit 1151 reads the extended metadata indicated by the command from the data cache 1131 or the storage device 3 and updates it according to the command. Alternatively, the file management unit 1151 creates extended metadata according to the command and stores it in the metadata cache 1133.

  When the “Close” command is received, the file management unit 1151 reads the extended metadata of the file indicated by the command from the metadata cache 1133 and writes it to the storage device 3.

  As described above, the processing of the file management unit 1151 allows the user of the client 10 to open the file by following the directory structure, write data in the opened file, read data from the file, and close the file.

  The data structure analysis unit 1153 analyzes the structure of the extended metadata exemplified in FIGS. 2 to 9 and appropriately stores the storage location of the file strongly related to the opened file in the metadata cache 1133. At that time, the data structure analysis unit 1153 prioritizes information indicating a file storage location or the like based on information such as preset priority, and determines whether or not to import the information into the metadata cache 1133. Judging.

  As described above, the data structure analysis unit 1153 reads only necessary data into the cache 113 based on the parameter (Priority) indicating the priority, so that the file server 11 can efficiently use the cache 113.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 9, the extended metadata area can record information (file name, storage location, etc.) for managing related files in a collective area. It is also clear that the import to the metadata cache can be performed.

  The network 2 is a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) to which the client 10 is connected.

  The storage device 3 is a storage device such as an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a silicon disk, or a memory in a controller. The storage device 3 stores a file managed by the file server 11, metadata of the file, and extended metadata. In the present embodiment, the storage device 3 is provided outside the file server 11, but the storage device 3 may be provided inside the file server 11. Further, a plurality of storage devices 3 may be provided to distribute files to each device.

  The network 4 is a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) to which the file server 11 is connected.

  Next, the operation of the file management system 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 10 and FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing file operation processing executed by the client 10. The file operation process is a process for the client 10 to request file input / output in response to a user's file operation. The file operation process starts when the application execution unit 101 executes an application for file operation. Referring to the figure, first, the file control unit 103 issues a command for requesting input / output of a file to the server 11 in response to a user operation, and transmits the issued command to the server 11 through the network 2. (Step S5). Then, the file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is an “Open” command (step S10). If it is not an “Open” command (step S10: NO), the file control unit 103 returns to step S5.

  If it is an “Open” command (step S10: YES), the file control unit 103 receives metadata corresponding to the file indicated by the command from the server 11 (step S15). Then, the file control unit 103 issues a command according to the user operation (step S20). The file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is a command requesting data input / output (step S25). For example, “Write”, “Read”, and “ExtWrite” are commands that request file input / output.

  If it is a command requesting file input / output (step S25: YES), the file control unit 103 requests the server 11 to input / output a file, and transmits / receives data to / from the file server 10 (step S30). . For example, when a “Write” command is issued, the file control unit 103 transmits data to be written (input) to the server 11. When the “Read” command is issued, the file control unit 103 receives data output from the opened file from the server 11. When the “ExtWrite” command is issued, the file control unit 103 transmits to the server 11 data indicating the extension data update contents (file name change, etc.). After step S30, the file control unit 103 executes step S20.

  If it is not a command requesting input / output of a file (step S25: NO), the file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is a “Close” command (step S35). If it is not a “Close” command (step S35: NO), the file control unit 103 returns to step S20. If it is a “Close” command (step S35: YES), the file control unit 103 ends the file operation process.

  As described above, the client 10 issues a command for requesting file input / output in units of files in accordance with user operations, and transmits / receives data to / from the server 11. When processing a plurality of files, the file control unit 103 executes a plurality of processes shown in FIG. 10 in parallel.

  Next, file management processing executed by the server 11 will be described with reference to FIG. The file management process is a process for the management unit 115 to manage a file in accordance with a command transmitted from the client 10. The file control process is started when the server 11 is activated or when a predetermined application is activated. Referring to the figure, the management unit 115 first reads a command received from the client 10 (step T1). The command to be received is, for example, “Open”, “Write”, “Read”, “ExtWrite”, or “Close”.

  The management unit 115 determines whether or not the read command is an “Open” command (step T3). If the command is not “Open” (step T3: NO), the management unit 115 returns to step T1.

  If the command is an “Open” command (step T3: YES), the management unit 115 determines whether metadata corresponding to the file indicated by the command is stored in the metadata cache 1133 (step T5).

  When the metadata corresponding to the file is not stored in the metadata cache 11133 (step T5: NO), the management unit 115 reads the metadata corresponding to the file from the storage device 3 (step T7).

  When metadata corresponding to the file is stored in the metadata cache 1133 (step T5: YES), or after step T7, the management unit 115 reads the extended metadata corresponding to the file from the read metadata, Information on the related file indicated by the extended metadata is transmitted to the client 10. The management unit 115 waits for a command from the client 10, and reads the command when receiving the command (step T9).

  The management unit 115 determines whether or not the read command is a “Write” command (step T11). If it is a “Write” command (step T11: YES), the management unit 115 receives data to be written to the file from the client 10 (step T13). Then, the management unit 115 writes the received data in the open file (step T15). After step T15, the management unit 115 returns to step T9.

  When the command is not a “Write” command (step T11: No), the management unit 115 determines whether or not the read command is a “Read” command (step T17). If it is a “Read” command (step T17: YES), the management unit 115 reads data output from the data cache 1131 or a file in the storage device 3 (step T19). Then, the management unit 115 transmits the read data to the client 10 (step T21). After step T21, the management unit 115 returns to step T9.

  If it is not a “Read” command (step T17: No), the management unit 115 determines whether or not the read command is an “ExtWrite” command (step T23). If it is an “ExtWrite” command (step T23: YES), the management unit 115 reads the extended metadata indicated by the command from the metadata cache 1133 or the storage device 3 (step S25). The management unit 115 updates the read extended metadata according to the update content indicated by the command, and stores the updated extended metadata in the metadata cache 1133 (step T27). After step T27, the management unit 115 returns to step T9.

  When the command is not the “ExtWrite” command (step T23: No), the management unit 115 determines whether the read command is a “Close” command (step T29). If it is not the “Close” command (step T29: NO), the management unit 115 returns to step T9. When it is a “Close” command (step T29: YES), the management unit 115 writes the metadata and the extended metadata stored in the metadata cache 1133 to the storage device 3 (step T31). After step T31, the management unit 115 ends the file management process.

  As described above, the server 11 receives a command from the client 10, provides a file input / output service according to the received command, and updates the extended metadata.

  Note that the file server 11 may create extended metadata according to a user's file operation. When the user newly defines a file relationship, the client 10 transmits information indicating the newly defined related file to the file server 11. The file server 11 creates extended metadata based on the information indicating the related file received in step T25 and stores it in the metadata cache 1131.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the file server 11 updates the extended metadata for managing the related file in response to a request from the client 10, the file server 11 manages the extended metadata by itself. There is no need to do this, and the processing load on the file server 11 is reduced.

  Further, since the extended metadata includes the metadata of the related file, if the file server 11 reads the extended metadata of the own file, it is not necessary to read the metadata of the related file through the network 2. The amount of communication is reduced.

  Further, since the file server 11 determines which related file metadata is to be stored in the cache based on the priority of each related file, the cache 113 is efficiently used, and the storage server 3 through the network 4 is used. The number of accesses decreases. For this reason, the number of handshakes in the network 4 is reduced. As a result, the responsiveness of the file operation is improved.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In the first embodiment, the cache 113 is provided only on the server 11 side, but the client 10 may be further provided with a cache. In the second embodiment, the client 10 is also provided with a cache.

  FIG. 12 is an overall view of the file management system 1a according to the present embodiment. Referring to the figure, the client 10 has a cache 107, and the cache 107 has a data cache 1071 and a metadata cache 1073. The file management system 1a has the same configuration as the file management system 1 according to the first embodiment except that the client 10 has a cache 107.

  With reference to FIG. 13, the operation of the client 10 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing file operation processing executed by the client 10. Referring to the figure, the file control unit 103 issues a command requesting file input / output to the server 11 in response to a user operation, and transmits the command to the server 11 (step S5). Then, the file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is an “Open” command (step S10). If it is not an “Open” command (step S10: NO), the file control unit 103 returns to step S5.

  If the command is an “Open” command (step S10: YES), the file control unit 103 determines whether metadata corresponding to the file indicated by the command is stored from the server 11 in the metadata cache 1073 (step S11). ).

  When the metadata corresponding to the file is not stored (step S11: NO), the file control unit 103 requests metadata corresponding to the file indicated by the command from the server 11.

  The file server 11 transmits the requested metadata and the extended metadata referred to by the metadata collectively to the client 10 in the background when the communication traffic of the network 2 becomes a predetermined value or less. .

  The client 10 receives the metadata and the extended metadata, and stores the received metadata and the like in the metadata cache 1073 (step S15). Then, the file control unit 103 issues a command according to the user operation (step S20). The file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is a command requesting data input / output (step S25).

  When the command requests data input / output (step S25: YES), or when metadata corresponding to the file is stored (step S11: YES), the file control unit 103 determines that the command is data input / output. It is determined whether or not the target data block (for example, inode) is stored in the data cache 1071 (step S26). If there is a corresponding data block (step S26: YES), the file control unit 103 inputs / outputs data to / from the data block (step S27). Then, the file control unit 103 updates the metadata in the metadata cache 1073. For example, when a “Write” command is issued, the file control unit 103 stores data in a data block corresponding to the opened file. When the “Read” command is issued, the file control unit 103 reads data from the data block corresponding to the opened file.

  Then, the file control unit 103 updates the metadata in the metadata cache 1073 (step S28). For example, when an “ExtWrite” command is issued, the file control unit 103 updates the extended metadata in the metadata cache 1073.

  When there is no corresponding data block (step S26: NO), the file control unit 103 requests the file server 11 to input / output a file, and transmits / receives data to / from the file server 11 (step S30). The file control unit 103 updates the metadata in the metadata cache 1073 (step S31). After step S28 or S31, the file control unit 103 returns to step S20.

  If it is not a command requesting input / output of a file (step S25: NO), the file control unit 103 determines whether or not the issued command is a “Close” command (step S35). If it is not a “Close” command (step S35: NO), the file control unit 103 returns to step S20. When it is a “Close” command (step S35: YES), the file control unit 103 transmits the data stored in the data cache 1071 to the file server 11 (step S36). Then, the file control unit 103 transmits the extended metadata stored in the metadata cache 1073 to the file server 11 in the background when the communication traffic of the network 2 becomes a predetermined value or less (step S37). The file server 11 updates the data stored in the cache 113 and the storage device 3 according to the received data. The file control unit 103 ends the file operation process after step S37.

  As described above, according to this embodiment, since the client 10 has the metadata cache 1073 and caches the extended metadata, the processing load of the cache management of the file server 11 is further reduced, and the file operation response Improves.

  Further, since the file server 11 transmits the metadata and the extended metadata to the client 10 when the communication amount of the network 2 becomes a predetermined value or less, the response of the file server 11 is delayed due to an increase in communication traffic. Is suppressed.

  Note that all or part of the processing shown in FIGS. 11, 12, and 13 can also be realized by a computer executing a software program.

1 is an overall view showing a configuration of a file management system according to a first embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the data structure of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of a structure of the extended metadata of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process which the client of 1st Embodiment performs. It is a flowchart which shows the process which the file server of 1st Embodiment performs. It is a general view which shows the structure of the file management system of 2nd Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the process which the client of 2nd Embodiment performs. It is a general view which shows the structure of the conventional file management system.

Explanation of symbols

1, 1a File management system 2, 4 Network 3 Storage device 10 Client 11 File server 101 Application execution unit 103 File control unit 105 Network I / F unit 107 Cache 111 Network I / F unit 113 Cache 115 Management unit 1071 Data cache 1073 Meta Data Cache 1131 Data Cache 1133 Metadata Cache 1151 File Management Unit 1153 Data Structure Analysis Unit E1, E2 Extended Metadata M1 Metadata C1 Client S1 Server S5-S35, T1-T31, S36, S37 Steps

Claims (13)

A file management system for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file,
A client requesting update of extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file in response to an operation of the file by a user;
A file server that stores the extended metadata in association with the file, and updates the stored extended metadata in response to a request to update the extended metadata from the client;
A file management system.   The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the extended metadata includes the metadata corresponding to the related file managed by the extended metadata. The extended metadata further includes priority information indicating the priority of the related file,
The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the file server stores the extended metadata in association with the file based on the priority information. The file server further transmits the stored extended metadata to the client;
The client stores the extended metadata received from the file server, and when updating the extended metadata stored in accordance with the operation of the file by a user, based on the update, The file management system according to claim 1, wherein the file server requests the file server to update the extended metadata. The server and the client are connected to a network;
The file management system according to claim 4, wherein the server transmits the extended metadata stored when the network traffic is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold to the client. A file server in a file management system for managing the file based on metadata having information for managing the file,
Storage means for storing extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file in association with the file;
Updating means for updating the extended metadata stored in the storage means in response to a request for updating the extended metadata from a client;
A file server with   The file server according to claim 6, wherein the extended metadata includes the metadata corresponding to the related file managed by the extended metadata or the extended metadata corresponding to the related file. The extended metadata further includes information indicating the priority of the related file,
The file server according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the storage unit stores the extended metadata in association with the file based on the priority information. A client in a file management system that manages a file based on metadata having information for managing the file,
Receiving means for receiving extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file;
Storage means for storing the extended metadata received by the receiving means in association with the file;
Update request means for updating the extended metadata stored in the storage means in response to an operation of the file by a user, and requesting an update from the file server based on the update;
Having clients.   The client according to claim 9, wherein the extended metadata includes the metadata corresponding to the related file or the extended metadata corresponding to the related file. The extended metadata further includes priority information indicating the priority of the related file,
The client according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the storage unit stores the extended metadata in association with the file based on the priority information. A file management method for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file,
In response to an operation of the file by the user, the client requests update of extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file,
The file server stores the extended metadata in association with the file,
A file management method in which the file server updates the stored extended metadata in response to a request for updating the extended metadata from the client. A program for controlling a file server in a file management system for managing a file based on metadata having information for managing the file,
A procedure for storing extended metadata having information for managing a related file related to the file in association with the file, and for storing the extended metadata in a request for updating the extended metadata from a client Update procedure to update accordingly,
A program that causes a computer to execute.

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