WO2006070477A1

WO2006070477A1 - File attribute information management program, management method, and management device

Info

Publication number: WO2006070477A1
Application number: PCT/JP2004/019649
Authority: WO
Inventors: Akira Karasudani; Takahiro Matsuda; Takashi Morihara
Original assignee: Fujitsu Limited
Priority date: 2004-12-28
Filing date: 2004-12-28
Publication date: 2006-07-06

Abstract

In a system provided with a shared file shared by a plurality of users, a program contemplates to facilitate a file retrieval according to stored contents corresponding to the past file accesses of the users and to take loads off the information managements of the users. The program causes a computer to execute procedures to monitor the accesses of users to the shared file and to extract an event on the access and information on the user having made the access, procedures to specify the user with the extracted result and to acquire the attribute information of the shared file for each user from the event, and a procedure to store the acquired attribute information for each user in a database.

Description

Specification

File attribute information management program, management method, and management apparatus

Technical field

The present invention relates to a file management system, and more specifically, by managing attribute information of a shared file for each user in a file system using a shared file shared by a plurality of users. The present invention relates to, for example, a file attribute information management program, a management method, and a management apparatus that facilitate file search by a user and can reduce the burden of information management by the user.

Background art

[0002] With the spread of information devices such as PCs and PDAs and network environments such as the Internet, users can easily create and edit documents and images, and access various information. File sharing among users via a network is also widely performed.

[0003] However, while the amount of information that can be handled has increased, the burden on the user to manage that information has also increased. Currently, many users store a large amount of information (files) on their PCs, but it is difficult to fully grasp the contents of the files with existing information management methods. . There is a need for a mechanism that reduces the burden of information management so that users can concentrate on information processing.

[0004] In order for a user to manage a large number of files, the following technique is used. The first is a file system with hierarchical directories. In this system, files are classified and managed as a directory with a hierarchical structure. Users can easily find files if they know all the directory structure and file classification rules. However, as the number of directories increases, it becomes difficult for users to keep track of the directory structure. The criteria for classifying information by the user may change over time, and it is difficult to keep the classification rules consistent.

[0005] A second technique for file management is the use of an information retrieval system. In this system, files are searched using their contents and attribute information. Key specified by user Files that satisfy the search conditions such as the access date and access date are searched for and presented to the user. If information corresponding to the search condition specified by the user is stored in the system, a file satisfying the condition can be presented.

However, generally, file attribute information stored in a file system or database is often limited to predetermined information such as the latest access date, file size, and file type. . It is difficult to use information that remains in the user's memory as a search condition, such as the situation and episode when a file is handled when a user searches for a file, such as the name of another file referenced at the same time as the file. is there.

[0007] In addition, the user needs to find the file that matches the user's request, as well as the strength of the file obtained by the search. When a file that meets the user's requirements is powerful, it has to be re-searched by changing the conditions over and over until it finds it.

[0008] As described above, the following documents are related to a method for managing resources such as files and documents shared by a plurality of users.

Patent Document 1: JP-A-8-292910 “Resource Management Device and Resource Management Method” Patent Document 2: JP-A-9-62658 “Inter-Document Link Processing System”

Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-350795 (P2001-350795A) “Document Management System” Patent Document 4: International Publication WO2004Z031956A1 “Related Information Management Method, Program and Apparatus”

[0009] In Patent Document 1, as a resource management method in a network information system in which a plurality of computer systems are connected by a network, local resource access for each user is reflected, reflecting the preference and intention of each user's access method. A resource management apparatus and a resource management method capable of realizing a highly flexible and distributed system that provide a name space for a resource are disclosed.

[0010] In Patent Document 2, the user's operation and the document access requesting power are stored in each user's usage history, and the rules of association between the usage history and the document are automatically linked between the documents. Inter-document link processing that saves the user time and effort to prevent mistakes A management system is disclosed.

Patent Document 3 is an invention related to a link between documents as in Patent Document 2, but it is necessary to perform link maintenance by storing association conditions between documents in units of documents and in units of users. The document management system that enables the latest information related to the documents to be obtained at any time is disclosed. The system recognizes the user who is accessing the system, so that the user number is identified and related to each user. It is possible to search for documents.

[0012] However, these three patent documents are directed to technology for resource management in computer systems and management of inter-document links for association between documents. It is impossible to extract file attribute information corresponding to user access processing, store the attribute information corresponding to the file, and use it for file search! / was there.

[0013] Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for automatically generating file attribute information! For example, the user's file operations are analyzed, the names of the files that were referenced at the same time and the files that were copied at the same time are extracted, and the conditions that the user thinks when searching for a file, the situation when the file is handled, etc. A related information management method for recording as file attribute information is disclosed.

[0014] However, in this technology, a conventional file system is used as a base for file management, and generally, only one system of file attribute information is allowed for one file. When multiple users share a file, the attribute information of the file may be overwritten by other user processes that are not stored for each user. Therefore, even if the user uses the attribute information when searching for the file, if the attribute information itself is overwritten by another user, the user may not be able to find the file he / she wants to search for. This is because the search condition specified by the user based on his / her memory does not match the attribute information actually recorded.

[0015] For example, it is assumed that after a user A updates a file a, another user B updates the same file. When a user updates a file, the latest attribute information of the file The file update time is overwritten. In this example, the latest file update time for file α is the time when user 更新 updated the file. However, if user Α searches for a file while searching, the file a cannot be found because the search is performed based on the time when the user updated the file.

Disclosure of the invention

[0016] An object of the present invention is to make it easy to search for a file in accordance with stored contents corresponding to a user's past file access by enabling the attribute information of a file shared by a plurality of users to be saved for each user. It is to reduce the burden of user information management.

[0017] The file attribute information management program of the present invention is a program used by a computer that manages the attribute information of a shared file shared by a plurality of users, and monitors access to the shared file by the user, The access monitoring procedure that extracts events related to access and the information of the user who performed the access, and the user who accessed using the access monitoring procedure extraction result are identified, and the shared file attribute information is identified for each user from the access event. The attribute information extraction procedure to be acquired is executed by the computer, and the attribute information management procedure for storing the shared file attribute information acquired by the attribute information extraction procedure in the database for each user is further added to the computer. It is what is executed. In the present invention, a computer-readable portable storage medium storing such a program is used.

[0018] In the embodiment of the invention, the program of the present invention sets the access control list indicating the users who can access the shared file attribute information stored in the database; It is also possible to cause the computer to further execute a determination procedure for determining whether the user requesting access satisfies the contents of the access control list. Further, in the embodiment, the user is specified in response to the output request of the shared file attribute information from the user, and the determination procedure determines that the specified user satisfies the contents of the access control list. The computer can further execute a procedure for outputting the requested shared file attribute information to the user side.

[0019] In the embodiment, the program of the present invention is an access control list set by a user. Set the storage contents of the memory that stores the contents of the access control list in response to a change request.You can also cause the computer to execute the procedure for making a Z change, or share it in response to a request from the user. It is also possible to cause the computer to further execute a procedure for changing the access control list set for the file attribute information.

[0020] The file attribute information management method of the present invention is a method for managing attribute information of a shared file shared by a plurality of users, and monitors the access to the shared file by the user, and the event and access related to the access. This method extracts the information of the user who performed the search, identifies the user who performed the access using the extraction result, and acquires the attribute information of the shared file for each user from the access-related event.

[0021] In the embodiment of the invention, the file attribute information management method of the present invention can store the acquired attribute information in a database for each user, as in the above management program, and this shared file. It is possible to set an access control list for attribute information and determine whether the user requesting access satisfies the contents of the access control list, or requested in response to an output request for shared file attribute information by the user. The shared file attribute information can also be output to the user side.

[0022] The file access attribute information management device according to the present invention monitors access to a shared file by a user, extracts an access-related event and information on the user who performed the access, and an access monitoring means Attribute information extracting means is provided for identifying the user who has accessed using the output, and acquiring attribute information of the shared file for each user from the access event.

[0023] As described above, according to the present invention, attribute information of a shared file shared by a plurality of users is acquired for each user, and the shared file attribute information is stored in a database for each user. Can make file access easier. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a functional principle block diagram of a file attribute information management program of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a configuration example of a file sharing system in which the shared file attribute information management method of the present invention is used.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a configuration example of a file sharing server. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a detailed functional configuration of a file sharing server.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of processing by a file access monitoring unit.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a file access event and user information detection result.

FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of processing by an attribute information extraction unit.

FIG. 8 is a detailed flowchart of processing for extracting the file name of the simultaneous reference file as attribute information in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart of a process for extracting the file name of the simultaneous copy file as attribute information in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a detailed flowchart of processing by the attribute information management unit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of shared file attribute information.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of an access control list.

FIG. 13 is a detailed flowchart of attribute information output processing.

FIG. 14 is a detailed flowchart of file search processing.

FIG. 15 is a detailed flowchart of an access control list setting Z change process.

FIG. 16 is a detailed flowchart of access control list acquisition processing.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a link between file attribute information and an access control list.

FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining loading of a program into a computer according to the present invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a principle functional block diagram of the file attribute information management program of the present invention. This figure is a basic functional block diagram of a program used by a computer that manages attribute information of a shared file shared by a plurality of users.

[0026] In FIG. 1, first, at 1 the event relating to the access to the shared file by the user and the information of the user who performed the access are extracted, and at 2 the user is identified from the user information, and from the access event. Shared file attribute information is acquired for each user, and in 3 the shared file attribute information is stored in the database for each user. As a result, the file attribute information for each user is not overwritten and erased even when another user accesses the same file. A file can be searched according to the contents.

FIG. 2 is a configuration block diagram of a file sharing system in which the shared file attribute information management method of the present invention is used. In the figure, the system is composed of a plurality of clients (terminals) 10, a file sharing server 11, and a network 12 connecting these to each other! /. The file sharing server 11 can simultaneously communicate with a plurality of clients 10 via the network 12. The file sharing server 11 and the client (terminal) 10 can also be realized in the same computer. The shared file user can access the shared file managed by the file sharing server 11 from the client (terminal) 10.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a hardware configuration example of the file sharing server. In the figure, a file sharing server 11 is connected to a network 12, an external storage device 13 for storing shared files, and a user interface 14 not directly related to the present invention. The file sharing server 11 is connected to a CPU 20 that performs processing, a ROM 21 that stores programs, a RAM 22 that stores data at the time of program execution, an IZ023 for connecting input / output devices, and the like. The network 24, the external storage device 13, and the user interface 14 are connected to the I / 023.

FIG. 4 is a functional configuration block diagram of the file sharing server. In the figure, the file sharing server 11 is assumed to be connected to a plurality of clients 10 by a local area network LAN 26. Inside the file sharing server 11, a file access monitoring unit 30, an attribute information extraction unit 31, an attribute information management unit 32, An attribute information output unit 33 and an ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 are provided. Here, only function blocks directly related to the present invention in the file sharing server 11 are shown. For example, the shared file itself stored in the external storage device 13 in FIG. The shared file management section to be managed is omitted. The shared file management unit may be provided inside the file sharing server 11 or may be provided inside a computer dedicated to access to the external storage device 13 outside the file sharing server 11.

[0030] As described above, the file access monitoring unit 30 is not shown in FIG. Opening, closing, reading, writing, renaming, and deletion of files and folders as access processing to shared files using the client terminal 10 is monitored. All access processing is monitored. However, it is also possible to limit to a part of access processing, such as excluding directory processing during system design.

The attribute information extraction unit 31 analyzes the monitoring result by the file access monitoring unit 30, and extracts attribute information for each user identified by the user specifying unit 35. As attribute information types, file access time, update time, old file name when the file name is changed, file name of a file that is referenced at the same time as a certain file, and the like are extracted. The user identification unit 35 identifies a user using information for identifying a user who has accessed the shared file, that is, a name, a user ID, a client name, and the like. The file access monitoring unit 30 and the attribute information extraction unit 31 are basically internal to the file sharing server 11 and perform processing invisible to the user. The arrows between the frame of the file sharing server 11 are omitted. Has been.

[0032] The attribute information management unit 32 has an attribute information database as a basic component, and uses the attribute information extracted by the attribute information extraction unit 31, the user ID, and the like for each user. It manages attribute information. As attribute information, it is also possible to record all past information that is not only the latest information, that is, all file access times and update times.

[0033] As the contents of the attribute information database 38, attribute data such as attribute 1 to attribute 5. for example, access time and update time is recorded for each file, for example, for each user of file A. Information managed by the attribute information management unit 32 includes an access control list ACL 36 in addition to the attribute information database 38. The ACL 36 defines the users who can access the attribute information corresponding to the attribute information of each user, as will be described later. The ACL determination unit 37 in the attribute information management unit 32 uses the contents of the ACL 36. The range of attribute information that can be referred to by each user is managed.

The attribute information output unit 33 outputs to the user the file attribute information and the search result of the file that satisfies the user-specified conditions in response to a request from the user. Cry When a request from a user (terminal) 10 is received, for example, a request for referring to attribute information of a file specified by the user or a search request for a file having attribute information satisfying a user-specified condition, the user specifying unit 35 User identification is performed using information that identifies the user. The attribute information output unit 31 transmits the user information such as the identified user name and the user request to the attribute information management unit 32.

The attribute information management unit 32 determines, for example, whether or not the user can refer to the attribute information of the file based on the contents of the ACL 36, and returns a result corresponding to the determination to the attribute information output unit 33. . The attribute information output unit 33 receives this response, shapes the attribute information, generates error information, and returns it to the client 10 side.

[0036] The ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 acquires the contents of the ACL 36 in response to a user's request and returns it to the user, or sets the ACL for file attribute information in response to the user's request. Depending on the contents of the ACL, the conditions (such as users and clients that can be made public and users and clients that cannot be made public) that attribute information is made public are defined.

In FIG. 4, a plurality of attribute information extraction units 31 and attribute information output units 33 are provided. For example, each attribute information extraction unit extracts attribute information corresponding to one user and extracts attribute information management unit. It is also assumed that the attribute information output unit 33 outputs attribute information to the corresponding user.

FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of processing by the file access monitoring unit. As described above, the file access monitoring unit 30 monitors the user's access to the shared file and notifies the attribute information extraction unit 31 of the result. When processing is started in FIG. 5, it is first determined in step S1 whether or not there was a file access event. In other words, when a user accesses a shared file, individual file access processes such as file opening and closing, file reading and writing are detected as events. If no event is detected in step S1, processing in step S1 continues.

If an event is detected, it is determined in step S2 whether this event is a useful event for extracting file attribute information. For example, prior to accessing a user's shared file, the OS or application of the client 10 may access the file for the purpose of checking the status of the file. Thus, it remains in the user ’s memory Furthermore, events corresponding to file access processing performed in the background cannot be used for file attribute information extraction or file search according to the user's memory.

As a non-useful event, the processing after step S1 is repeated.

[0040] Here, useful events for extracting attribute information include, for example, file open Z close, file read Z write, file name and directory name change, file move, file delete, and directory open. / Close, create directory, delete directory, etc.

[0041] When such a useful event is detected, information such as a user name, a user ID, and a client name is obtained to identify the user who accessed the file in step S3, and file access is performed in step S4. The event type and information about the user are transmitted to the attribute information extraction unit 31, and the processing corresponding to this event is completed. The process of FIG. 5 actually starts at the start of the system, for example, and ends at step S4 for one event. However, in order to extract attribute information corresponding to the next event, steps S1 to S4 are performed. These processes are repeated indefinitely during the operation of the system.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of an example of file access events detected by the file access monitoring unit 30 and user information. In the figure, the processing target specifying ID is, for example, a file descriptor number, and specifies which user's processing is related to which file. For example, the file descriptor number is automatically assigned by the file sharing server 11. For example, when user A accesses file α, a corresponding number is assigned, and when user に対して accesses the same file, a different number is assigned. Attached. The same file descriptor number is not used at the same time, but the same number may be used on another day.

As event information, there are types of events and parameters corresponding to the types of events. This parameter is also given to the attribute information extraction unit 31 and used to extract attribute information. The parameters include, for example, locally added file names, file names that can be recognized by the user, processing start time, and completion time on the file sharing server side. User information includes a user name or ID and a name or ID of the client 10. [0044] In Fig. 6, for example, the processing target identification IDs corresponding to the events of the top two rows and the event of the last row, for example, the file descriptor number is 28, the user name is 3328, and the client name Are the same for client A. Therefore, the opening, reading, and closing of the same file was performed by a single user, and attribute information for file access corresponding to this one set of events was obtained with these three events as one set. Extracted. In the event type, unlink indicates file deletion.

FIG. 7 is a detailed flowchart of processing by the attribute information extraction unit 31. In the figure, when processing is started, it is first determined in step S10 whether or not an event and user information from the file access monitoring unit 30 have been received. If not yet received, the processing is repeated. . If received, in step S11, the user information ability is specified as a unique user. As described above, the user information includes, for example, a user name and an ID, but may change depending on the network environment in which the client 10 and the file sharing server 11 are installed. There is a possibility that a user name or ID may be sent from the client 10 side, or an IP address or MAC address may be sent. The user identification unit 35 identifies the user from such various information. .

[0046] Subsequently, in step S12, an event is received from the same user. Here, for the sake of simplicity, there are a plurality of attribute information extraction units 31 and attribute information output units 33 in FIG. 4 as described above, and each attribute information extraction unit 31 and attribute information output unit 33 are assigned to one user. Correspondingly, file attribute information is extracted and attribute information is output. Therefore, in step S12 and subsequent steps, an event related to file access from the user specified in step S11 is received, and attribute information is extracted in response to the event.

[0047] Thereafter, in step S13, it is determined whether or not the event information sufficient for attribute information extraction has been collected. If the event information has not yet been collected, the processes in and after step S12 are repeated. Here, the determination of whether or not sufficient event information is collected differs for each attribute information. For example, as described above, it is determined that sufficient event information has been collected by detecting events from file opening to closing. Sometimes or at the same time, eg one When multiple files are copied to a folder and the file name of the file is extracted as attribute information, the corresponding judgment is required. Such an example will be described later in FIG. 8 and FIG.

[0048] If it is determined in step S13 that sufficient event information has been collected, attribute information is extracted in step S14, and event information used for attribute information extraction is discarded in step S15. The attribute information and user name information extracted in S16 is transmitted to the attribute information management unit 32. For example, the attribute information extraction process corresponding to one set of event information from file open to file close as described above is completed. To do. Note that this attribute information extraction process is also started, for example, when the system is started up. When the extraction of attribute information corresponding to a set of events is completed, the processes after step S10 are repeated infinitely during the system operation. For example, if there is only one attribute information extraction unit 31, step S12 is not executed as the process. If sufficient event information is not collected in step S13, the process returns to step S10, and the event information Are classified for each user, and steps S13 to S16 are executed.

As described with reference to FIG. 7, it is determined whether sufficient event information has been collected before extracting attribute information. For example, even if only a file open event is received, it is unclear whether the access to the file is only for reading the contents, and whether the update will be performed in the future. When the contents are only read, the power to extract the access time as attribute information. When updating, it is necessary to extract the update time in addition to the access time alone. In order to make such a determination, it is necessary to check whether the subsequent event is a read or write after receiving a file open event, and finally detect the event of closing the file. There is a need to. Fig. 8 shows details corresponding to steps S12 to S14 in Fig. 7 when the event until the file is opened and closed, and it is determined that sufficient event information has been collected and attribute information is extracted. It is a flowchart of a process.

[0050] That is, when a user opens file A using a client 10, an open event occurs. If the same user opens another file (B) using the same client 10 before the close event that occurs when file A is closed, A corresponding open event occurs. As a result, it is possible to know that file A and file B were referenced simultaneously, and the result is extracted as attribute information. The ability to refer to a file at the same time is a mutual relationship, and the file name of file B is extracted as the attribute information of file A, and at the same time, the file name of file A is required as the attribute information of file B. Become.

That is, when the process is started in FIG. 8, an open event for file A is detected in step S20, and whether or not a close event for file A is detected is determined in step S21. If it has not been detected yet, it is determined in step S22 whether an event of opening a file other than file A has been detected. If detected, the name of the file is obtained in step S23. If it is not detected again, the event reception process from the same user in step S12 is performed immediately, and the processes in and after step S21 are repeated.

[0052] When a close event for file A is detected in step S21, the file name held in step S24 is extracted as attribute information for file A and stored in step S25! The file name of file A is extracted as attribute information and the process ends. That is, the process of step S13 in FIG. 7 is basically the same as the process of step S21 in FIG. 8. If sufficient event information has not been collected, the process of steps S22 and S23 is Event reception processing from the same user of S12 will be performed.

[0053] In FIG. 8, since the file power that is referred to at the same time is considered to be a highly relevant file as viewed from the user side, those file names are extracted as attribute information. The file access monitoring unit will repeatedly notify the opening and closing of the file, but the first file that does not handle these events individually, here waiting for the closing of file A, occurred in the meantime. By analyzing all the events, the file names of the files that are referenced simultaneously are extracted as attribute information.

FIG. 9 is a detailed flowchart of a process in which step S12 in FIG. 7 corresponds to S14 when attribute information corresponding to simultaneous copying of files is extracted. Here, if a folder is copied to another folder at the same time, that is, if multiple files are copied continuously, The file name is extracted as attribute information. When a user copies multiple files at the same time using the client 10, the user opens the files one after another, reads the contents, and writes the contents as files in another folder. If this process is repeated one after another within a predetermined time, it is determined that copying has been performed at the same time, and the process of extracting the name of the file that has been copied as file attribute information is performed. Done.

When the process is started in FIG. 9, it is first determined in step S28 whether or not the next file copy process has started within a predetermined time. However, this determination is not performed in the first copy process. If the process starts within that time, the copy source file is opened in step S29, the open of the copy destination file is detected in step S30, and the copy destination folder name is extracted in step S31. For example, it is held in a buffer.

[0056] Subsequently, a read event for the copy source file is detected in step S32, a write event for the copy destination file is detected in step S33, and a copy file close event is detected in step S34. In step S35, the close of the copy destination file is detected. In step S36, it is determined whether or not the copy destination folder name is the same as that in the previous copy process. This determination is not performed for the first copy process, and only the processes from steps S29 to S35 are performed. Note that the processing from steps S28 to S35 includes processing for event reception from the same user as described above, and determination and detection are performed in accordance with the reception result.

[0057] If the determination result in step S36 is the same folder name, the processing after the simultaneous copy S28 is repeated in step S37. If it is determined in step S28 that the copy process of the next file has started within a predetermined time, and it is determined in step S36 that the copy destination folder name is not the same folder name as in the previous copy process. Then, the file name of each file held in step S38 is extracted as the attribute information of each file, that is, the attribute information for each file that has been copied at the same time, and the process ends. FIG. 10 is a detailed flowchart of processing by the attribute information management unit 32. When the process is started in the figure, it is first determined in step S40 whether or not the attribute information and information such as the user name have been received from the attribute information extraction unit 31, and if they are still received, The process continues. If received, the attribute information is registered in the database for each user in step S31, and the default access control list for each user is set for the attribute information registered in step S42. Processing for information and user information ends. The process in Fig. 10 is repeated indefinitely while the system is operating. Note that the registered attribute information has a default ACL that is different for each user, for example. This default ACL may be the default one set by the system or specified by the user. The default can be used.

FIG. 11 is an example of attribute information for file B. Each row of this attribute information indicates the attribute information extracted corresponding to one set of events after it is determined in step S13 that sufficient event information has been collected in FIG.

[0060] In FIG. 11, the attribute information of file B is arranged so that the oldest access date is on the bottom. In the attribute information on the bottom line, the access date / time, update date / time, and creation date / time are the same, and it is shown that file B was created at this time. For example, the attribute information on the line above indicates that user Tarou accessed file B and simultaneously referenced file A and file D. In the “Deleted” column, a flag is set to notify the user when a file is deleted.

FIG. 12 is an example of an access control list for the user Tarou. For this user, two types of ACLs are registered in the ACL 36 inside the attribute information management unit 32 shown in FIG. 4, but the upper ACL (Tarou-1) is the default ACL. The ACL (Tarou-2) is different from the default set by user Tarou as described below. In the ACL below, Tarou and Hanako are specified as users who are allowed to refer to attribute information, all users other than the permitted user are specified as users who are denied reference, and Tarou is specified as a user who can change attribute information. Only is specified. This ACL is specified for the second attribute information from the bottom in Fig. 11. This indicates that the ACL has been changed in response to an ACL setting request from the user side, as described later, after the default ACL is set in step S42 in FIG.

FIG. 13 is a detailed flowchart of attribute information output processing based on a request from a user.

This processing is realized by the attribute information output unit 33 and the attribute information management unit 32 shown in FIG. When the processing is started, first, in step S45, the attribute information output unit 33 determines whether or not the attribute information reference or search request from the client is received and the user information is received. This process is repeated. In step S46, the user identification unit 35 uniquely identifies the user in terms of user information. In step S47, the attribute information management unit 32 receives user information such as the user request and user name from the client side. Communicated.

[0063] On the attribute information management unit 32 side, in step S48, it is determined whether or not the output request from the attribute information output unit 33 or the user information has been received. If not yet received, this process is repeated. It is. If it is received, in step S49, whether or not the user is a user permitted to refer from FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 according to the contents of the access control list corresponding to the attribute information that the user wants to refer to. In step S50, attribute information is transmitted to the attribute information output unit 33, and in step S51, attribute information is output from the attribute information output unit 33 to the client side for processing. finish.

[0064] On the other hand, if the user who requested the attribute information reference or search in step S49 is not a permitted user, the attribute information indicates that the attribute information cannot be output in step S52. The information is transmitted from the management unit 32 to the attribute information output unit 33. In step S53, an error is output from the attribute information output unit 33 to the client 10 side, and the process ends. The process in FIG. 13 is also started as in FIG. 7, for example, when the system is started, and is terminated by the process in step S51 or step S53 in response to a request from the user. The processing from is always repeated while the system is operating.

FIG. 14 is a detailed flowchart of a file search process using file attribute information according to a request from the user. In this embodiment, the user can return to his / her past shared file. A major feature is that file search can be performed using file attribute information as metadata of a shared file that is considered to be extracted at the time of access, but in Fig. 14, it corresponds to the search condition given by the user. It is judged whether or not the user can access the attribute information that matches the search conditions, and only the file corresponding to the accessible attribute information is extracted and the search result is returned to the user side.

When the processing is started in FIG. 14, first, in step S56, the attribute information output unit 33 determines whether or not the file search request from the user from the client 10 side and the user information of the user are received. This process is repeated if it has not been received yet. If received, the user is specified as unique by the user specifying unit 35 in step S46, and a search request for user power and information such as a user name are transmitted to the attribute information management unit 32 in step S47.

[0067] On the attribute information management unit 32 side, in step S48, it is determined whether or not a user request and user information from the attribute information output unit 33 have been received. If not yet received, this processing is performed. Is repeated. When received, files that satisfy the search conditions specified in step S57 are searched, and only files that have access permission to the attribute information that matches the search conditions are extracted from the files searched in step S58. The This access permission determination is performed by the ACL determination unit 37 using the ACL 36. In step S59, only the extracted file is transmitted to the attribute information output unit 33. In step S60, the extracted file is output from the attribute information output unit 33 to the client 10 side, and the process ends. Note that the processing in FIG. 14 is also executed in a format that is always performed after the reception detection in step S56, as in FIG.

FIG. 15 is a detailed flowchart of the access control list ACL setting and changing process. This processing is executed by the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 and the attribute information management unit 32 shown in FIG. When the processing is started in FIG. 15, the ACL setting / acquiring unit 34 determines whether or not the ACL setting or changing request from the client 10 side and the user information are received in step S61. If not received yet, this process is repeated. If it is received, the user is uniquely identified by the user identification unit 35 in step S62, and the request from the user is sent to the attribute information management unit 32 in step S63. User information is transmitted.

[0069] In step S64, the attribute information management unit 32 determines whether or not the user's request and the user information are received from the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34. If not yet received, the process is repeated. It is. If received, in step S65, the user's ability to change the ACL contents corresponding to the ACL of the attribute information to be changed by the user is shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. Determined. When a user makes an ACL change request, the user needs to know the contents of the ACL. The acquisition of the ACL by this user is described in Fig. 16.

[0070] If the user can change the ACL, it is determined in step S66 whether or not a new ACL is set, and if so, after the new U ヽ ACL is registered in step S67. If it is not a new setting, the process immediately proceeds to step S68. In step S68, the ACL is changed for the attribute information in response to the user request, and the result is returned to the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34. In step S69, the change result is output to the client side and the user is sent. The process corresponding to the powerful request ends.

[0071] If the user cannot change the ACL in step S65, the attribute information management unit 32 notifies the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 that the ACL cannot be changed in step S70, and an error occurs on the client side in step S71. It is output and the processing for the user request is terminated.

[0072] As described above, for example, when the user changes the contents of the ACL, the user acquires the setting contents of the ACL as shown in FIG. 12, changes the contents, or responds to the attribute information in FIG. Then change the ACL that should be set. When specifying individual ACLs, the ACL names and numerical values shown in Fig. 12 are used as the ACL IDs.

FIG. 16 is a detailed flowchart of the ACL acquisition process. When processing is started in the figure, first, in step S75, the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 determines whether or not the user has received an ACL acquisition request and user information from the client 10, and has not yet received it. In some cases, this process is repeated. If received, the user is uniquely identified in step S76, and the ACL acquisition request and user information are transmitted to the attribute information management unit 32 in step S77. [0074] At step S78, the attribute information management unit 32 determines whether the user request from the ACL setting / acquisition unit and the user information have been received or not, and if not, the process is repeated. . If received, the ACL of the user is transmitted to the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 using the contents of ACL 36 in step S79, and the ACL setting / acquisition unit 34 outputs the ACL to the client 10 side in step S80. The process ends. In FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 as well, the steps after the reception detection processing in steps S61 and S75 are always executed.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram of the link between the attribute information of the file as described in FIG. 11 and the ACL as described in FIG. When attribute information is extracted by the attribute information extraction unit 31 as described above, the attribute information management unit 32 sets the default ACL of the user as an ACL corresponding to the attribute information in the attribute information database. In Fig. 12, when registering attribute information for T arou, the ACL of Tarou-1 is set. As the default ACL, one set by the system as described above can be used, or one set by the processing of FIG. 15 by each user can be used.

Thereafter, as described with reference to FIG. 16, the ACL set in the attribute information can be changed.

It is also possible to change the contents of the ACL itself and register a new ACL. For the attribute information such as the third and fourth lines from the top of Fig. 11, the default ACL that was set first is used. After that it has been changed to non-default Tarou-2. When the user is requested to access the file attribute information via the attribute information output unit 33, the attribute information management unit 32 checks the ACL ID set for the attribute information and confirms the ACL contents indicated by the ID. I do. If it is determined from the result that the user who has requested access has the right to access the attribute information, access to the file attribute information is permitted.

[0077] The power described above in detail for the file attribute information management program of the present invention and the like. Naturally, this program can be executed by a general computer system. FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing the configuration of such a computer system, that is, a hardware environment.

In FIG. 18, the computer system includes a central processing unit (CPU) 50, a read only memory (ROM) 51, a random access memory (RAM) 52, a communication interface 53, and a storage device 54. The input / output device 55, the portable storage medium reading device 56, and the bus 57 to which all of them are connected.

[0079] As the storage device 54, various types of storage devices such as a hard disk and a magnetic disk can be used. Such a storage device 54 or ROM 51 is connected to FIG. 5, FIG. 7—FIG. 10, FIG. The program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 16 and the like, the program of the scope of claims of the present invention, and the like are stored, and when such a program is executed by the CPU 50, the file attribute information in this embodiment for each user is stored. Management, file search using attribute information, management by access control list, etc. are possible.

[0080] Such a program may be stored in the storage device 54, for example, via the network 59 and the communication interface 53 from the program provider 58, or a portable storage medium 60 that is commercially available and distributed. Can be stored in the memory, set in the reader 56, and executed by the CPU 50. As the portable storage medium 60, various types of storage media such as a CD-ROM, a flexible disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, and a DVD can be used, and a program stored in such a storage medium can be read by a reading device. By being read by 56, file attribute information for each user in this embodiment can be managed.

[0081] As described above in detail, according to the present invention, file attribute information is extracted and managed for each user in the file sharing server, and is generated by own file processing by other user processing. File attribute information is prevented from being overwritten and deleted. Therefore, users can search for files using search conditions that match the stored contents such as the time when they access and update shared files and the names of files they remember. This greatly contributes to improving the efficiency of information processing using shared files.

Further, by referring to the file attribute information generated by the file processing of another user, it can be used for own information management. For example, a file that another user refers to at the same time as a file, that is, that the user thinks that the file is closely related to the file can be used for his or her work. [0083] Furthermore, since an access control list ACL is set for each attribute information, the user can publish his file attribute information, set the range of other users, etc., and want to make it public to others. It is possible to restrict other people's access to attribute information that is not available.

Industrial applicability

[0084] The present invention naturally includes a plurality of storage media sales industries storing file attribute information management programs for shared file utilization systems, and a manufacturing industry of file attribute information management apparatuses using such programs. It can be used in all industries that use file systems shared by other users.

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A program used by a computer that manages attribute information of a file shared by multiple users,

An access monitoring procedure for monitoring access to the shared file by a user and extracting an event related to the access and information of the user who performed the access;

A computer that executes an attribute information extraction procedure for identifying a user who has accessed using the extraction result of the access monitoring procedure and acquiring attribute information of the shared file for each user from an event related to access. File attribute information management program.

[2] The file attribute information management program according to claim 1, further causing the computer to execute an attribute information management procedure for storing the shared file attribute information acquired by the attribute information extraction procedure in a database for each user. .

[3] a procedure for setting an access control list indicating users who can access the shared file attribute information stored in the database;

3. The file attribute information management according to claim 2, further comprising: causing a computer to execute a determination procedure for determining whether a user who requests access to the shared file attribute information satisfies the contents of the access control list. apparatus.

[4] When the user is identified in response to the output request of the shared file attribute information of the user power, and the determination procedure determines that the specified user satisfies the contents of the access control list, 4. The file attribute information management program according to claim 3, further causing the computer to execute a step of outputting the requested shared file attribute information to the user side.

[5] User-controlled access control list setting In response to a request for Z change, setting the storage contents of the memory in which the contents of the access control list are stored z Further causing the computer to execute a procedure for changing The file attribute information management program according to claim 3.

[6] The file attribute information according to claim 3, further causing the computer to execute a procedure for changing the access control list set for the shared file attribute information in response to a request from the user. Management program.

[7] A method for managing attribute information of a file shared by a plurality of users, monitoring access to the shared file by a user, and extracting an event related to access and information of a user who has performed access,

A file attribute information management method characterized in that, by using the extraction result V, an access user is specified, and attribute information of the shared file is obtained for each user from an access-related event.

8. The file attribute information management method according to claim 7, wherein the acquired shared file attribute information is further stored in a database for each user.

[9] For the shared file attribute information stored in the database, set an access control list indicating users who can be accessed further.

9. The file attribute information management method according to claim 8, wherein it is determined whether a user requesting access to the shared file attribute information satisfies the contents of the access control list.

[10] In response to a request for outputting shared file attribute information of user power, the user is further specified, and when it is determined that the specified user satisfies the contents of the access control list, the requested 10. The file attribute information management method according to claim 9, wherein the shared file attribute information is output to a user side.

[11] A storage medium used by a computer that manages file attribute information shared by multiple users,

An access monitoring step of monitoring access to the shared file by a user and extracting an event related to access and information of the user who performed the access;

File attribute information for identifying a user who has accessed using the extraction result of the access monitoring step and causing the computer to execute an attribute information extraction step for acquiring attribute information of the shared file for each user from an access-related event A computer-readable portable storage medium that stores a management program.

[12] An apparatus for managing attribute information of a file shared by a plurality of users, monitoring access to the shared file by a user, and extracting an event relating to access and information of a user who has performed access Monitoring means; A file comprising: attribute information extracting means for identifying a user who has made an access using an extraction result obtained by the access monitoring means, and acquiring attribute information of the shared file for each user from an event related to the access; Attribute information management device.