File repository abstraction layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9449004-B2
Application number	US-201213421588-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 15, 2012
Priority date	Mar 15, 2012
Publication date	Sep 20, 2016
Grant date	Sep 20, 2016

Abstract

Example systems and methods of implementing an abstraction layer for a file repository are presented. In one example, an access request to retrieve an electronic file is received from a requesting device. The request includes an identification of a first storage location in the file repository. In response to the request, the first storage location of the file repository is searched for the electronic file. If the search is successful, the electronic file is retrieved from the file repository at the first storage location. If the search is unsuccessful, a redirection file is accessed in the file repository. The redirection file includes an identification of a second storage location for the electronic, file at a storage site external to the file repository. The electronic file is retrieved from the storage site based on the indication of the second storage location. The retrieved file is transmitted to the requesting device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method, comprising:
receiving from a requesting device an access request to retrieve an electronic file, the access request comprising an identification of a first storage location in a file repository;
searching, using at least one processor of a machine, for the electronic file in the file repository at the first storage location in response to the access request;
based on the searching for the electronic file being successful, retrieving the electronic file from the file repository at the first storage location;
based on the searching for the electronic file being unsuccessful,
accessing a redirection file in the file repository, the redirection file comprising an identification of a second storage location for the electronic file at a storage site external to the file repository, the accessing of the redirection file in file repository comprising searching for the redirection file in the file repository, beginning in a lowest-level electronic file folder containing the first storage location, and continuing to successively higher-level electronic file folders containing the first storage location, until the redirection file is discovered, and
retrieving the electronic file from the storage site external to the file repository based on the identification of the second storage location; and

transmitting the retrieved electronic file to the requesting device.

2. The method of claim 1 , the retrieving of the electronic tile from the storage site external to the file repository being further based on a third storage location of the file repository at which the redirection file is accessed.

3. The method of claim 2 , the retrieving of the electronic file from the storage site external to the file repository being further based on the first storage location.

4. The method of claim 1 , the access request comprising a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) GET request.

5. The method of claim 1 , the identification of the first storage location comprising a uniform resource locator.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
interpreting the access request according to an operating mode of a group comprising a file system mode and a version control system mode.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
receiving from a commanding device a command to set the operating mode; and
storing an indication of the operating mode in a configuration file in response to the command.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
receiving from the requesting device a second access request to update the electronic file, the second access request comprising a revision of the electronic file and an identification of the first storage location in the file repository; and
storing the revised electronic file at the storage site external to the repository based on the indication of the second storage location.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising;
receiving from a requesting device an access request to retrieve an electronic file, the access request comprising an identification of a first storage location in a file repository;
searching for the electronic file in the file repository at the first storage location in response to the access request;
based on the searching for the electronic file being successful, retrieving the electronic file from the file repository at the first storage location;
based on the searching for the electronic file being unsuccessful,
accessing a redirection file in the file repository, the redirection file comprising an identification of a second storage location for the electronic file at a storage she external to the file repository, the accessing of the redirection file in he file repository comprising searching for the redirection file in the file repository, beginning in a lowest-level electronic file folder containing the first storage location, and continuing to successively higher-level electronic file folders containing the first storage location, until the redirection file is discovered, and
retrieving the electronic file from the storage site external to the file repository based on the identification of the second storage location; and transmitting the retrieved electronic file to the requesting device.

10. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 9 , the retrieving of the electronic file from the storage site external to the file repository being further based on a third storage location of the file repository at which the redirection file is accessed.

11. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 , the retrieving of the electronic file from the storage site external to the file repository being further based on the first storage location.

12. A system comprising:
at least one hardware processor; and
modules comprising instructions that are executable by the at least one hardware processor, the modules comprising:
a file repository storage module to store a plurality of electronic files; and
a file repository abstraction module to;
receive from a requesting system an access request to retrieve an electronic file, the access request comprising an identification of a first storage location in the file repository storage module;
search for the electronic file at the first storage location in response to the access request;
based on the searching for the electronic file being successful, retrieve the electronic file from the file repository storage module at the first storage location;
based on the searching for the electronic file being unsuccessful,
access a redirection file in the file repository storage module, the redirection file comprising an identification of a second storage location for the electronic file at a storage site external to the system, the accessing of the redirection file in the file repository searching for the redirection file in the file repository, beginning in a lowest-level electronic file folder containing the first storage location, and continuing to successively higher-level electronic file folders containing the first storage location, until the redirection file is discovered, and
retrieve the electronic file from the storage site based on the identification of the second storage location; and

transmit the retrieved electronic file to the requesting system.

13. The system of claim 12 , the file repository abstraction module to retrieve the electronic file from the storage site further based on the first storage location.

14. The system of claim 13 , the file repository abstraction module to retrieve the electronic file from the storage site further based on a third storage location of the file repository storage module at which the redirection file is accessed.

15. The system of claim 12 , the file repository abstraction module further comprising:
a file system module to facilitate access to the file repository storage module according to a file system operating mode;
a version control system module to facilitate access to the file repository storage module according to a version control system operating mode; and
a configuration module comprising an operating mode indication indicating one of the file system operating mode and the version control system operating mode;
the file repository abstraction module to select one of the tile system module and the version control system module to process the access request according to the operating mode indication.

16. The system of claim 12 , the

Assignees

• Iliev Ivaylo
• Dimitrov Vencislav
• Galchev Galin
• Stanev Georgi
• Sap Se

Inventors

• Iliev Ivaylo
• Dimitrov Vencislav
• Galchev Galin
• Stanev Georgi

Classifications

• G06F16/1824

  implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture (distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097) · CPC title

• G06F16/13 Primary

  File access structures, e.g. distributed indices (arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06) · CPC title

• G06F17/30197

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30091 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic