Apple Inc.

Bill M Bruffey

Thomas E Saulpaugh

Gursharan S Sidhu

Steven J Szymanski

Russell T Williams

William P Kain, Iii

Patrick W Dirks

Christopher R McFall

In a computer, a system and a method handle requests from a client for accessing metadata attributes from at least one file system having an associated format containing specific metadata attributes. A format agent manages the file system. A client's request is received at an interface and forwarded to a dispatcher. The dispatcher routes the request to the format agent. The format agent fulfills the portions of the client's request regarding metadata attributes included in the associated format of the file system. If the client's request contains a metadata attribute that is not part of the file system's associated format, the format agent accesses a metadata attribute store to retrieve the metadata attribute data needed to fulfill the request. The requested metadata attribute data is then returned to the client. Multiple instances of the metadata attribute data are accessible by the client, the instances selected and/or assigned by the client and/or the system.

Method and system for extending file system metadata

An object oriented message passing system for transferring messages between a client task and a server task comprises an object database, an object management unit, a message transaction unit, and a locking unit. The object management unit creates a port object and one or more associated message objects. The message transaction unit matches a send message request issued by a client task with an acceptance function or with a receive message request issued by a server task. In response to a send message request, the message transaction unit creates a send message control block. In response to a receive message request, the message transaction unit creates a delivery message control block if the receive message request matches the send message control block, or creates a receive message control block if the receive message request does not match the send message control block. The locking unit locks a message object such that send message requests directed to the message object are not eligible to be matched to receive message requests until the message object is unlocked. An object oriented message passing method comprises the steps of: creating a port object; creating a message object associated with the port object; generating a unique message ID in response to a message transaction initiated by a send message request; creating a send message control block; and matching the send message control block to a corresponding receive message request.

Object oriented message passing system and method

In a computer including at least one caller adapted to request access to a storage media, the storage media being organized according to one of at least one file system format, a system for handling requests for access to the storage media. The system includes interface modules for receiving a request for information from a caller, determining an appropriate one of a plurality of destinations to which to send the request based at least in part on a subject for the received request, and sending the request to the appropriate destination, format agent modules, corresponding to the file system format, for processing requests to access the storage media, a store for storing at least one first identifier for identifying the format agent modules, second identifiers for identifying the plurality of destinations, and mapping information for mapping between the second and first identifiers, and a dispatch module for receiving the request from the interface modules and forwarding the request to the format agent modules responsive to the mapping information. A method for handling requests for access to the storage media is also provided.

Method and apparatus for handling request regarding information stored

A hierarchical filing system provides a cataloging of data stored in various locations within a memory device. An upside-down tree type structure provides a downwardly expanding cataloging structure wherein directories provide for further branchings. A branching from a directory is terminated when a file is reached. Each directory is assigned a unique directory identifier value. Then, each file or directory is coupled with the directory identifier value of its parent to provide the interconnection necessary to form the cataloging structure. The complete cataloging structure is organized in the leaf nodes of a B-Tree structure and distributed in an ascending order of the key values to provide a systematic search for a given key. Each file is capable of storing a predetermined number of location description information when data is segmented into non-contiguous segments in memory. A file extents record is used to maintain record of the further segmentation. File location information is kept in the form of file extents descriptors in the leaf nodes of the separate File Extents B-Tree. This extents information is sorted in an ascending order based on a key comprised of a unique file number of a file relative starting block location of the file extent.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Bill M Bruffey