Virtual file management system

Abstract

A virtual file management system constructed with a plurality of servers and a plurality of terminals that share file services provided by said servers, is that a virtual file management apparatus operating in at least one of said plurality of servers is provided that has: a management table which manages files stored on said plurality of servers by using virtual file identifiers, and in which a server name of a server where real data is stored and a real file identifier in said server are stored as a set for each of said virtual file identifiers; a receiving section which receives a file access request from each of said terminals; a request analyzing section which checks said management table by using the virtual file identifier contained in the file access request received by said receiving section, and thereby determines the server where the real data of the requested file is stored; a transmitting section which transmits data; and a request modification processing section which modifies said file access request so that a response to said file access request can be sent back to the terminal that issued said access request, directly from the server determined by said request analyzing section, and which instructs said transmitting section to transmit said modified file access request to said determined server, and