Multiple attribute file directory manipulation and navigation system

Abstract

The parallel virtual directory system can extend the native file system to provide a superior method for organizing a computer system's physical storage devices or locations. These can include hard disks and removable media or remote storage locations such as on the Internet. Interceptor modules can monitor all file or memory changes such as creations, writes and deletes to the native file system and can pass this information to the parallel virtual directory system. The parallel virtual directory system may be accessed through the native file system methods allowing users to view their file system as it existed at any point in time, including removable media that is no longer present in the system. Further, via the parallel virtal directory system and the Interceptor modules, users can access any file in any of the monitored file systems. The parallel virtual directory system may be implemented using database technology thereby allowing multiple views of the parallel virtual directory system to be offered to the user based on their needs and can thus be used to ease navigation through the file system. Further, a set of information management processes can run at the application level providing data management services such as backup, archiving, recording of digital video programming, or even controlled playback or utilization of that information. The information management processes can configure the parallel virtual directory system to capture the information they require and use the gathered information to efficiently complete their data management functions.