Patent ID: 7853605
Filing Date: 2010-12-14
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. A host computer comprising: a processor coupled to computer storage media, the computer storage media containing processor-executable instructions adapted to be executed by the processor for hosting a software architecture responsive to receipt of a first path for an item in a navigable namespace for a file system, the software architecture comprising: a provider engine operable to receive a request from a client computer via a network for accessing primary data established by a primary provider according to the first path for the item in the navigable namespace, wherein the provider engine is operable to access a primary provider computer that stores the primary data for the item according to the first path of the primary data of the item for retrieving the primary data in response to the request; an auxiliary provider engine operable to access auxiliary data for the item, wherein an auxiliary provider develops the auxiliary data related to the primary data, wherein an association is established between the primary provider and the auxiliary provider via specification of the first path of the primary data of the item and one or more commands that call for auxiliary provider services for providing the auxiliary data, wherein the auxiliary data is stored at a second path in the navigable namespace, different from the first path, wherein the auxiliary provider engine accesses the auxiliary data on an auxiliary provider computer via the network according to the second path in the namespace, wherein the primary data and the auxiliary data exist on different data stores comprising a first data store managed by the primary provider computer for storing the primary data and a second data store managed by the auxiliary provider computer for storing the auxiliary data; and an auxiliary provider class for establishing the association between the primary provider and the auxiliary provider and for associating the auxiliary data with the item, wherein the auxiliary provider class includes registration information for the auxiliary data provider computer for enabling the auxiliary provider engine to determine the auxiliary provider computer that contains the auxiliary data corresponding to the primary data of the item for accessing the auxiliary data for the item, wherein the host computer is configured to expose the auxiliary provider to the client computer in response to receipt of the first path in the request for the item in the navigable namespace based on the association established between the primary data provider and the auxiliary data provider, wherein the host computer is configured to return both the primary data and the auxiliary data to the client computer in response to receiving a single get data command from the client computer.