Patent ID: 8341123
Filing Date: 2012-12-25
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
1. In a computing environment, a method for unambiguously describing and authenticating file system contents and historical actions by implementing a self-auditing file system for an associated storage device, the method comprising: maintaining, on the storage device, file system metadata comprising an ordered list of Events chosen from an extensible list of multiple Event types, each Event type being a data structure within the file system describing at least a specific unambiguous action in a sequence of actions taken upon an object and wherein the ordered list of Events unambiguously describes the sequence of actions taken upon the object, wherein an addition of a new Event type to the list of Event types does not impact previously written metadata, and wherein each Event in the ordered list is associated with a single unambiguous action taken upon an Object; and in response to each new action taken upon any Object, appending a new linked Event in the ordered list of Events in the file system metadata corresponding to the action; wherein the ordered list of Events comprising the file system metadata unambiguously describes each historical action and each incremental change to a state of the file system and previously created file system metadata is not obsoleted or impacted, wherein logical order of the list of Events is maintained by at least a pointer, without requiring use of an external table or an index, wherein the ordered list of Events is authoritative metadata of file system state, content, and history of the file system and each Event within the ordered list of Events is a permanent contributor to the authoritative metadata for a life of the file system, and wherein the ordered list of Events and associated data of the self-auditing file system can be authenticated and audited by reading and authenticating the ordered list of Events in chronological order of their occurrence as inserted.