Patent ID: 7191195

Claim:
A distributed file sharing system comprising: a first host apparatus connected to a network, a second host apparatus connected to the network, and a third host apparatus connected to the network, wherein said first host apparatus has a first manager for managing first directory information including first access right information on a first directory, said second host apparatus has a second manager for managing second directory information including second access right information on a second directory, and managing the first directory information managed by said first host apparatus as fourth directory information, said third host apparatus has a third manager for managing directory information managed by said first host apparatus and directory information managed by said second host apparatus as index information, said first manager in said first host apparatus, further, has a first communicator for checking on the first directory information of access right information, updating the first directory information, and transmitting updated directory information to said third host apparatus as first update information, said third manager in said third host apparatus, further, has a second communicator for updating the directory information managed by said first host apparatus including the index information, based on the first update information, and transmitting updated directory information to said second host apparatus as second update information, said second manager in said second host apparatus, further, has a third communicator for updating the fourth directory information based on the second update information, and transmitting updated directory information to said third host apparatus as a third update information, and said third manager in said third host apparatus, further, updates the directory information managed by said second host apparatus including the index information, based on the third update information.