Patent ID: 7143146

Claim:
A gateway apparatus coupled to a client computer and a file server comprising: a first interface, coupled to the client computer, which receives a first type file access request from the client computer based on a first type protocol; a second interface, coupled to the file server, which outputs a second type file access request to the file server based on a second type protocol, the second type protocol being used between the file server and a second client computer which is adapted to use the second type protocol; a processing unit coupled to the first and second interface; and a memory coupled to the processing unit, wherein the first type file access request specifies a path name indicating a directory including a file to be accessed and a file name indicating the file, and the file name is a first type of unique identifier in the directory, wherein the second type file access request specifies a file ID which is a second type of unique identifier in the file server and indicates the file, wherein the memory stores information of correspondence between a set of the path name and the file name of the first type protocol and file ID of the second type protocol, wherein, when the first interface receives a first command of the first type file access request from the client computer, the first command specifies a first set of a first path name and a first file name related to a first file, the processing unit sends a second command of the second type file access request to the file server via the second interface, the second command indicates the file server to create a second file which includes update data of the first file and which is assigned to a second file ID of the second type protocol in the file server if the first file which is assigned to a first file ID, which is different from the second file ID, of the second type protocol already exists in the file server.