Patent ID: 6983290

Claim:
Data processing apparatus for retrieving data in accordance with received access requests including a protocol identifier and a location identifier, said apparatus comprising: a receiver for receiving access requests including a protocol identifier and a location identifier; a plurality of protocol processing modules for retrieving data utilizing location identifiers received by said receiver, and selection means for selecting from said protocol processing modules a processing module to process a received access request on the basis of the said protocol identifier included in said received access request; wherein at least one of protocol processing modules is operable to process location identifiers comprising resource identification data and fixed predetermined identification data corresponding to a file, said at least one protocol processing module comprising: monitoring means arranged to detect the storage of files in a file storage system; means responsive to the monitoring means to store fixed predetermined identification data corresponding to a said file in association with data identifying the location of storage of a file being stored; conversion means for converting file identifiers into data identifying a storage location utilizing said data stored by said responsive means; and retrieval means for retrieving resource data stored in said file storage system utilizing said data identifying a storage location identified by conversion of the file identifier of said location identifier by said conversion means and said resource identification data.