Patent ID: 8429192

Claim:
A method of managing file access in a computer system, the method comprising: receiving, by a file system within an operating system image executing within the computer system, an access request for accessing a file stored within the computer system and accessible by the file system; responsive to receiving the access request, transmitting, from the file system to an access control management framework external to the file system and within the operating system image, an access check request for causing the access control management framework to perform an access check operation, wherein the transmitting transmits, within the operating system image, a generic access check operation code to the access control management framework; responsive to the transmitting, receiving the access check request at the access control management framework; responsive to receiving the access check request at the access control management framework, performing an access check operation within the operating system image as specified by the generic access check operation code using one of multiple access control list engines within the operating system image and external to the file system, wherein the one of the multiple access control list engines is selected in conformity with a type of access control list entry appropriate for the file as accessible by the file system, wherein the multiple access control list engines correspond to different types of access control list entry types; and returning a result of the access request to the file system, wherein the file system responds to the access request in conformity with a result of the access check performed by the one of the multiple access control list engines.