Network File System Operation Restriction Enforcement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing systems lack effective mechanisms to enforce operation restrictions on file system entities over networks based on client location and operation expiry, leading to potential unauthorized access and data misuse.

Innovation Solution

A method where a server receives a client's locale and uses supplemental data, including locality and operation expiry information, to determine whether requested operations on a file system entity are permitted, ensuring that operations are restricted according to defined territories and time limits, and transcoding the file system entity for compatibility if necessary.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If operation restrictions are enforced based on client locale and supplemental data, then data sovereignty and security are improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata sovereignty enforcementVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by receiving and storing the client's locale information during session setup, and by pre-associating supplemental data (locality data and operation expiry data) with file system entities before operations are requested. This preparation enables efficient enforcement of operation restrictions without adding complexity to the actual operation execution path.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces supplemental data as an intermediary layer between the client request and the file system entity. This supplemental data (containing locality data and operation expiry data) acts as a mediator that the server consults to determine whether to permit operations, thereby enforcing data sovereignty without requiring complex embedded logic within the file system itself.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If locale verification and supplemental data checking are performed for each operation, then access control accuracy is improved, but operation speed decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveaccess control accuracyVSAvoidoperation speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The server receives and stores the client's locale information during session setup as a preliminary action, making it readily available for subsequent operation checks without requiring repeated retrieval. This pre-positioning of locale data reduces the overhead for each individual operation verification.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The client is responsible for providing its own locale information during session setup, and the server uses this self-provided information along with pre-associated supplemental data to make access decisions. This self-service approach reduces the burden on the server to actively verify client location for each operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Duration of action of moving object

If operation expiry data is enforced, then data lifecycle control is improved, but additional validation overhead is introduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata lifecycle controlVSAvoidvalidation overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges locality data and operation expiry data into a unified supplemental data structure that is associated with file system entities. By combining these two types of control information into a single consultable resource, the system enforces both location-based and time-based restrictions without requiring separate validation mechanisms, thereby reducing overall validation overhead.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3213249B1Over network operation restriction enforcement
Publication Date: 2020.10.21 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3213249B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3213249B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3213249B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The enforcement of operation restriction on a file system entity over a network. The file system entity exists on a server (which could be a single machine, a cluster of servers, or a cloud computing environment). The server facilitates setting up of a session over a network with a client. As part of this facilitation, the server receives from the client a locale of the client. Upon subsequent receipt from the client of a request to perform an operation on the file system entity, the client consults supplemental data to determine whether the requested operation is permitted on the file system entity. The supplemental data may comprise at least one of the locality information or operation expiry data.