Problems creating a new VFS module

[Sergio Lopes]

Hi,

We have a document management software that allows users, through a Web
interface to access documents in a directory hierarchy. In addition to
access via web interface, users can also access via a network share to
there documents. As the document management system has a system of
permissions, each user can access different directories / documents.
Therefore, in order that the users access to documents via a network
share, for each user exists in the file system the directory's and 
documents  that each user has access:

  -/home1/DOCS/user1/
                                         + invoives
                                                invoice 1.PDF  (
symbolic link to the file store )
                                                invoice 2.PDF  (
symbolic link to the file store )

  -/home1/DOCS/user2
...

( In the smb.conf  file a network share is configured so that each user
access to its list of directories and documents. )

Thus, in a document management system with hundreds of users and
millions of documents, are created a lot of links and directories in the
file system!

A better way to implement this feature, would be to use the samba VFS
modules. The documents and directories that each user would have access
would be defined dynamically and directly from the database, and not
through the file system.

best regards,
Sergio Lopes

On 10/07/2010 07:19 PM, Holger Hetterich wrote:
> Am Donnerstag, den 07.10.2010, 16:21 +0100 schrieb Sergio Lopes:
>   
>> Hi,
>>
>> I'm trying to develop a new VFS module for Samba, but am encountering
>> some difficulties and also i don't know much of samba programming so i
>> need some help from you, if possible.
>>
>> The VFS module I want to develop will present a hierarchy of directories
>> and files. This hierarchy does not exist in the filesystem, its
>> structure is stored in a database. The files / directories shown in the
>> share will therefore be defined by the contents of the
>> database(something like a database FS).
>>     
> Even if I am unable to imagine a use case for this at the moment (can
> you englighten me?) I find the idea quite interesting :)
>
> Holger
>   


-- 
Sérgio Lopes

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