Information management

Abstract

Managing metadata added to a file, a directory, or a symbolic link is provided. One or more pieces of metadata of a movement target are obtained. The movement target is at least one of a file, a directory, and a symbolic link. The movement target is to be moved from one file system to another file system within a plurality of file systems. Whether the one or more pieces of metadata are migratable to the other file system is determined based, at least in part, on metadata stored in the other file system. The one or more pieces of metadata are processed by (i) migrating a first piece of metadata that is determined to be migratable to the other file system and (ii) leaving a second piece of metadata in the one file system, wherein the second piece of metadata is determined to be non-migratable.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system for managing metadata added to a file, a directory, or a symbolic link, the computer system comprising:
 one or more computer processors;   one or more computer readable storage media;   program instructions stored on the one or more computer readable storage media for execution by at least one of the one or more processors, the program instructions comprising:   program instructions to obtain one or more pieces of metadata of a movement target, wherein the movement target is at least one of a file, a directory, and a symbolic link, and wherein the movement target is to be moved from one file system to another file system within a plurality of file systems;   program instructions to determine whether the one or more pieces of metadata are migratable to the other file system based, at least in part, on metadata stored in the other file system; and   program instructions to process the one or more pieces of metadata by (i) migrating a first piece of metadata that is determined to be migratable to the other file system and (ii) leaving a second piece of metadata in the one file system, wherein the second piece of metadata is determined to be non-migratable.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of file systems are arranged into a hierarchy, the program instructions further comprising:
 program instructions to determine, when moving the movement target from a file system at a high level to a file system at a low level via one or more file systems at middle levels, for each piece of metadata of the one or more pieces of metadata of the movement target, whether the piece of metadata is migratable to file systems at each of one or more levels; and   program instructions to migrate the piece of metadata to a file system at a respective level to which the piece of metadata is migratable, each respective level being a level that is lower than the high level, thereby storing the one or more pieces of metadata in the file systems at the respective levels.   
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 2 , the program instructions further comprising:
 program instructions to generate a list identifying pieces of metadata of the one or more pieces of metadata that are not migratable to the file system at the low level; and   program instructions to migrate each piece of metadata of the list to a file system at a level that is lower than the high level and to which the piece of metadata is migratable.   
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 3 , the program instructions further comprising:
 program instructions to determine that each of the one or more pieces of metadata is migratable to the file system at the low level and, in response: migrate the one or more pieces of metadata to the file system at the low level and thereafter delete the movement target from the file system at the high level.   
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 2 , the program instructions further comprising:
 program instructions to update the one or more pieces of metadata of the movement target which are stored in the file systems at the respective levels in response to an update of the movement target.   
     
     
         6 . The computer system of  claim 2 , further comprising, in response to addition of an additional piece of metadata to the movement target:
 determining whether the additional piece of metadata is storable in the file systems at the respective levels; and   storing the additional piece of metadata in a file system at a lowest level in which the piece of metadata is storable.   
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 changing, in response to a change in a name of the movement target, file names of metafiles in the file systems at the respective levels, the metafiles storing the one or more pieces of metadata of the movement target.   
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 deleting, in response to deletion of the movement target, all of the one or more pieces of metadata of the movement target which are stored in the file systems at the respective levels.   
     
     
         9 . The computer system of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 collecting the one or more pieces of metadata of the movement target which are stored in the file systems at the respective levels, in response to a request for obtaining the pieces of metadata of the movement target.