add deep-copy function to web API #203

New Issue

warner · 2007-11-08T18:35:20Z

warner commented

2007-11-08 18:35:20 +00:00

The web API should provide a convenient facility to do a deep copy of
everything below a given directory node. The caller should get to choose
whether the new tree is made up of mutable RW dirnodes or immutable dirnodes.

This can then be used as a primitive by higher-level applications. When a
user indicates to their agent that they want to share a folder with a friend
by dragging it from their desktop and dropping it on to their friend's icon,
the default mode can be to deep-copy this folder into an immutable tree. This
seems like it would provide the least surprising result; whereas if the
friend receives an exact reference to the original dirnode, the friend now
has write access to anything in that folder or referenced by that folder.

A different GUI action (shift-dragging or something) can be used to indicate
that the user wants to share a "live" folder, and the agent should remember
that the folder was thus shared, and mark the folder with a little "plugged
in" icon (like the old Mac AppleTalk-shared folders did.. I don't know how
they show this these days). It can also remember who you first shared it
with.

Once you have one of these read-only copies, you can make a RW deep-copy to
be able to write to it again. The act of making the copy should make it clear
that you are not setting some sort of non-existent read-write flag on the
source folder, but rather you are creating a brand new tree that just happens
to have the same files as the original.

I'm not sure what the webapi for this should be.. maybe:

POST /$URI?t=deepcopy-rw -> new-URI
POST /$URI?t=deepcopy-ro -> new-URI

although really there are three modes:

RW: use mutable dirnodes to make a new tree, return the RW cap of the root
RO: same, but return the RO cap of the root and discard the RW cap
immutable: use immutable dirnodes to make a new tree, return the root

I think the second case is a waste of CPU cycles, generating RSA keys for
every node and then never using them again. On the other hand, we have to
build immutable dirnodes before the third option is available to us.

The web API should provide a convenient facility to do a deep copy of everything below a given directory node. The caller should get to choose whether the new tree is made up of mutable RW dirnodes or immutable dirnodes. This can then be used as a primitive by higher-level applications. When a user indicates to their agent that they want to share a folder with a friend by dragging it from their desktop and dropping it on to their friend's icon, the default mode can be to deep-copy this folder into an immutable tree. This seems like it would provide the least surprising result; whereas if the friend receives an exact reference to the original dirnode, the friend now has write access to anything in that folder or referenced by that folder. A different GUI action (shift-dragging or something) can be used to indicate that the user wants to share a "live" folder, and the agent should remember that the folder was thus shared, and mark the folder with a little "plugged in" icon (like the old Mac [AppleTalk](wiki/AppleTalk)-shared folders did.. I don't know how they show this these days). It can also remember who you first shared it with. Once you have one of these read-only copies, you can make a RW deep-copy to be able to write to it again. The act of making the copy should make it clear that you are not setting some sort of non-existent read-write flag on the source folder, but rather you are creating a brand new tree that just happens to have the same files as the original. I'm not sure what the webapi for this should be.. maybe: POST /$URI?t=deepcopy-rw -> new-URI POST /$URI?t=deepcopy-ro -> new-URI although really there are three modes: * RW: use mutable dirnodes to make a new tree, return the RW cap of the root * RO: same, but return the RO cap of the root and discard the RW cap * immutable: use immutable dirnodes to make a new tree, return the root I think the second case is a waste of CPU cycles, generating RSA keys for every node and then never using them again. On the other hand, we have to build immutable dirnodes before the third option is available to us.

warner added the

labels 2007-11-08 18:35:20 +00:00

warner added this to the eventually milestone 2007-11-08 18:35:20 +00:00

warner added

code-dirnodes

and removed

code-frontend

labels 2008-04-24 23:50:24 +00:00

warner modified the milestone from eventually to undecided

2008-06-01 20:39:46 +00:00

warner commented

2009-03-24 19:55:23 +00:00

The 'tahoe backup' command is currently using readonly dirnodes, since we don't have immutable dirnodes (#607) yet. Also, this ticket is more about a webapi interface than the dirnode format.

warner added

code-frontend-web

and removed

code-dirnodes

labels 2009-03-24 19:55:23 +00:00

davidsarah commented

2010-01-07 00:43:02 +00:00

This operation could also be used to support #835 efficiently.

I don't think the second mode mentioned in this bug's description is needed; the client can always attenuate the write cap to a read cap. But we do now have immutable dirnodes (#607) so the third mode is implementable.

This operation could also be used to support #835 efficiently. I don't think the second mode mentioned in this bug's description is needed; the client can always attenuate the write cap to a read cap. But we do now have immutable dirnodes (#607) so the third mode is implementable.

tahoe-lafs changed title from ~~add deep-copy function~~ to add deep-copy function to web API

2010-01-07 00:43:02 +00:00

davidsarah commented

2010-02-12 05:00:38 +00:00

WebDAV defines a COPY operation, that is essentially this deep-copy operation when the Depth: infinity header is specified.

WebDAV defines a COPY operation, that is essentially this deep-copy operation when the `Depth: infinity` header is specified.

tahoe-lafs modified the milestone from undecided to eventually

2010-02-12 05:00:38 +00:00

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