Common name space for long and short filenames

1. In a computer system having a storage, a directory service for accessing directory entries and a file system that uses the directory entries to access files, a method, comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

(a) creating a first directory entry for a file wherein the first directory holds a short filename for the file and the location of the file;

(b) creating a second directory entry for the file wherein the second directory entry holds at least one portion of a long filename having a fixed number of characters and a signature that identifies that the second directory entry holds a first portion of the long filename;

(c) storing the first directory entry and the second directory entry on the storage among the directory entries used by the directory service; (d) accessing the second directory entry by the directory service to access the file; and (e) creating and storing in the storage a sequence of at least one additional directory entry for holding a next sequential portion of the long filename.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the long filename contains more characters than the short filename.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein each additional directory entry may hold only a fixed number of characters of the long filename and how many additional directory entries are created is dictated by how many additional directory entries are required to store characters of the long filename which are not already stored in the second directory entry.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of creating a plurality of additional directory entries.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of providing a signature in each additional directory entry that identifies which portion of the long filename the additional directory entry holds.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of providing a checksum of the first filename in each additional directory entry.

7. In a data processing system having a processor running an operating system and a memory means having memory locations wherein the operating system is stored in the memory means, a method, comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in a first of the memory locations of the memory means a first directory entry for a file wherein the first directory entry holds a short filename for the file, said short filename including at most a maximum number of characters that is permissible by an application program;

(b) storing in a second of the memory locations of the memory means that is adjacent to the first of the memory locations a second directory entry for the file wherein the second directory entry holds at least a first portion of a long filename for the file, said long filename including a greater number of characters than the maximum number of characters that is permissible by the application program, and

(c) accessing one of the directory entries to locate the file.

8. The method as recited in claim 7 wherein the step of storing the second directory further comprises the step of storing a checksum of the short filename in the second directory entry.

9. The method as recited in claim 7, further comprising the step of storing at least one additional directory entry holding a next portion of the long filename in the memory means.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the step of storing at least one additional directory entry further comprises the step of storing a checksum of the short filename in the additional directory entry.

11. The method as recited in claim 9 wherein the step of storing at least one additional directory entry further comprises the step of storing a signature that uniquely identifies which portion of the long filename is stored in the additional directory entry.

12. In a computer system having a storage, a directory service for accessing directory entries and a file system that uses the directory entries to access files, a comnputer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising computer-implementented steps of:

(a) creating a first directry entry for a file wherein the first directory holds a short filename for the file and the location of the file;

(b) creating a second directory entry for the file wherein the second directory entry holds at least one portion of a long filename having a fixed number of characters;

(c) storing the first directory entry and the second directory entry on the storag among the directory entries used by the directory service; and

(d) accessing the second directory entry by the directory service to access the file.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 wherein the long filename contains more characters than the short filename.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 also holding computer-executable instructions for creating and storing in the storage a sequence of at least one additional directory entry for holding a next sequential portion of the long filename.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein each additional directory entry may hold only a fixed number of characters of the long filename and how many additional directory entries are created is dictated by how many additional directory entries are required to store characters of the long filename which are not already stored in the second directory entry.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of creating a plurality of additional directory entries.

17. The computer-readable medium of clain 14 wherein the step of creating the second directory entry further comprises the step of providing a signature in the second directory entry that identifies that the second directory entry holds the first portion of the long file name.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 17 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of providing a signature in each additional directory entry that identifies which portion of the long filename the additional directory entry holds.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein the step of creating at least one additional directory entry for the long filename further comprises the step of providing a checksum of the first filename in each additional directory entry.

20. In a data processing system having a processor running an operating system and a memory means with memory locations, wherein said memory means stores the operating system, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing in a first of the memory locations of the memory means a first directory entry for a file wherein the first directory entry holds a short filename for the file, said short filename including at most a maximum number of characters that is permissible by an application program;

(b) storing in a second of the memory locations of the memory means that is adjacent to the first of the memory locations a second directory entry for the file wherein the second directory entry holds at least a first portion of a long filename for the file, said long filename including a greater number of characters than the maximum number of characters that is permissible by the application program; and

(c) accessing one of the directory entries to locate the file.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein a checksum of the short filename is stored in the second directory entry.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 20 wherein at least one additional directory entry is stored to hold a next portion of the long filename in the memory means.

23. The computer-readable medium of clain 22 wherein a signature is stored in the additional directory entry that uniquely identifies which portion of the long filename is stored in the additional directory entry.

24. In a computer system having a directory service for accessing directory entries and a file system that uses the directory entries to access files, a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

(a) creating a first directory entry for a file wherein the first directory entry holds a short filename for the file and the location of the file,

(b) creating a second directory entry for a file wherein the second directory entry is configured to appear as if it holds a short filename to a program that uses only short filenames and wherein the second directory entry holds at least one portion of a long filename for the file, said long filename having more characters then the short filename; and

(c) accessing one of the first directory entries and the second directory entry by the directory service in order to access the file.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the program that uses only short filenames is an operating system.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the program that uses only short filenames is an application program.

27. The method of clain 24 wherein the storage includes storage locations and wherein the first directory entry and the second directory entry are stored in adjacent storage locations.

28. In a computer system having a directory device for accessing directory entries and a file system that uses the directory entries to access files, a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for executing a method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

(a) creating a first directory entry for a file wherein the first directory entry holds a short filename for the file and the location of the file;

(b) creating a second directory entry for a file wherein the second directory entry is configured to appear as if it holds a short filename to a program that uses only short filenames and wherein the second directory entry holds at least one portion of a long filename for the file, said long filename having more characters then the short filename; and

(c) accessing one of the first directory entries and the second directory entry by the directory service in order to access the file.