A Java Network File System
for Network Computers

Michael John Radwin

5 May 1997

Abstract:

We introduce and discuss the Java Network File System (JNFS), a network file system for Network Computers (NCs). JNFS works on all NC-compliant NC devices, provides authentication and authorization support, works with other file systems such as NFS and NTFS, and offers reasonable performance.

• Background and Motivation
  • Network Computer Reference Profile
  • NFS on Network Computers
    • NFS Support on Low End NCs
    • NFS Support on High End NCs
    • Advantages of NFS
  • File System Alternatives for Network Computers
    • File Transfer Protocol
    • Hypertext Transfer Protocol
    • WebNFS
• The Java Network File System
  • Design Goals
• Architecture
  • File Server
  • Network Communication
  • Remote File Classes
    • FileServer
    • RemoteFile
    • RemoteFileInputStream
    • RemoteFileOutputStream
    • RemoteRandomAccessFile
    • RemoteFileReader
    • RemoteFileWriter
  • User Management Classes
    • FileSystemUser
    • FileSystemSigner
    • UserTable
    • UserManager
• Security
  • Authentication
    • Traditional Network File System Authentication
    • A Challenge-Response Protocol with Digital Signatures
    • Security of the Protocol
    • Implementation of Authentication
  • Authorization
    • Access Control Lists
    • Rule-Based Access Control Policy
• Performance
• Conclusions
• Acknowlegements
• References
• About this document ...