Feature thought.

[Janus]

I had a thought, and I hope this is coherent.
I have (a) customer(S) with several servers on their lan(s).
Currently, they use everything as a fast index to avoid hunt and peck file searching.
{The built in windows search is broken beyond bothering to make jokes about it, and unstable on top of that.}
However, network share contents get stale in a hurry, and windows is ill behaved when it comes to sending out directory update notices.
What I would like to see is something like this, though I may be far out in left field.

When everything is installed on a server, or machine with shares.
Have it create an $EVERYTHING file/administrative share like $MFT, but visible on the network.
I know C$ is an administrative share, and is what inspired this idea.
What it would do is enumerate shares on the server, and listen for requests.
An implicit file would be present, or available via ETP/FTP/HTTP, containing a list of attributes available upon request.
The first level of directories in $EVERYTHING would be the share names.
If you are worried about security, have everything use the incoming credentials to request data from a share to see if data should be sent back.

When a client machine is searching, it would do the local results as normal, then after two seconds of no input, reach out.
The list of places it reaches out to could be either automatically generated, or come from an options/indexes/lansharer list.
The machine with the share would then respond with as many of the requested attributes as it has available.
By keeping the config separate, then other then a header, the entire exchange could be in binary.
This would sort network after local, which is preferred to me, and I would like to be able to force.

One advantage of this would be simplifying and unifying network share tracking.
The server, whether it ran windows or not, could support results served this way.
Perhaps in chunks, by file count, 1/2/4/8K or so at a time.
Perhaps everything on the share machine could send updates to subscribed clients when updates occur with in a share.

I know this is out there.
Just typing out loud into the <void/abyss> however.
One customer is using over 1GB on each machine just for everything, and this is me trying to simplify things.

On another note, I use everything to provide directory sizes on a personal build of explorer++, and it rocks.


Janus.

[void]

Thanks for the thought Janus.

A server/client model will be a major feature of Everything 1.5.
You'll be able to setup a server with which clients can create an index from very quickly with minimal resources. Real-time monitor will also be available.