Method, system, and program for a transparent file restore

1. A method for automatically handling an error when retrieving a file for an application, comprising:

detecting the error when the application attempts to retrieve the file from a storage device;

checking a user defined policy to determine whether a backup copy should be restored, wherein the user defined policy is capable of indicating when the backup copy should be used in one of multiple circumstances based on whether the error is caused by a damaged file or by a missing file, and wherein the multiple circumstances are when the file is damaged and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; the file is damaged and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; the file is missing and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; and the file is missing and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; and

restoring the file from the backup copy if the user defined policy indicates that the backup copy should be used.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

locating a backup copy of the file if one backup copy exists, wherein the user defined policy is checked and the file restored if the backup copy exists.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

monitoring all modifications to files in a change log; and

monitoring all file retrievals for errors.

5. The method of claim 4 , further comprising:

determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made by comparing a modification date in the change log and the time of when the backup copy was made.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of providing the backup copy according to the user defined policy further comprises:

providing the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy authorizes use of the backup copy; and

providing an error message without the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy does not authorize the backup copy.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprises:

verifying access authorization before providing the backup copy.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein a default setting for the user defined policy is to automatically restore the backup file copy.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of checking a user defined policy to determine whether the backup copy should be used only occurs if the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

10. A system for automatically handling an error when retrieving a file for an application, comprising:

means for detecting the error when the application attempts to retrieve the file from a storage device;

means for checking a user defined policy to determine whether a backup copy should be restored, wherein the user defined policy is capable of indicating when the backup copy should be used in one of multiple circumstances based on whether the error is caused by a damaged file or by a missing file, and wherein the multiple circumstances are when the file is damaged and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; the file is damaged and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; the file is missing and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; and the file is missing and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; and

means for restoring the file from the backup copy if the user defined policy indicates that the backup copy should be used.

11. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for locating a backup copy of the file if one backup copy exists, wherein the user defined policy is checked and the file restored if the backup copy exists.

12. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

13. The system of claim 10 , further comprising:

means for monitoring all modifications to files in a change log; and

means for monitoring all file retrievals for errors.

14. The system of claim 13 , further comprising:

means for determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made by comparing a modification date in the change log and the time of when the backup copy was made.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the means of providing the backup copy according to the user defined policy further comprises:

means for providing the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy authorizes use of the backup copy; and

means for providing an error message without the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy does not authorize the backup copy.

16. The system of claim 15 , further comprises:

means for verifying access authorization before providing the backup copy.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein a default setting for the user defined policy is to automatically restore the backup file copy.

18. The system of claim 10 , wherein the means for checking a user defined policy to determine whether the backup copy should be used is only activated if the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

19. An article of manufacture for automatically handling an error when retrieving a file for an application, comprising a computer usable media including at least one computer program embedded therein that is capable or causing at least one computer to perform:

detecting the error when the application attempts to retrieve a file from a storage device;

checking a user defined policy to determine whether a backup copy should be restored, wherein the user defined policy is capable of indicating when the backup copy should be used in one of multiple circumstances based on whether the error is caused by a damaged file or by a missing file, and wherein the multiple circumstances are when the file is damaged and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; the file is damaged and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; the file is missing and no modifications were made since the backup copy was made; and the file is missing and modifications to the file have been made since the backup copy was made; and

restoring the file from the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy indicates that the backup copy should be used.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19 , further comprising:

locating a backup copy of the file if one backup copy exists, wherein the user defined policy is checked and the file restored if the backup copy exists.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the program step of providing the backup copy according to the user defined policy further performs:

providing the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy authorizes use of the backup copy; and

providing an error message without the backup copy to the application if the user defined policy does not authorize the backup copy.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 21 , further performing: verifying access authorization before providing the backup copy.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein a default setting for the user defined policy is to automatically restore the backup file copy.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 20 , wherein the program step of checking a user defined policy to determine whether the backup copy should be used only occurs if the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

25. The article of manufacture of claim 19 , further performing:

determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 19 , further performing:

monitoring all modifications to files in a change log; and

monitoring all file retrievals for errors.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 26 , further performing:

determining whether the file has been modified since the backup copy was made by comparing a modification date in the change log and the time of when the backup copy was made.