UNIFIED FILE ACCESS ACROSS MULTIPLE PROTOCOLS

Apparatus, systems, and methods may operate to construct a file system tree that includes files to be accessed according to a plurality of custom access control list (ACL) access mechanisms registered by a corresponding plurality of applications, or a default ACL access mechanism. To access the files, metadata can be read/written using a multiple protocol file system cache engine and one of the ACL access mechanisms. In some embodiments, operations may include registering, in response to a request by an application, a selected one of the plurality of custom ACL access mechanisms with a library coupled to a multiple protocol file system cache engine. Further operations may include accessing a file system through the multiple protocol file system cache engine using the selected one of the plurality of custom ACL access mechanisms, or a default ACL access mechanism. Additional apparatus, systems, and methods are disclosed.