A method, system, and article of manufacture, wherein a plurality of references to a plurality of files corresponding to a plurality of devices are stored in a data structure implemented in a computational device, wherein the computational device is coupled to the plurality of devices via a network. Access is enabled to the data structure to a distributed application, wherein the distributed application uses a stored reference in the data structure to determine a file corresponding to a device, and wherein the distributed application performs data transfer operations with the device via the determined file.