Method and system for representing group policy object topology and relationships

• US 20040215649A1
• Filed: 04/09/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Tanner, Carey, Whalen, William J., Wetmore, Matthew, McDaniel, William P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,614,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles

Abstract

A system and method including a user interface for representing group policy object topology and relationships, while allowing interaction to facilitate group policy management. Forests, sites and domains are hierarchically displayed in a treeview that reflects the network topology. The treeview also represents group policy objects, links, filters and other nodes. Administrators perform operations across forests, domains and sites, and perform operations on other nodes in the treeview. Administrators control which forests, sites and domains are viewable in the treeview, and the treeview state is persisted. Logic automatically reduces the topology'"'"'s complexity by limiting the presentation of forests and/or domains to only those with which the administrator'"'"'s forest and domain have a proper trust relationship. Also provided is a tabbed view in a result pane area that provides a rich display of complex data, and intelligent refresh logic to update changes in one user interface area to other user interface areas.

Claims

1. In a computing environment, a method comprising:

providing a user interface, the user interface presenting representations of a plurality of forests including a selected forest, and further presenting a representation of at least one object associated with that forest;

detecting interaction with the user interface, and in response, performing an operation to a selected object associated with the selected forest.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the representations of the forests are presented in a hierarchical view.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a domain object hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising presenting a representation of a group policy object hierarchically under the representation of the domain object.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a site object hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a scope of management object hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a link to a group policy object hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

8. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a management instrument filter hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

9. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a group policy modeling node hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

10. The method of claim 2 wherein presenting the representation of the selected object associated with the selected forest comprises presenting a representation of a group policy results item hierarchically under the representation of the selected forest.

11. The method of claim 2 wherein the representations of the forests are presented in a hierarchical view, and further comprising, adding a forest including adding a representation of the added forest to the hierarchical view.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein adding a forest comprises receiving domain data that identifies a domain, and determining the forest based on the domain data.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the forest based on the domain data comprises calling a directory service to obtain an identifier of the forest based on the data that identifies the domain.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising, receiving a request to add a target forest, determining a trust relationship between the target forest and a user domain, and adding the forest in response to the request if two-way trust is determined to exist.