Delegated administration of a hosted resource

• US 20050050354A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gociman, Ciprian
• Granted Patent: US 7,827,595 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Systems and methods for delegating access to resources hosted in a distributed computing environment are described. In one aspect, a server hosts a set of resources. The server receives a request from a user to perform an operation with respect to one of the hosted resources. Responsive to receiving the request, the server determines whether the user has already been delegated authority to perform the operation. The delegated authority is independent of whether the user is a member of an administrators group associated with any resource of the server.

Claims

1. A method for use by a server coupled to one or more client devices in a distributed computing environment, the method comprising:

hosting a set of resources;

receiving a request for a user to perform an operation on a resource of the resources, the request being received via an application hosted by the server; and

determining whether to authorize the operation as a function of whether the user has been delegated authority to perform the operation with respect to the resource, the authority being independent of whether the user is a member of an administrators group associated with any resource of the server.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining whether to authorize the operation is performed by a secure delegation administration framework.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the operation is associated with modification of content and/or functionality of the resource.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource is represented as an Internet Information Service (IIS) metabase node.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request comprises a scope associated with the user, and a name of a method associated with the operation.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the resource is a Web site hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the user is not authorized to perform administrative activities on any resources associated with the ISP except by sending the request to the ISP for permission evaluation by the secure delegation administration framework.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request further comprises an indication of whether the user desires to execute the operation via a dynamically built command line or via an executable object already associated with the operation.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the request further comprises an indication of whether the user desires to log a result of the operation.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the secure delegation administration framework is secure at least because it does not allow the user access to a mapping of user role-based permission to perform the operation directed to the resource.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

installing the application on the server;

responsive to the installing, the application identifying a set of operations that the application can perform;

mapping, by a member of the administrators group, the operations to a set of security permissions based on authorization specific role(s) of a set of users comprising the user; and

wherein determining further comprises the application utilizing the mapping to identify whether the user has permission to perform the operation.

11. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

specifying, by a member of the administrators group, role-based user access permissions to nodes of an Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase identifying the resources;

indicating an interface to a task, the interface comprising a set of parameters and a name, the task comprising the operation; and

wherein determining further comprises;

locating the interface in a configuration file;

responsive to locating the interface, presenting an identity of the user to the resource to evaluate a scope in view of the parameters and the name and the resource; and

responsive to the presenting, identifying whether the user has been delegated a role-based access permission to perform the operation with respect to the resource.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein responsive to determining that the user has been delegated authority to perform the operation with respect to the resource, the method further comprises:

setting parameters associated with the operation; and

executing the operation within a scope associated with the user.

13. A computer-readable medium for use in a distributed computing environment including a server and one or more client computing devices coupled to the server, the computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable instructions for:

hosting a set of resources, a particular resource of the resources allowing a user to determine whether the user has delegated authority to access a resource of the resources;

receiving a request from the user to perform an operation on the resource; and

determining whether to authorize the operation as a function of whether the user has been delegated a role-based scope of authority to perform the operation, the role-based scope of authority not requiring the user to be a member of an administrators group associated with any resources of the server.

14. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the operation is associated with modification of content and/or functionality of the resource.

15. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the resource is represented as an Internet Information Service (IIS) metabase node.

16. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the request comprises a scope associated with the user, and a name of a method associated with the operation.

17. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the resource is a Web site hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the user is not a member of the administrators group.

18. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the request further comprises an indication of whether the operation is to be executed via a dynamically built command line or via an executable object already associated with the operation.

19. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein operations associated with determining whether to authorize the operations are secure at least because the user does not have access to user role-based permission(s) to perform the operation.

20. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

identifying a set of operations associated with the resource;

mapping the operations to a set of security permissions, the security permissions being based on authorization specific role(s) of a set of users comprising the user; and

wherein the instructions for determining further comprise instructions for utilizing the mapping to identify whether the user has permission to perform the operation.

21. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

securely specifying role-based user access permissions to nodes of an Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase identifying the resources;

indicating an interface to a task, the interface comprising a set of parameters and a name, the task comprising the operation; and

wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining further comprise instructions for;

locating the interface in a configuration file;

responsive to locating the interface, presenting an identity of the user to the resource to evaluate a scope in view of the parameters and the name and the resource; and

responsive to the presenting, identifying whether the user has been delegated a role-based access permission to perform the operation with respect to the resource.

22. A computer-readable medium as recited in claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions, responsive to determining that the user has been delegated authority to perform the operation with respect to the resource, further comprise instructions for:

setting parameters associated with the operation; and

executing the operation within a scope associated with the user.

23. A server for use in a distributed computing environment including the server and one or more client computing devices coupled to the server, the server comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions for;

hosting a set of resources;

receiving a request from a user to perform an operation on a resource of the resources; and

determining whether to authorize the operation as a function of whether the user has been delegated a role-based scope of authority to perform the operation, the role-based scope of authority not requiring the user to be a member of an administrators group associated with resources of the server.

24. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the request is generated by at least one resource of the resources.

25. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the operation is associated with modification of content and/or functionality of the resource.

26. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the resource is represented as an Internet Information Service (IIS) metabase node.

27. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the request comprises a scope associated with the user, a name of a method associated with the operation.

28. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the resource is a Web site hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the user is not a member of the administrators group.

29. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the request further comprises an indication of whether the operation is to be executed via a dynamically built command line or via an executable object already associated with the operation.

30. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the secure delegation administration framework is secure at least because it does not allow the user access to a mapping of user role-based permission to perform the operation directed to the resource.

31. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

identifying a set of operations associated with the resource;

mapping the operations to a set of security permissions based on authorization specific role(s) of a set of users comprising the user; and

wherein the instructions for determining further comprise instructions for utilizing the mapping to identify whether the user has permission to perform the operation.

32. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the computer-executable instructions further comprise instructions for:

securely specifying role-based user access permissions to nodes of an Internet Information Services (IIS) metabase, the nodes identifying the resources;

indicating an interface to a task, the interface comprising a set of parameters and a name, the task comprising the operation; and

wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining further comprise instructions for;

locating the interface in a configuration file;

responsive to locating the interface, presenting an identity of the user to the resource to evaluate a scope in view of the parameters and the name and the resource; and

responsive to the presenting, identifying whether the user has been delegated a role-based access permission to perform the operation with respect to the resource.

33. A server as recited in claim 23, wherein the computer-executable instructions, responsive to determining that the user has been delegated authority to perform the operation with respect to the resource, further comprise instructions for:

setting parameters associated with the operation; and

executing the operation within a scope associated with the user.

34. A server comprising:

means for hosting a set of resources;

means for receiving a request from the user to perform an operation on a resource of the resources; and

means for determining whether to authorize the operation as a function of whether the user has been delegated a role-based scope of authority to perform the operation, the role-based scope of authority not requiring the user to be a member of an administrators group associated with the server.

35. A server as recited in claim 34, wherein the operation is associated with modification of content and/or functionality of the resource.

36. A server as recited in claim 34, wherein the resource is an Internet Information Service (IIS) metabase node.

37. A server as recited in claim 34, wherein the resource is a Web site hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP), and wherein the user is not a member of the administrators group.

38. A server as recited in claim 34, wherein responsive to determining that the user has been delegated authority to perform the operation with respect to the resource, the server further comprises:

means for setting parameters associated with the operation; and

means for executing the operation within a scope associated with the user.