Determining server resources accessible to client nodes using information received at the server via a communications medium

• US 20050108395A1
• Filed: 11/05/2003
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Pfister, Gregory F., Recio, Renato J., Brey, Thomas M., Frazier, Giles R., Still, Gregory S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,451,219 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database

Abstract

Resources of a server node are logically divided into a plurality of sets of resources. At least one set of resources is assigned to one or more client nodes. The association of the at least one set of resources with the one or more client nodes is via a data structure stored at the server node. The data structure is provided by a trusted agent over a communications medium coupling the server node and the one or more client nodes. It includes information that indicates the resources accessible by the client nodes. To access the information, an identifier, also provided by a trusted agent, is employed.

Claims

1. A method of determining resources accessible to client nodes, said method comprising:

receiving information at a server node via a communications medium, said communications medium usable in accessing data at the server node; and

using said information to determine one or more resources of a plurality of resources of said server node assigned to a client node.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining by the server node whether the information was received via a trusted agent; and

storing the information at the server node for use in determining the one or more resources assigned to the client node, in response to the determining indicating the information was received via a trusted agent.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising sending the information from the trusted agent to the server node, said trusted agent being further coupled to the client node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the using is in response to receiving a request from the client node, the request requesting access to at least one resource of the server node.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request includes an identifier associated with the client node, said identifier usable as an index into the information to determine whether the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising servicing the request, in response to determining that the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the identifier is provided to the client node via a trusted agent.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client node and the server node are included within a same partition of nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one resource of the one or more resources assigned to the client node is inaccessible to another client node coupled to the server node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the client node and the another client node are in separate partitions of nodes, said separate partitions of nodes including the server node.

11. A system of determining resources accessible to client nodes, said system comprising:

a server node to receive information via a communications medium, said communications medium usable in accessing data at the server node; and

said server node to use said information to determine one or more resources of a plurality of resources of said server node assigned to a client node.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising:

said server node to determine whether the information was received via a trusted agent, and to store the information at the server node for use in determining the one or more resources assigned to the client node, in response to a determination that the information was received via a trusted agent.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the server node is adapted to use the information in response to receiving a request from the client node, the request requesting access to at least one resource of the server node.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the request includes an identifier associated with the client node, said identifier usable as an index into the information to determine whether the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the server node is adapted to service the request, in response to a determination that the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.

16. An article of manufacture comprising:

at least one computer usable medium having computer readable program code logic to determine resources accessible to client nodes, the computer readable program code logic comprising;

receive logic to receive information at a server node via a communications medium, said communications medium usable in accessing data at the server node; and

use logic to use said information to determine one or more resources of a plurality of resources of said server node assigned to a client node.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 16, further comprising:

determine logic to determine by the server node whether the information was received via a trusted agent; and

store logic to store the information at the server node for use in determining the one or more resources assigned to the client node, in response to the determine logic determining the information was received via a trusted agent.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 16, wherein the use logic uses the information in response to receiving a request from the client node, the request requesting access to at least one resource of the server node.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the request includes an identifier associated with the client node, said identifier usable as an index into the information to determine whether the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, further comprising service logic to service the request, in response to a determination that the at least one resource is assigned to the client node.