Server architecture for network resource information routing

• US 20050138192A1
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Published: 06/23/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Flaks, Jason, Srinivasan, Jai, Encarnacion, Mark J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,555,543 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A media server in a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network includes a resource sharing service to govern the distribution of media resource information to rendering devices. The media server includes: a media service module operating in a clamped down user context (e.g., a local service user context) and configured to share resource information over the network; a supplemental module operating in a local system user context and configured to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network; and a control panel module operating in a logged on user context and configured to interact with a user via a user interface display. The local system user context provides a higher level of access to media server resources compared to the clamped down user context. The media server also provides fast user switching (FUS) functionality that allows multiple users to have respective instances of the control panel module pending at the same time. Further, the media server includes a mechanism to prevent rogue applications from masquerading as the control panel module and thereby gaining unauthorized access to the media service module.

Claims

1. A server for disseminating resource information over a network, comprising:

a media service module operating in a first user context and configured to share resource information over the network; and

a supplemental module operating in a second user context and configured to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the network is configured as a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network.

3. The server according to claim 1, further comprising a configuration and control panel module operating in a third user context and configured to interact with a user.

4. The server according to claim 1, wherein:

the first user context is a clamped down user context that provides an associated first level of access to resources provided by the server; and

the second user context is a local system user context that provides an associated second level of access to resources provided by the server, wherein the second level of access is greater than the first level of access.

5. The server according to claim 4, further comprising a configuration and control panel module operating in a third user context and configured to interact with a user, wherein the third user context is a logged on user'"'"'s user context that provides a level of access associated with a user who has logged onto the server.

6. The server according to claim 4, wherein the clamped down context is a local service user context.

7. The server according to claim 4, wherein the clamped down context is a network service user context.

8. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module includes a store that identifies shared resources to be shared out over the network.

9. The server according to claim 8, wherein the store include plural repositories.

10. The server according to claim 9, where the plurality repositories correspond to separate disk volumes accessible by the server.

11. The server according to claim 8, wherein the store includes resource metadata associated with the shared resources.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein the store provides the resource metadata separately from its associated resources so that the resource metadata can be readily accessed.

13. The server according to claim 12, wherein the media service module further includes logic configured to update the resource metadata in the store upon changes in the associated resources.

14. The server according to claim 8, wherein the store includes at least one distribution criterion that governs the distribution of resource information over the network.

15. The server according to claim 14, wherein the store includes resource metadata associated with the shared resources, and wherein the store comprises two separate stores for storing the resource metadata and said at least one distribution criterion.

16. The server according to claim 14, wherein the store includes resource metadata associated with the shared resources, and wherein the store comprises a single store for storing the resource metadata and said at least one distribution criterion.

17. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to allow a user to organize member resources in a resource folder.

18. The server according to claim 17, wherein the media service module is configured to reorganize the member resources in the resource folder into at least one resource container.

19. The server according to claim 17, wherein the media service module is configured to allow the user to associate at least one distribution criterion with the folder resource.

20. The server according to claim 1, wherein the resource information includes resource metadata, and the media service module includes a content directory service module for serving out the resource metadata over the network in response to a browse or search request.

21. The server according to claim 20, wherein the content directory service module is configured to share out the resource metadata in response to the browse or search request on condition that at least one relevant distribution criterion is satisfied.

22. The server according to claim 1, wherein the resource information includes resource content, and the media service module includes a resource transfer module for serving out the resource content over the network in response to a resource content request.

23. The server according to claim 22, wherein the resource transfer module is an HTTP server for serving out resource content, and the resource content request is an HTTP request.

24. The server according to claim 22, wherein the resource transfer module is configured to share out the resource content in response to a resource content request on condition that at least one relevant distribution criterion is satisfied.

25. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to store an indication of recipient entities that are permitted to receive shared resource information, and wherein the media service module is configured to disseminate resource information in accordance with the stored indication.

26. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to prohibit the sharing of resource information corresponding to a resource if at least one of the following conditions is true:

the resource is stored on a removable memory media;

the resource resides remotely on the network with respect to the server;

a user who is attempting to share the resource does not have permission to access the resource;

the resource is stored in a hidden file or a subfolder;

or

the resource is stored in a file having a media type that does not conform to a predetermined list of media types that the server is configured to share out.

27. The server according to claim 3, wherein the media service module includes an object configured to allow the configuration and control panel module to establish resources to be shared, to define distribution criteria associated therewith, and to authorize new devices added to the network.

28. The server according to claim 1, wherein the supplemental module includes logic configured to perform at least one of:

change an access permission attribute associated with at least one resource to allow the media service module to access said at least one resource;

or

notify the media service module when a user has logged onto the server or has connected to a previously logged on session.

29. The server according to claim 3, wherein the supplemental module includes logic configured to perform at least one of:

change an access permission attribute associated with at least one resource to allow the media service module to access said at least one resource;

start the configuration and control panel module in the user context of a currently active logged on user upon the occurrence of at least one predetermined event;

or

notify the media service module when a user has logged onto the server or has connected to a previously logged on session.

30. The server according to claim 29, wherein the predetermined event corresponds to at least one of:

detection of a new device joining the network;

detection of a warning condition associated with the network;

or

detection of a warning condition on a computer system used to implement the server.

31. The server according to claim 3, wherein the configuration and control panel module includes logic configured to perform at least one of:

process the addition and/or removal of devices to the network;

manage resources having resource information to be shared out over the network and distribution criteria which govern the dissemination of the resource information;

start and/or stop the server;

or

start and/or stop resource sharing functionality provided by the server for sharing out resource information.

32. The server according to claim 31, wherein the logic configured to process the addition and/or removal of devices to the network includes logic configured to:

receive notification of the addition and/or removal of devices to the network from the media service module;

inform a user of the addition and/or removal of said devices; and

allow the user to authorize the server to feed resource information to said devices.

33. The server according to claim 3, wherein the server includes logic configured to provide multiple instances of the configuration and control panel module associated with multiple respective users that are logged onto the server.

34. The server according to claim 33, wherein the server includes logic configured to ensure that no individual user session has generated more than one instance of the configuration and control panel module.

35. The server according to claim 3, wherein the configuration and control panel module further includes a callback object used by the media service module to interact with the configuration and control panel module.

36. The server according to claim 35, wherein, when the supplemental module starts up the configuration and control panel module, the configuration and control panel module is configured to call an initialization function with the callback object.

37. The sever according to claim 35, wherein, when the user starts the configuration and control panel module, the configuration and control panel module is configured to call an initialization function with the callback object.

38. The server according to claim 1, wherein the server includes logic configured to:

assign an application an ID when the application first attempts to interact with the media service module;

store the ID;

when the application attempts to interact with the media service module on another occasion, receive an ID from the application and compare the received ID with the stored ID; and

prohibit the application from communicating with the media service module if the received ID does not match the stored ID.

39. The server according to claim 38, wherein multiple users can be logged onto a computer system hosting the server at the same time, and wherein the server is configured to discriminate between the users based on terminal service session IDs extracted from respective client tokens associated with the users.

40. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing each of the media service module and the supplemental module, recited in claim 1.

41. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing each of the media service module, the supplemental module, and the configuration and control panel module recited in claim 3.

42. A method for preventing a rogue application from gaining access to a server used to distribute resource information over a network, comprising:

assigning an application an ID when the application first attempts to interact with a media service module provided by the media server;

storing the ID;

when the application attempts to interact with the media service module on another occasion, receiving an ID from the application and comparing the received ID with the stored ID; and

prohibiting the application from communicating with the media service module if the received ID does not match the stored ID.

43. The method according to claim 42, wherein the network is configured as a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network.

44. The method according to claim 42, wherein the assigning of the ID comprises:

supplying, by the application, a callback object to the media service module; and

using, by the media service module, the callback object to provide the ID to the application.

45. The method according to claim 42, wherein multiple users can be logged onto a computer system hosting the server at the same time, further including discriminating between the users based on terminal service session IDs extracted from respective client tokens associated with the users.

46. A computer readable medium including machine readable instructions for implementing each of the assigning, storing, receiving, and prohibiting recited in claim 42.