Method and system for providing a directory overlay

• US 20070112789A1
• Filed: 11/09/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CA, Inc. (d/b/a CA Technologies) (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harvey, Richard, Ramsay, Ronald, McDonald, Justin
• Granted Patent: US 8,458,176 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a method for providing an enhanced directory service includes providing a supplemental layer between a user and a reference layer, the supplemental layer providing the user with any directory functionality provided by the reference layer as well as additional directory functionality.

Claims

1-77. -77. (canceled)

78. A method of providing an enhanced directory service comprising:

providing a reference layer having reference information, and

supplementing at least a portion of the reference information with a supplemental layer having supplemental information or supplemental functionality.

79. The method of claim 78, and further comprising providing, in the Supplemental Layer, a user with additional directory functionality.

80. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental information comprises additional attributes, entries, or schema.

81. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental information comprises providing access to additional attributes, entries, or schema.

82. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental functionality comprises counting entries, providing read or write privileges, providing replication capability, providing distribution capability, providing fail-over capability, or extending schema.

83. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental functionality comprises providing access to counting entries, providing read or write privileges, providing replication capability, providing distribution capability, providing fail-over capability, or extending schema.

84. The method of claim 79, wherein providing the user with additional directory functionality comprises providing the user access to a directory feature in addition to that provided by the reference layer.

85. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental layer controls a user'"'"'s access to the reference layer or the reference information.

86. The method of claim 85, wherein the control serves to limit access to reference layer features or information.

87. The method of claim 85, wherein the control serves to enhance access to reference layer features or information.

88. The method of claim 79, wherein providing the user with additional directory functionality comprises providing the user access to a directory performance characteristic different from than that provided by the reference layer.

89. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental functionality controls the user'"'"'s access to a directory performance characteristic.

90. The method of claim 78, wherein the supplemental layer is a supplemental directory storing a plurality of entries and a plurality of attributes and the reference layer is a reference directory storing a plurality of entries and a plurality of attributes.

91. The method of claim 85, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each comprise directory information trees that are compatible with each other.

92. The method of claim 85, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each comprise directory information bases that are compatible with each other.

93. The method of claim 79, wherein providing the user with additional directory functionality comprises providing the user access to a schema not available with the reference layer.

94. The method of claim 79, wherein providing the user additional directory functionality comprises providing additional functionality not available from the reference layer, the additional functionality selected from the group consisting of a security feature, a distribution feature, a replication feature, and a policy feature.

95. The method of claim 79, wherein the additional directory functionality comprises directory operations selected from the group consisting of X.500, LDAP, and DSML standards.

96. A method for providing enhanced directory functionality comprising:

providing a first directory configured to store a first plurality of entries and a first plurality of attributes;

disposing between a user and the first directory a supplemental layer configured to store at least one entry or attribute not included in the first directory; and

providing to the user, through the supplemental layer, directory functionality that includes access to the first plurality of entries and first plurality of attributes in the first directory and the at least one entry or attribute not included in the first directory.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein the first directory and the supplemental layer each comprise directory information trees compatible with each other.

98. The method of claim 96, wherein the first directory and the supplemental layer each comprise directory information bases compatible with each other.

99. A supplemental layer adapted to provide supplemental directory functionality in association with a reference layer having directory functionality, the supplemental layer being adapted to be operative intermediate the reference layer and a user.

100. The directory system of claim 99, wherein the supplemental layer comprises a supplemental directory and the reference layer comprises a reference directory.

101. A directory system comprising:

a reference layer adapted to provide directory functionality, and

a supplemental layer being provided intermediate the reference layer and a user, the supplemental layer operable to supplement at least a portion of the reference information with supplemental information or supplemental functionality.

102. The directory system of claim 101, wherein the supplemental layer comprises a supplemental directory and the reference layer comprises a reference directory.

103. Software encoded in a computer readable medium, the software operable, when executed on a processor, to:

access a first directory having a first plurality of entries and a first plurality of attributes;

access a supplemental directory adapted to store at least one entry or attribute not included in the first directory; and

provide to a user directory functionality that includes access to the first plurality of entries, the first plurality of attributes, and the at least one entry or attribute not included in the first directory.

104. The software of claim 103, wherein the first directory and the supplemental layer each have a directory information tree compatible with each other.

105. The software of claim 103, wherein the first directory and the supplemental layer each have a directory information base compatible with each other.

106. A directory system comprising:

a reference directory including a reference directory store being adapted to store a first plurality of entries;

a supplemental directory including a supplemental directory store being adapted to store a second plurality of entries that does not include at least one of the first plurality of entries; and

wherein the supplemental directory is operable to present to a user directory functionality that includes access to the first plurality of entries and the second plurality of entries.

107. The directory system of claim 106, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory comprise directory information trees that are operably associated with each other.

108. The directory system of claim 106, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory comprise directory information bases that are operably associated with each other.

109. The system of claim 106, wherein the supplemental directory is further operable to present to a user directory functionality that includes access to a first plurality of attributes that are stored in the reference directory store and a second plurality of attributes that are stored in the supplemental directory store, the second plurality of attributes including at least one attribute that is not included in the first plurality of attributes.

110. A directory system comprising:

a reference directory configured to store a plurality of entries and at least one first attribute that may be associated with one or more of the plurality of entries;

a supplemental directory configured to store a plurality of entries, at least one of the entries in the supplemental directory having at least one second attribute different from the at least one first attribute; and

wherein the supplemental directory is operable to present to a user directory functionality that includes access to the at least one first attribute and the at least one second attribute.

111. The directory system of claim 110, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each include a directory information tree operably associated with each other.

112. The directory system of claim 110, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each include a directory information base operably associated with each other.

113. The directory system of claim 110, wherein the supplemental directory is further operable to present to a user the plurality of entries stored in the supplemental directory and the plurality of entries stored in the reference directory, at least one of the plurality of entries stored in the supplemental directory not stored in the reference directory.

114. A directory system comprising:

a reference directory configured to store a first plurality of entries and having the capability of associating each of a first set of attributes with each of the first plurality of entries;

a supplemental directory configured to store a second plurality of entries that does not include at least one of the first plurality of entries and having the capability of associating each of a second set of attributes with each of the second plurality of entries, the second set of attributes including at least one attribute that is not included in the first set of attributes; and

wherein the supplemental directory is operable to present to a user directory functionality that includes access to the first plurality of entries and attributes and the second plurality of entries and attributes.

115. The directory system of claim 114, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each comprise a directory information tree that is operably associated with each other.

116. The directory system of claim 114, wherein the reference directory and the supplemental directory each comprise a directory information base that is operably associated with each other.

117-154. -154. (canceled)