Processing Client Requests for Common Services According to One or More Canonical Forms

• US 20090234903A1
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Electronic Data Systems Corporation (Perspecta, Inc.)
• Inventors: Orlov, Alexander, Lobo, Sanjay P., Witkop, Steven D., Lomelli, Ivan
• Granted Patent: US 8,364,788 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5013 Request control
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine

Abstract

In certain embodiments, a method for processing client requests for common services according to one or more canonical forms includes receiving from a computer system associated with a particular client a request to provide a common service and converting at least a portion of the request according to a canonical form. The method further includes accessing configuration data for the particular client specifying one or more processes for providing the common service to the particular client, and executing, based on the configuration data for the particular client, the one or more processes to communicate with a vendor-specific solution for providing the common service. At least a portion of a response from the vendor-specific solution is converted into the canonical form. Based on the configuration data for the particular client and the response from the vendor-specific solution, an output for providing the common service to the particular client is determined. The output is transmitted to the computer system associated with the particular client.

Claims

1. A system for processing client requests for common services according to one or more canonical forms, comprising:

one or more memory modules operable to store configuration data for one or more clients; and

one or more processing units operable to;

receive from a computer system associated with a particular client a request to provide a common service;

convert at least a portion of the request according to a canonical form;

access, from the one or more memory modules, configuration data for the particular client, the configuration data for the particular client specifying one or more processes for providing the common service to the particular client;

execute, based on the configuration data for the particular client, the one or more processes to communicate with a vendor-specific solution for providing the common service;

convert at least a portion of a response from the vendor-specific solution into the canonical form;

determine, based on the configuration data for the particular client and the response from the vendor-specific solution, an output for providing the common service to the particular client; and

transmit the output to the computer system associated with the particular client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the common service relates to security and comprises one or more of:

authentication;

administration;

authorization; and

provisioning.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the request received from the computer system associated with a particular client is in a web services format.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more memory modules are operable to store configuration data for each of a plurality of clients, the configuration data for a client being indexed by a unique identifier for the client;

the request received from the particular client comprises the unique identifier for the particular client; and

the one or more processing units are operable to access the configuration data for the particular client using the unique identifier for the particular client.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to invoke an adapter for communicating with the vendor-specific solution.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are operable to convert, according to the configuration data for the particular client, the response in canonical form into a format for communication to the particular client, the output comprising the converted response.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing units are located remotely from the computer system associated with the particular client.

8. A method for processing client requests for common services according to one or more canonical forms, comprising:

receiving from a computer system associated with a particular client a request to provide a common service;

converting at least a portion of the request according to a canonical form;

accessing configuration data for the particular client, the configuration data for the particular client specifying one or more processes for providing the common service to the particular client;

executing, based on the configuration data for the particular client, the one or more processes to communicate with a vendor-specific solution for providing the common service;

converting at least a portion of a response from the vendor-specific solution into the canonical form;

determining, based on the configuration data for the particular client and the response from the vendor-specific solution, an output for providing the common service to the particular client; and

transmitting the output to the computer system associated with the particular client.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the common service relates to security and comprises one or more of:

authentication;

administration;

authorization; and

provisioning.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the request received from the computer system associated with a particular client is in a web services format.

11. The method of claim 8, comprising:

storing configuration data for each of a plurality of clients, the configuration data for a client being indexed by a unique identifier for the client, the request received from the particular client comprises the unique identifier for the particular client; and

accessing the configuration data for the particular client using the unique identifier for the particular client.

12. The method of claim 8, comprising invoking an adapter for communicating with the vendor-specific solution.

13. The method of claim 8, comprising converting, according to the configuration data for the particular client, the response in canonical form into a format for communication to the particular client, the output comprising the converted response.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the method is performed remotely from the computer system associated with the particular client.

15. Software for processing client requests for common services according to one or more canonical forms, the software being embodied in a computer-readable medium and when executed operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving from a computer system associated with a particular client a request to provide a common service;

converting at least a portion of the request according to a canonical form;

accessing configuration data for the particular client, the configuration data for the particular client specifying one or more processes for providing the common service to the particular client;

executing, based on the configuration data for the particular client, the one or more processes to communicate with a vendor-specific solution for providing the common service;

converting at least a portion of a response from the vendor-specific solution into the canonical form;

determining, based on the configuration data for the particular client and the response from the vendor-specific solution, an output for providing the common service to the particular client; and

transmitting the output to the computer system associated with the particular client.

16. The software of claim 15, wherein the common service relates to security and comprises one or more of:

authentication;

administration;

authorization; and

provisioning.

17. The software of claim 15, wherein the request received from the computer system associated with a particular client is in a web services format.

18. The software of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise:

storing configuration data for each of a plurality of clients, the configuration data for a client being indexed by a unique identifier for the client, the request received from the particular client comprises the unique identifier for the particular client; and

accessing the configuration data for the particular client using the unique identifier for the particular client.

19. The software of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise invoking an adapter for communicating with the vendor-specific solution.

20. The software of claim 15, wherein the operations comprise converting, according to the configuration data for the particular client, the response in canonical form into a format for communication to the particular client, the output comprising the converted response.