Remote user profile management administration in a computer network

• US 5,694,595 A
• Filed: 08/14/1995
• Issued: 12/02/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ibanez, Jesus Gerardo, Jacobs, Dwayne Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Application Number:
  US08/514,795
• Time in Patent Office: 841 Days
• Field of Search: 395/186, 395/200.06, 395/609, 395/610, 395/187.01, 395/200.12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems

Abstract

A security system interface which uses the message passing capability of the distributed application to send messages to remote copies of itself and the security system at the remote system to carry out the remote user profile administration function at the remote machine. A message for a remote user profile administration function is constructed in a syntax used by a distributed application. The message is sent by a local copy of the distributed application resident at a local system to a remote copy of the distributed application resident at a remote system. The message is translated by the security system interface resident at the remote system into a user profile function usable by the security system. Finally, the user profile function is performed by a security system resident at the remote system. In the preferred embodiment, the distributed application is a database management program and the message is a data structure containing information for the remote user profile administration function.

Claims

1. A method for administering a remote user profile, comprising the steps of:

by a local copy of a distributed application, resident at the local system, constructing a message including a data structure for a remote user profile administration function in a syntax used by the distributed application;

by the local copy of the distributed application, sending the message to a remote copy of the distributed application resident at a remote system;

by a security system interface resident at the remote system, translating the message into a user profile administration function in a format used by a security system; and

by the security system resident at the remote system, performing the user profile administration function to change a user profile at the remote system according to the translated message;

wherein the distributed application is a program independent of the security system.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the distributed application is a database management program.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the remote user profile administration function is to add a user.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the remote user profile administration function is to add a user group.

5. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein the remote user profile administration function is to delete a group access to a resource.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 is to reset a maximum age for user passwords at a remote node.

7. A method as recited in claim 1 is set a minimum length for a user password.

8. A system for administering a remote user profile, comprising:

a local copy of a distributed application for constructing a message including a data structure for a remote user profile administration function in a syntax used by a distributed application and for sending the message to a remote copy of the distributed application resident at a remote system;

a remote copy of the distributed application for receiving the message;

a security system interface resident at the remote system for translating the message into a user profile administration function; and

a security system resident at the remote system for performing the user profile administration function to change a user access to resources at the remote system, wherein the security system interface translates the message into a format used by the security system and the security system performs the user profile administration function according to the translated message and wherein the security system is a program independent of the distributed application.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the distributed application is a database management program.

10. The system as recited in claim 8 further comprising:

a memory coupled to a system bus for storing sets of instructions to operate the system;

a processor coupled to the system bus for executing the sets of instructions; and

a display for displaying results of the execution of the sets of instructions.

11. The system as recited in claim 10 further comprising:

a plurality of nodes on which copies of a distributed application, a security system interface and a security system reside on a computer system;

a network to which the plurality of nodes are coupled;

wherein each copy of the distributed application is used for constructing messages in a syntax used by a distributed application and for sending and receiving messages to and from remote copies of the distributed application resident at remote systems;

wherein at least one security system interface is used for translating a message into a user profile administration function; and

wherein at least one security system is used for performing the user profile administration function to change a user access to resources so that the security system interface translates the message into a format used by the security system and the security system performs the user profile administration function according to the translated message.

12. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the local copy of the distributed application further comprise means for requesting user profile information from the security system at the remote system.

13. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the remote user profile administration function is to set a number of intervening passwords a user must input before reuse of a previous password is permitted.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for administering a remote user profile in a distributed data processing system, comprising:

at least one copy of a distributed application including;

means for constructing a message including a data structure for a remote user profile administration function in a syntax used by the distributed application;

means for sending and receiving messages to and from copies of the distributed application resident at remote systems; and

a security system interface including means for translating the message into a user profile administration function in a format used by a security system resident at a remote system;

wherein the security system interface communicates with a security system which includes means for changing user access to resources according to the translated message and wherein the distributed application is program independent of the security system.