Enterprise network management directory containing network addresses of users and devices providing access lists to routers and servers

• US 6,131,120 A
• Filed: 10/24/1997
• Issued: 10/10/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NetP&L Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Directory Logic, Inc.
• Inventors: Reid, William J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US08/956,697
• Time in Patent Office: 1,082 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/238, 709/249
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

An enterprise network using a wide area network (WAN), and having routers and servers, uses a master directing to determine access rights, including the ability to access the WAN through the routers and the ability to access the sewer over the WAN.

Claims

1. A master directory service for a wide area network (WAN), comprising:

a wide area network;

a plurality of local area networks (LAN) connected to the WAN through router/gateways;

a directory connected to one or more LAN;

a master directory having a directory of objects, including servers and router/gateways, the objects having attributes for indicating access right, connected to one of said plurality of LANS, said master directory distributing information to the directory of each LAN, said information indicating which of the users of each of the plurality of LANs connected to the WAN, allowed to have access to the WAN resources such as router/gateways, servers and workstations.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein the each router/gateway serves as a certification security, certification conforms to X.509 standards, and each directory conforms to at least one of X.500 and LDAP standards.

3. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein the WAN is a data grade network.

4. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein the WAN is an Internet that uses TCP/IP.

5. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein the master directory periodically updates the attribute information of each directory of each LAN.

6. The WAN according to claim 5, wherein the master directory updates the attribute information daily.

7. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein the attribute information to each server includes a table associating names and source addresses, the server determining the name from the source address and determining whether access is to be allowed from the name associated with the source address.

8. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein one or more LAN router/gateway(s) serves as a certification gateway for security.

9. The WAN according to claim 8, wherein the certification conforms to X.509 standards.

10. The WAN according to claim 1, wherein each directory and the master directory conforms to at least one of X.500 and LDAP standards.

11. The network of claim 1, wherein the master directory is a single master directory.

12. The network of claim 1, wherein the master directory is a distributed directory, distributed among local area networks.

13. A method for managing access in an enterprise network interconnected over a wide area network (WAN), the method comprising:

maintaining a master directory with objects indicating servers and router/gateways, the objects having attributes indicating access rights to and/or from the object;

providing to a router/gateway, which is in data communication with the WAN, information from the master directory indicating which clients on the enterprise network are allowed to access information over the WAN; and

providing to a server, which is in data communication with the WAN, information from the master directory indicating which clients of the enterprise network are allowed to retrieve, store/update information to/from the server.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the providing steps are each performed periodically.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the information from the master directory is provided to each router/gateway and server over the WAN.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the enterprise network has a plurality of router/gateways and a plurality of servers in data communication with the WAN, the method including providing access information to each of the router/gateways and to each of the servers.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the maintaining is performed in accordance with at least one of X.500 and LDAP standards.

18. A network comprising:

a master directory having objects and attributes, the objects including router/gateways and the attributes for the router/gateways including a router/gateway access list (RAL); and

a router/gateway connected to a group of users for providing access for the users to a wide area network (WAN), the router/gateway for receiving its respective RAL from the master directory and for using information in the RAL to determine whether one of the group of users will be allowed access to the WAN.

19. The network of claim 18 where master directory information is requested by an application program running in the router/gateway.

20. The network of claim 18 where master directory information is provided by an application program accessing the master directory.

21. A network comprising:

a master directory having objects and attributes, the objects including servers and the attributes for the servers including a user control file (UCF); and

a number of servers connected to and accessible over a wide area network (WAN) for providing information to users over the WAN, each server receiving its respective UCF from the master directory and for using the UCF to determine whether a user will be allowed access WAN resources, including router/gateways, servers and workstations.

22. The network of claim 21 where master directory information is requested by an application program running in the server.

23. The network of claim 21 where master directory information is provided by an application program accessing the master directory.