System and method for client replication of collaboration space

• US 6,636,889 B1
• Filed: 01/04/2000
• Issued: 10/21/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Estrada, Julio, Estrada, Miguel A., Shore, Maurice B., Kraenzel, Carl J.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng-Al T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US09/477,473
• Time in Patent Office: 1,386 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201-205, 709/217, 709/227, 707/201
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Collaboration space object model provides for a Place consisting of rooms made up of pages. Folders are used to organize pages. Members belong to rooms, and are those users authorized to access them. Place type controls the creation of a place, including how many rooms it has, for example. Room type controls the appearance and content of rooms. A form employs scripts to process and compute data. A page is the basic vehicle for content. Content is created using or importing content from an external source. A member is also a data note, and each place contains its own member directory. A place is created and managed from a client browser in on-line mode and in offline mode with respect to a replicated copy of the space. Room security is independently managed, and security and aesthetics characteristics of subrooms selectively inherited.

Claims

1. System for client replication of web space, comprising:

a server for managing a collaboration place as a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

a server segment for taking offline said server, including code, data, and a fully functional security model;

said server segment including an identifier assignment utility, a certifier repository for storing certifier identifiers, a download controller, and a footprint collection;

said identifier assignment utility being responsive to a browser client request for replication for obtaining from said certifier repository the certifier identifier for client and for generating from said certifier identifier a note identifier for identifying files to which said client is authorized access; and

said download controller being operable responsive to said note identifier for selecting and downloading to said client browser from said footprint collection said files.

2. System for client replication of a place in collaboration space, comprising:

said collaboration space comprising a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

a server segment for taking offline a mini-server, said mini-server including code, data, and a fully functional security model for said collaboration place;

said server segment including a certifier repository for storing identifiers, a download controller, and a footprint collection of files; and

a database for storing a top level room discussion folder for said place;

said download controller being operable for executing a replication operation on behalf of a client browser by downloading to said browser those files from said footprint to which said client is authorized by a corresponding identifier from said repository and said top level room discussion folder.

9. The system of claim 2, said collaboration space comprising:

a place comprising a plurality of rooms linked by pointers;

a member directory for said place identifying users authorized to enter said place; and

each said room comprising one or more pages, and for each said room a members object for identifying members authorized to access said room and for each member a level of authorization.

10. The collaboration space of claim 9, said levels of authorization including manager, author, and reader.

11. The collaboration space of claim 9, said rooms including a parent room and a child room, and said pointers comprising forward and backward pointers for enabling the security of each said room to be independently managed.

12. The collaboration space of claim 11, each said forward pointer further comprising a readers field, said readers field including an access authority for each reader authorized to enter said room.

13. The collaboration space of claim 11, each said forward pointer being secure pointer.

14. The collaboration space of claim 13, each said forward pointer carrying the same security as that of the subroom to which it points.

15. The collaboration space of claim 14, further comprising a display for presenting to a specific user viewing a parent room a listing of its subrooms, said listing including for said specific user only those subrooms for which a readers field in said forward pointer includes an entry authorizing access by said specific user.

3. A browser for accessing a place in collaboration space, comprising:

said collaboration space comprising a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

a replicated copy of said place for storing code, data, and a fully functional security model for said place;

a mini-server for accessing said place;

said browser being operable in an off-line mode for accessing said replicated copy of said place, and in an on-line mode for accessing said place at a web server; and

an update component for refreshing said replicated copy.

4. A method for replicating at a client node a place in collaboration space, comprising the steps of:

managing said collaboration space as a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

downloading a replicated copy of said place from a server to said client node, said replicated copy of said place including data, code and a security attributes;

downloading from said server a mini-server to said client node, said mini-server being operable for serving said replicated copy of said place to a browser at said client node.

16. The method of claim 4, said mini-server being further operable for controlling access to rooms within a collaboration place in accordance with the steps of:

maintaining for said collaboration place an access control list identifying those users authorized to enter said place;

providing pointers linking said rooms within said place, said pointers including forward pointers having a readers field;

displaying a parent room to a specific user, said parent room including a list of children rooms for which said readers fields authorize said specific user access.

17. The method of claim 4, said mini-server being further operable for creating a child room within a collaboration place data base, comprising the steps of:

providing for said data base an access control list identifying users authorized to access said data base;

providing for said child room a back pointer to a parent room; and

providing at said parent room for said child room a forward pointer from said parent room, said pointer including a readers access field listing users authorized to access said child room.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the steps of:

limiting reader access in said readers access field to said child room for a specific user to no more than the access granted said specific user in said access control list.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of initially including in said readers access field for a child room created from a form users identified in a form access list identifying users authorized to read rooms created from said form.

5. A method for replicating at a client in a client/server system a collaboration space web site including data, code, and fully functional security model, comprising the steps of:

managing said collaboration space as a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

responsive to browser activation of download control with parameters specific to said web site, loading to said client a set of files for incrementally executing download functions;

selecting and downloading footprint files;

unloading said footprint files to generate installer files at said client;

executing said installer files to install at said client web server component code and supporting files; and

executing first time replication to install at said browser a replica of said collaboration space web site including said code, data, and fully functional security model, said data including only those files to which said client is authorized access at said server.

6. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for replicating at a client node a place in collaboration space, said method steps comprising:

managing said collaboration space as a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

downloading a replicated copy of said place from a server to said client node, said replicated copy of said place including data, code and a security attributes; and

downloading from said server a mini-server to said client node, said mini-server being operable for serving said replicated copy of said place to a browser at said client node.

7. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for replicating at a client in a client/server system a web site including data, code, and security model, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect managing said collaboration space as a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect, responsive to browser activation of download control with parameters specific to said web site, loading to said client a set files for incrementally executing download functions;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect selecting and downloading footprint files;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect unloading said footprint files to generate installer files at said client;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect executing said installer files to install at said client web server component code and supporting files; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect executing first time replication to install at said browser a replica of said web site including only those files to which said client is authorized access at said server.

8. A computer program product or computer program element for replicating at a client in a client/server system a web site including data, code, and security model, according to the steps of:

managing said web site as a collaboration space comprising a hierarchical collection of databases including a main room database and a members database with forward pointers connecting databases in said hierarchical collection including room name, address to database name, and a readers field specifying access authority;

responsive to browser activation of download control with parameters specific to said web site, loading to said client a set files for incrementally executing download functions;

selecting and downloading footprint files;

unloading said footprint files to generate installer files at said client;

executing said installer files to install at said client web server component code and supporting files; and

executing first time replication to install at said browser a replica of said web site including only those files to which said client is authorized access at said server.