Method and apparatus for maintaining configuration information in a computing environment

• US 6,721,880 B1
• Filed: 05/31/2000
• Issued: 04/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent USA, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Pike, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Heckler, Thomas M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): SURYAWANSHI, SURESH
• Application Number:
  US09/584,546
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 713/1, 713/100, 709/220, 709/221
• US Class Current: 713/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus are disclosed for maintaining and distributing configuration information for a given service by the configured service itself. The configured service controls the creation of its own configuration information, as well as updates and access thereto. Any valid and authorized updates to the configuration information may be implemented by the configured service immediately. The configured service can maintain the configuration information as a synthetic file in a hierarchical file system, for access by authorized end-users (clients). The information recorded in the configuration file can be presented, maintained and updated in the same manner as a dynamic file. Access control features of the file system can be utilized to restrict access to the configuration files and the editing tools can be used to update the configuration information. All end-users can access the same configuration information using the same dynamic file.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing said configuration information in an object managed by said configured service; and

presenting said configuration information to a user through said configured service, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said configuration information is represented as a file in a hierarchical file system.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said file is updated using file access operations.

4. The method according to claim 2, further comprising the step of providing access control features for said file.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein said file is maintained locally at said computing system.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein said file is maintained on a central server accessed over a network.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of evaluating whether said configuration information is valid when said configuration information is modified.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of evaluating said configuration information before making a permanent change to said configuration information.

9. A method for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, said method comprising the steps of:

storing said configuration information as a file a hierarchical file system;

managing said file by said configured service; and

presenting said configuration information to a user through said configured service using file management tools, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said file is updated using file access operations.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of providing access control features for said file.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein said file is maintained locally at said computing system.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein said file is maintained on a central server accessed over a network.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of evaluating whether said configuration information is valid when said configuration information is modified.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of evaluating said configuration information before making a permanent change to said configuration information.

16. A system for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

store said configuration information in an object managed by said configured service; and

present said configuration information to a user through said configured service, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.

17. An article of manufacture for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to store said configuration information in an object managed by said configured service; and

a step to present said configuration information to a user through said configured service, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.

18. A system for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, comprising:

a memory that stores computer-readable code; and

a processor operatively coupled to said memory, said processor configured to implement said computer-readable code, said computer-readable code configured to;

store said configuration information as a file a hierarchical file system;

manage said file by said configured service; and

present said configuration information to a user through said configured service using file management tools, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.

19. An article of manufacture for maintaining configuration information for a configured service in a computing system, comprising:

a computer readable medium having computer readable code means embodied thereon, said computer readable program code means comprising;

a step to store said configuration information as a file a hierarchical file system;

a step to manage said file by said configured service; and

a step to present said configuration information to a user through said configured service using file management tools, wherein updates to said presented configuration information are processed by said configured service.