Apparatus and method for dynamically verifying information in a distributed system

• US 6,983,285 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2002
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Waldo, James H., Wollrath, Ann M., Arnold, Kenneth C. R. C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo, Thuy N.
• Application Number:
  US10/141,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20030023613A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/10, 707/101, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104, 705/4, 709/203, 709/223, 709/226, 719/332
• US Class Current: 707/690
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• 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: Y10S 707/955 Object-oriented
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/966 Distributed
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

Use of a policy object for verification in a distributed system. A machine downloads a policy object containing a reference to code governing verification of data. The machine uses the reference to obtain the code and locally verify data or other information. As particular rules for the data change, the policy object may be updated to provide a reference to the code for the new rules when it is downloaded.

Claims

1. A method of verifying data in an expense report, comprising:

transmitting a request for a policy object reflecting a current expense policy;

receiving the policy object from a remote device;

determining, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy;

selectively generating a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy;

determining whether a need exists to verify additional data; and

based on the determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verifying the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code; and

downloading the referenced executable code from a repository.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data; and

wherein the step of verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.

4. A method of verifying data in a report, comprising:

transmitting a request for a policy object reflecting a current policy;

receiving the policy object from a remote device;

determining, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the report complies with the current policy;

selectively generating a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether the entry in the report complies with the current policy, whereby the current policy may be periodically updated such that each time the determining step is performed the current policy reflects the update;

determining whether a need exists to verify additional data; and

based on the determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verifying the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code; and

downloading the referenced executable code from a repository.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data,

wherein the step of verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.

7. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory storing a program; and

a processor responsive to the program to

transmit a request for a policy object reflecting a current expense policy,

receive the policy object from a remote device,

determine, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy,

selectively generate a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy;

determine whether a need exists to verify additional data, and

based on this determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verify the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor further determines whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code, and downloads the referenced executable code from a repository.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor further determines whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data, and wherein verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.

10. An apparatus, comprising:

a memory storing a program; and

a processor responsive to the program to

transmit a request for a policy object reflecting a current policy,

receive the policy object from a remote device,

determine, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the report complies with the current policy,

selectively generate a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether the entry in the report complies with the current policy, whereby the current policy may be periodically updated such that each time the determining module is performed the current policy reflects the update;

determine whether a need exists to verify additional data, and

based on this determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verify the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor further determines whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code, and downloads the referenced executable code from a repository.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the processor further determines whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data, wherein verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.

13. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a processor to perform a method for verifying data in an expense report, the method comprising:

transmitting a request for a policy object reflecting a current expense policy;

receiving the policy object from a remote device;

determining, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy;

selectively generating a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether an entry in the expense report complies with the current expense policy;

determining whether a need exists to verify additional data; and

based on this determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verifying the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code; and

downloading the referenced executable code from a repository.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, further comprising:

determining whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data; and

wherein the step of verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.

16. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for causing a processor to perform a method for verifying data in a report, the method comprising:

transmitting a request for a policy object reflecting a current policy;

receiving the policy object from a remote device;

determining, using executable code exhibited by the policy object, whether an entry in the report complies with the current policy;

selectively generating a notification reflecting a result of the determination of whether the entry in the report complies with the current policy, whereby the current policy may be periodically updated such that each time the determining step is performed the current policy reflects the update;

determining whether a need exists to verify additional data; and

based on this determination that a need exists to verify additional data, verifying the additional data by executing the executable code exhibited by the policy object without transmitting a new request for a policy object.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the policy object includes a reference to executable code; and

downloading the referenced executable code from a repository.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, further comprising:

determining whether the executable code exhibited by the policy object is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data;

wherein the step of verifying the additional data by executing code without transmitting a new request for policy object is performed based on a result of the determination that the executable code is suitable for purposes of verifying the additional data.