Computer directory system having an application integration driver infrastructure

• US 7,146,614 B1
• Filed: 12/22/1999
• Issued: 12/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Nikols, Nick N., Rapp, Daniel Wallace
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): CAO, DIEM K
• Application Number:
  US09/470,645
• Time in Patent Office: 2,540 Days
• Field of Search: 709/318, 709/213, 709217-219, 719/310, 719311-320, 719328-330, 715/513, 715749-763
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/544 Remote
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

An application integration driver infrastructure for facilitating the use of a distributed directory running in a computer network is provided. The infrastructure can transform specific directory events into a vendor-neutral data identification system and then use vendor-neutral transformation technologies to transform the neutral data identification into a specific application'"'"'s data format, and vice-versa. The infrastructure receives an event from the distributed directory into a markup language generation system, such as an extensible markup language (“XML”) generator. The XML generator converts the event into XML data and provides the XML data to a transformation processing system, such as an extensible transformation language (“XSLT”) processor. The XSLT processor transforms the XML data to a predetermined format. The format can be dictated by a stylesheet provided to the XSLT processor, the stylesheet being responsive to requirements of a computer application. The transformed data is then provided to the application for the application to use in a conventional manner. The application may use an application shim to convert the transformed data into a native application program interface (“API”) for the application.

Claims

1. A software program for facilitating the use of a distributed directory running in a computer network, the program comprising being stored on a recordable medium and including instructions for:

receiving an event from the distributed directory into an XML generator, the distributed directory including a reference to at least one resource on one of at least two computers on the computer network, the event representing a change to the distributed directory;

converting the event into XML data representing the event;

transforming the XML data representing the event to a first predetermined format by a transformation processor using a first stylesheet, the first predetermined format being responsive to a first application running in the computer network;

transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the first application;

transforming the XML data representing the event to a second predetermined format by the transformation processor using a second stylesheet, the second predetermined format being responsive to a second application running in the computer network; and

transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the second application.

2. The software program of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

receiving updates to the first stylesheet responsive to any changes in either the distributed directory or the first application.

3. The software program of claim 1 further comprising instructions for:

detecting the event through notification from an event handler of the distributed directory.

4. The software program of claim 1 wherein:

transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the first application includes transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the first application through a first application shim to provide the transformed XML data representing the second event to the first application by using a first native application program interface for the first application; and

transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the second application includes transmitting the transformed XML data representing the event to the second application through a second application shim to provide the transformed XML data representing the event to the second application by using a second native application program interface for the second application.

5. The software program of claim 1 wherein the first predetermined format and the second predetermined format are the same predetermined format.

6. A software program for facilitating the use of a distributed directory running in a computer network, the program being stored on a recordable medium and comprising instructions for:

receiving a first event from a first application in a first native application format, the first event representing a first change to the distributed directory;

converting the first event into markup language data;

transforming the first event to a predetermined format by a transformation processor using a transformation profile, the predetermined format being responsive to the distributed directory, the transformation profile including formatting instructions for transforming the markup language data to the predetermined format, the distributed directory including a reference to at least one resource on one of at least two computers on the computer network;

transmitting the transformed first event to the distributed directory;

receiving a second event from a second application in a second native application format, the second event representing a second change to the distributed directory;

converting the second event into markup language data;

transforming the second event to the predetermined format by the transformation processor using the transformation profile; and

transmitting the transformed second event to the distributed directory.

7. A distributed computer system comprising:

a first processor connected to a network for executing computer code;

a second processor connected to the network for executing computer code;

a first memory connected to the first processor;

a second memory connected to the second processor;

a distributed directory, wherein first and second portions of the distributed directory are stored in the first memory and the second memory, respectively;

a first application, a portion of which being stored in one of the first memory and the second memory;

a second application, a portion of which being stored in one of the first memory and the second memory;

a first transformation profile defining a first predetermined format for use by the first application;

a second transformation profile defining a second predetermined format for use by the second application;

software for detecting a directory event in the distributed directory, the directory event representing a change to the distributed directory;

software for transforming the directory event to the first predetermined format by using a generic transformation tool and the first transformation profile;

software for transforming the directory event to the second predetermined format by using the generic transformation tool and the second transformation profile;

software for providing to the first application the directory event transformed to the first predetermined format; and

software for providing to the second application the directory event transformed to the second predetermined format.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

software for converting the directory event to a generic data description before transforming the directory event.

9. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

an application shim for the first application to receive the transformed directory event and provide the directory event to the first application by using a first native application program interface for the first application.

10. The system of claim 9 further comprising:

a second application shim for the second application to receive the transformed directory event and provide the directory event to the second application by using a second native application program interface for the second application.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the generic transformation tool utilizes a markup language and the software for transforming the directory event utilizes a transformation processor.

12. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

a directory transformation profile defining a directory predetermined format for use by the distributed directory;

software for detecting an application event in the first application;

software for transforming the application event to the directory predetermined format by using the generic transformation tool and the directory transformation profile; and

software for providing the transformed application event to the distributed directory.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

software for detecting a second application event in the second application;

software for transforming the second application event to the directory predetermined format by using the generic transformation tool and the directory transformation profile; and

software for providing the transformed second application event to the distributed directory.

14. A distributed computer system according to claim 7, wherein the first portion of the distributed directory is different from the second portion of the distributed directory.

15. A method for interfacing with a distributed directory in a computing system, comprising:

providing a first transformation profile defining a first predetermined format for use by a first application;

providing a second transformation profile defining a second predetermined format for use by a second application;

detecting an event in the distributed directory, the distributed directory including a reference to at least one resource on one of at least two computers on the computer network, the event representing a change to the distributed directory;

transforming the event to the first predetermined format by using a transformation tool and the first transformation profile;

transforming the event to the second predetermined format by using the transformation tool and the second transformation profile;

providing to the first application the event transformed to the first predetermined format; and

providing to the second application the event transformed to the second predetermined format.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

converting the event to a generic data description before transforming the event to the first predetermined format and the second predetermined format.

17. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of:

providing an application shim for the first application to receive the event transformed to the first predetermined format and to provide the event to the first application by using a native application program interface for the first application.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

updating the application shim and the first transformation profile responsive to changes in the first application.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of:

providing a second application shim for the second application to receive the event transformed to the second predetermined format and to provide the event to the second application by using a second native application program interface for the second application.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of:

updating the second application shim and the second transformation profile responsive to changes in the second application.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the transformation profile includes a stylesheet.

22. The method of claim 15 wherein the transformation profile is stored in the distributed directory.

23. A computer-readable medium storing a driver infrastructure for interfacing a distributed directory and applications comprising:

a generator to receive a directory event from the distributed directory and to generate a generic data for the directory event, the distributed directory including a reference to at least one resource on one of at least two computers on a computer network, the directory event representing a change to the distributed directory;

a first transformation profile defining a first predetermined format for use by a first application;

a second transformation profile defining a second predetermined format for use by a second application;

a transformation processor to transform the generic data for the directory event into a first application data for the first application using the first transformation profile and to transform the generic data for the directory event into a second application data for the second application using the second transformation profile; and

a transmitter to transmit the first application data to the first application and to transmit the second application data to the second application.

24. A driver infrastructure according to claim 23 wherein:

the driver infrastructure further comprises a second generator to receive an application event from the first application and to generate a second generic data for the application event;

the transformation processor is operative to transform the second generic data for the application event into a directory data; and

the driver infrastructure further comprises a receiver to receive the directory data in the directory.