Directory server views

• US 7,213,018 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2002
• Issued: 05/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rowley, Pete
• Primary Examiner(s): Kindred; Alford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ortiz; Belix M.
• Application Number:
  US10/051,065
• Publication Number:
  US 20030135491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10
• US Class Current: 707/754
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2246 Trees, e.g. B+trees
• 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 707/956 Hierarchical
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

The invention provides directory views for a directory server to facilitate navigating entries hierarchically without requiring physical existence of the entry in any particular place. The entries are put into the directory views hierarchy using information about the entries. Given a set of views, a user can navigate using one of the views which is most appropriate to get to the entries that are required. Search of views in a directory server can be performed by a filter rewriting process.

Claims

1. In a directory server containing heterogeneous directory entries and a directory views hierarchy, each view containing a filter describing said view, a method of searching said view in said directory views hierarchy with a given filter, comprising the steps of:

(a) collecting filters from said view and all ancestor views of said view to form a first sub-filter;

rewriting said given filter using said first sub-filter to be a sub-tree search of the parent of the topmost view in said view hierarchy; and

performing said sub-tree search with said rewritten filter;

wherein each of said directory views belongs to a specific object class that contains a filter attribute, said filter attribute containing a filter that describes said directory views.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said directory entries are stored at any underlying physical location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said directory sewer has a flat directory information tree.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the existence of said views is transparent to a client of said directory server and said client requires no knowledge of an internal implementation format of said views to use them.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said directory views begins with a directory entry.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said filter attribute is omitted from said directory views to facilitate a hierarchical directory structure.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said directory views comprises sub-views which provide a subset of said views.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said sub-views comprise different subject domains from said directory views.

9. The method of claim 1, said rewriting step comprising:

(b) if the search is not a sub-tree search;

collecting all filters from all descendent views to form a second sub-filter;

(c) adding a third sub-filter to ensure all children of said view are included in the search for one level search or ensure all descendents of said view are included for a sub-tree search; and

(d) combining said first sub-filter, said second sub-filter, and said third sub-filter and said given filter to produce said rewritten filter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (a) further comprises the steps of:

(1) starting from the topmost view and working down;

(2) adding each filter to said first sub-filter in step (a) using the logical AND operator; and

(3) moving down said hierarchy and going to step (2) until at said view.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) further comprises the steps of:

(1) working down said hierarchy until said hierarchy ends;

(2) adding each filter to said second sub-filter in step (b) using the logical AND operator and the logical NOT operator;

(3) repeating step (2) until all sub-views of said view have been accounted for.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(1) for sub-tree searches, using the logical OR operator and a filter which includes the components of said descendent views'"'"' distinctive attributes, and which excludes the distinctive attribute of said view;

(2) for one level searches, using the logical OR operator and a filter which includes the components of said children views'"'"' distinctive attributes, and which excludes the relative distinctive attribute of all children views of said view using the logical NOT operator; and

(3) for base searches, using the filter “

objectclass=nsview”

, wherein “

nsview”

is the object class of said views.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein step (d) further comprises the steps of:

(1) combining said third sub-filter from step (c) with the given search filter using the logical AND operator;

(2) combining said first sub-filler from step (a) and said second sub-filter from step (b) with the given search filler using the logical AND operator; and

(3) combining the resulting filters from step (1) and (2) using the logical operator OR.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein said sub-filters from steps (a), (b) and (c) may be cached so that the filter rewriting only needs to perform step (d), which amounts to simple filter concatenation.

15. In a directory server containing heterogeneous directory entries, a method of hierarchically navigating said entries comprising the steps of:

creating one or more directory views;

organizing said directory views into a hierarchy, wherein said step of organizing uses only information concerning said entries, wherein each of said directory views belongs to a specific object class that contains a filter attribute, said filter attribute containing a filter that describes said directory view;

collecting filters from said directory views and all ancestor views of said directory views to form a first sub-filter; and

using one of said directory views that is most appropriate for navigating to said entries.

16. The method of claim 15, said organizing step further comprising the steps at

using said first sub-filter to be a sub-tree search of the parent of the topmost view in said view hierarchy

if the search is not a sub-tree search, collecting all filters from all descendent views to form a second sub-filter;

adding a third sub-filter to ensure all children of said view are included in the search for one level search or ensure all descendents of said view are included for a sub-tree search; and

combining said first sub-filter, said second sub-filter, and said third sub-filter to produce a rewritten filter.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising means to search said directory views by rewriting filters.

17. In a directory server containing heterogeneous directory entries, a method of hierarchically navigating said entries comprising the steps of:

creating one or more directory views;

organizing said directory views into a hierarchy, wherein said step of organizing uses only information concerning said entries, wherein each of said directory views belongs to a specific object class that contains a filter attribute, said filter attribute containing a filter that describes said directory view;

rewriting said filter attribute using a first sub-filter; and

using one of said directory views for navigating to said entries.