Server architecture for network resource information routing

• US 7,555,543 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 06/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Flaks, Jason, Srinivasan, Jai, Encarnacion, Mark J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Anwari; Maceeh
• Application Number:
  US10/742,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20050138192A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,020 Days
• Field of Search: 709223-226
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2812 describing content present in a home automation network, e.g. audio video content retrieval from the Internet G06F16/95
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A media server in a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network includes a resource sharing service to govern the distribution of media resource information to rendering devices. The media server includes: a media service module operating in a clamped down user context (e.g., a local service user context) and configured to share resource information over the network; a supplemental module operating in a local system user context and configured to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network; and a control panel module operating in a logged on user context and configured to interact with a user via a user interface display. The local system user context provides a higher level of access to media server resources compared to the clamped down user context. The media server also provides fast user switching (FUS) functionality that allows multiple users to have respective instances of the control panel module pending at the same time. Further, the media server includes a mechanism to prevent rogue applications from masquerading as the control panel module and thereby gaining unauthorized access to the media service module.

Claims

1. A server for disseminating resource information over a network, the server comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a media service module stored in the memory and executed on the processor to operate in a first user context to facilitate administrative access and control of the server to share resource information over the network, wherein the first user context is a clamped-down user context that provides an associated first level of access, the first level of access comprising;

monitoring for new devices added to the network;

detecting announcements generated by new rendering devices added to the network;

specifying the sharing of resource information, wherein the resource information comprises a resource metadata part and a resource content part, wherein the resource content part comprises media content and the resource metadata part describes attributes of the resource content part;

a supplemental module stored in the memory and executed on the processor to operate in a second user context to facilitate an additional administrative access and control of the server to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network, wherein the second user context is a local system user context that provides an associated second level of access to resource information, wherein the second level of access is greater than the first level of access, wherein the second user context is operable to grant the first user context permission to access resource information associated with the second level of access;

logic to provide multiple instances of a configuration and control panel module associated with multiple respective users that are logged onto the server, wherein;

the multiple instances of the configuration and control panel module exist at the same time;

the multiple respective users are logged onto the server at the same time;

each respective user comprises an administrative user that performs administrative functions on the server comprising specifying the sharing of resource information;

each respective user is permitted to start up at most one instance of the configuration and control panel module in a particular terminal service session;

a private application program interface (API) facilitates communication between each instance of the configuration and control panel module and the media service module; and

each instance of the configuration and control panel module is required to provide a callback object to the media service module, wherein the media service module notifies each instance of the configuration and control panel module of a unique client ID by using the associated provided callback object, wherein the requiring to provide the call back object to the media service module prevents a rogue application from masquerading as an instance of the configuration and control panel module and accessing the media service module via the private API; and

logic to notify the callback object of concurrently active instances of the configuration and control panel module, when any instance of the configuration and control panel module modifies global data.

2. The server according to claim 1, wherein the network is configured as a Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) network.

3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the one or more instances of the configuration and control panel module operate in a third user context to interact with a user.

4. The server according to claim 3, wherein the third user context is a logged on user'"'"'s user context that provides a level of access associated with a user who has logged onto the server.

5. The server according to claim 1, wherein the clamped down context is a local service user context.

6. The server according to claim 1, wherein the clamped down context is a network service user context.

7. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module includes a store that identifies shared resources to be shared out over the network.

8. The server according to claim 7, wherein the store includes plural repositories.

9. The server according to claim 8, where the plurality repositories correspond to separate drives accessible by the server.

10. The server according to claim 7, wherein the store includes resource metadata associated with the shared resources.

11. The server according to claim 10, wherein the store provides the resource metadata separately from its associated resources so that the resource metadata can be readily accessed.

12. The server according to claim 11, wherein the media service module further includes logic configured to update the resource metadata in the store upon changes in the associated resources.

13. The server according to claim 7, wherein the store includes at least one distribution criterion that governs the distribution of resource information over the network.

14. The server according to claim 13, wherein the store allocates two separate stores for storing the resource metadata and said at least one distribution criterion.

15. The server according to claim 13, wherein the store allocates a single store for storing the resource metadata and said at least one distribution criterion.

16. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to allow the user to organize member resources in a resource folder.

17. The server according to claim 16, wherein the media service module is configured to reorganize the member resources in the resource folder into at least one resource container.

18. The server according to claim 16, wherein the media service module is configured to allow the user to associate at least one distribution criteria with the folder resource.

19. The server according to claim 1, wherein the resource information includes resource metadata, and the media service module includes a content directory service module for serving out the resource metadata over the network in response to a browse or search request.

20. The server according to claim 19, wherein the content directory service module is configured to share out the resource metadata in response to the browse or search request on condition that at least one relevant distribution criterion is satisfied.

21. The server according to claim 1, wherein the resource information includes resource content, and the media service module includes a resource transfer module for serving out the resource content over the network in response to a resource content request.

22. The server according to claim 21, wherein the resource transfer module is an HTTP server for serving out resource content, and the resource content request is an HTTP request.

23. The server according to claim 21, wherein the resource transfer module is configured to share out the resource content in response to a resource content request on condition that at least one relevant distribution criterion is satisfied.

24. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to store an indication of recipient entities that are permitted to receive shared resource information, and wherein the media service module is configured to disseminate resource information in accordance with the stored indication.

25. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module is configured to prohibit the sharing of resource information corresponding to a resource if at least one of the following conditions is true:

the resource is stored on a removable memory media;

the resource resides remotely on the network with respect to the server;

a user who is attempting to share the resource does not have permission to access the resource;

the resource is stored in a hidden file or a subfolder; and

the resource is stored in a file having a media type that does not conform to a list of media types known by the server that the server is configured to share out.

26. The server according to claim 1, wherein the media service module includes an object configured to allow each instance of the configuration and control module to establish resources to be shared, to define distribution criteria associated therewith, and to authorize new devices added to the network.

27. The server according to claim 1, wherein the supplemental module includes logic configured to:

change an access permission attribute associated with at least one resource to allow the media service module to access said at least one resource; and

signal the media service module when a user has logged onto the server or has connected to a previously logged on session.

28. The server according to claim 1, wherein the supplemental module includes logic configured to:

change an access permission attribute associated with at least one resource to allow the media service module to access said at least one resource;

start the configuration and control panel module of the user context of a currently active logged on user upon the occurrence of at least one event; and

signal the media service module when a user has logged onto the server or has connected to a previously logged on session.

29. The server according to claim 28, wherein the event corresponds to at least one of:

detection of a new device joining the network;

detection of a warning condition associated with the network; and

detection of a warning condition on a computer system used to implement the server.

30. The server according to claim 1, wherein each instance of the configuration and control panel module includes logic configured to perform at least one of:

process the addition and/or removal of devices to the network;

manage resources having resource information to be shared out over the network and distribution criteria which govern the dissemination of the resource information;

start and stop the server;

or

start and stop resource sharing functionality provided by the server for sharing out resource information.

31. The server according to claim 30, wherein the logic configured to process the addition and/or removal of devices to the network includes logic configured to:

receive notification of the addition and/or removal of devices to the network from the media service module;

inform a user of the addition and/or removal of said devices; and

allow the user to authorize or deny the addition and/or removal of said devices.

32. The server according to claim 1, wherein the server includes logic configured to ensure that no individual user session has generated more than one instance of the configuration and control panel module.

33. The server according to claim 1, wherein the callback object is used by an instance of the configuration and control panel module to interact with the media service module, the interaction comprising a notification of server events, the server events comprising:

service shutdown;

background data changes;

discovery of a new control point; and

discovery of a new media rendering device.

34. The server according to claim 33, wherein, when the supplemental module starts up the instance of the configuration and control panel module, the configuration and control panel module is configured to call an initialization function with the callback object.

35. The sever according to claim 33, wherein, when the user starts the instance of the configuration and control panel module, the configuration and control panel module is configured to call an initialization function with the callback object.

36. The server according to claim 1, wherein multiple users can be logged onto a computer system hosting the server at the same time, and wherein the server is configured to discriminate between the users based on terminal service session IDs extracted from respective client tokens associated with the users.

37. A computer readable medium encoded with machine executable instructions for implementing each of the media service module and the supplemental module, recited in claim 1.

38. A computer readable medium encoded with machine executable instructions for implementing each of the media service module, the supplemental module, and the configuration and control panel module recited in claim 1.

39. A server for disseminating resource information over a network, the server comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a media service module stored in the memory and configured to be executed on the processor to operate in a first user context to facilitate administrative access and control of the server, and configured to share resource information over the network, wherein the first user context is a clamped-down user context that provides an associated first level of access, the first level of access comprising;

monitoring for new devices added to the network;

detecting announcements generated by new rendering devices added to the network;

responding to a request for resource information presentation to a rendering device made by a control point device coupled to the network;

specifying the sharing of individual parts of resource information, wherein the individual parts of resource information comprise resource metadata parts and resource content parts;

a private application program interface (API) to facilitate communications between an administrative configuration and control panel module and the media service module;

a supplemental module stored in the memory and configured to be executed on the processor to operate in a second user context to facilitate an additional administrative access and control of the server, and configured to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network, wherein;

the second user context is a local system user context that provides an associated second level of access to resource information;

the second level of access is greater than the first level of access;

the second user context is operable to grant the first user context permission to access resource information associated with the second level of access, the second level of access comprising;

reading of stored resource information;

deleting of stored resource information; and

writing to stored resource information;

in response to an event, the second user context starts an administrative configuration and control panel module to operate in a third user context configured to interact with a user, wherein;

upon startup, the administrative configuration and control panel module is required to call an initialize method in the media service module and provide a required call back object to the media service module, wherein the media service module uses the callback object to supply a client ID to the administrative configuration and control panel module, wherein when the private API is reverse-engineered, thereby facilitating a rogue application to masquerade as an administrative configuration and control panel module to maliciously access the media service module, the requirement that the rogue application provide the callback object to the media service module presents an additional hurdle to the rogue application, preventing the rogue application from accessing the media service module;

when the administrative configuration and control panel module attempts to interact with the media service module on another occasion, the administrative configuration and control panel module provides its client ID to the media service module for verification of the authenticity of the administrative configuration and control panel module; and

the administrative configuration and control panel module facilitates a user to perform functions on the server, the functions comprising;

processing the addition and/or removal of devices to the network;

managing resources having resource information to be shared out over the network and distribution criteria which govern the dissemination of the resource information;

specifying distribution criteria for resource content parts and resource metadata parts of the resource information;

starting and/or stopping the server; and

starting and/or stopping resource sharing functionality provided by the server for sharing out resource information.