Method and apparatus for maintaining federated name context bindings in a name space

• US 7,603,359 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2006
• Issued: 10/13/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Edwards, William M., Polozoff, Alexandre, Bhogal, Kulvir S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin; Jean B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ly; Anh
• Application Number:
  US11/333,604
• Publication Number:
  US 20070168371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 2, 707 4- 7, 707/10, 707/202, 707/205, 709217-219, 709/316
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/457 containing identifiers of data entities on a computer, e.g. file names

Abstract

A method, system and computer program product for maintaining federated name context bindings in a name space is disclosed. A reference within a first name space of a first system is bound with a durable subscription to a second name space on a second system. The binding of the first reference to the second name space is administered with a graphical user interface. A durable subscription is established with the second system for the binding utilizing communication with the second system over a network. Notification of a change affecting the bindings from the second system is received and the reference is rebound in the first name space.

Claims

1. A method, within a first computer system including at least a hardware processor and a hardware storage, for maintaining federated name context bindings in a name space, said method comprising:

the first computer system binding, with a durable subscription, a first reference within a first name space of the first computer system to a second name space on a second computer system including at least a hardware processor and hardware storage, wherein said step of binding includes;

the first computer system transmitting to said second computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said second computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system; and

creating an entry in a database in the hardware storage of the first computer system containing a naming context reference returned by the second computer system;

administering with a graphical user interface of said first computer system said binding of said first reference to said second name space, said administering including;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of namespaces including the first name space and the second name space;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of name references distributed among the plurality of namespaces and graphically indicating associations between the plurality of name references and the plurality of name spaces;

presenting a plurality of graphical binding indicators indicating a plurality bindings between the plurality of name references, said plurality of graphical binding indicators including a first graphical binding indicator indicating the binding between the first reference within the first name space and the second name space; and

creating at least one of the plurality of graphical binding indicators and an underlying one of the plurality of bindings via a graphical manipulation in the graphical user interface;

the first computer system establishing a durable subscription at said second computer system for said binding utilizing communication with said second computer system over a network;

based upon the durable subscription, the first computer system automatically receiving notification of a change affecting said binding from said second computer system; and

in response to the notification, the first computer system rebinding said first reference in said first name space, wherein said rebinding further comprises updating the entry in the database to reflect rebinding to a third name space on said second system all references in said first name space on said first computer system that are bound to said second computer system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of binding with said durable subscription said first computer system with said first name space containing said first reference to said second name space on said second computer system further comprises binding with said durable subscription over an encrypted link said first computer system with said first name space containing said first reference to said second name space on said second computer system.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said rebinding step further comprises rebinding to a third name space on said second computer system an identified list of references on said first computer system received from said second computer system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of binding, with said durable subscription, said first reference further comprises transmitting to said second computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said second computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of binding with said durable subscription said first computer system with said first name space containing said first reference to said second name space on a second computer system further comprises storing one or more details of said durable subscription on a persistent medium accessible to said second computer system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of establishing further comprises transmitting a first server address, a subscription server address, and a reference identifier for said first reference.

7. A computer system that maintains federated name context bindings in a name space, said computer system comprising:

a processor;

a network interface coupled to the processor to support communication over a network with another computer system;

storage coupled to and accessible by the hardware processor;

a database within the storage;

program code within the storage and executable by the processor to maintain federated name context bindings, wherein the program code when executed by the processor causes the computer system to;

bind, with a durable subscription, a first reference within a first name space of the computer system to a second name space on said another computer system by transmitting to said second computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said second computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system and by creating an entry in the database containing a naming context reference returned by the second computer system;

administer with a graphical user interface said binding of said first reference to said second name space, wherein administration of the binding includes;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of namespaces including the first name space and the second name space;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of name references distributed among the plurality of namespaces and graphically indicating associations between the plurality of name references and the plurality of name spaces;

presenting a plurality of graphical binding indicators indicating a plurality bindings between the plurality of name references, said plurality of graphical binding indicators including a first graphical binding indicator indicating the binding between the first reference within the first name space and the second name space; and

creating at least one of the plurality of graphical binding indicators and an underlying one of the plurality of bindings via a graphical manipulation in the graphical user interface;

establish a durable subscription at said another computer system for said binding utilizing communication with said second computer system over the network;

automatically receive notification of a change affecting said binding from said second computer system based upon the durable subscription; and

in response to the notification, rebind the first reference in said first name space, wherein rebinding the first reference includes updating the entry in the database to reflect rebinding to a third name space on said second system all references in said first name space on said first computer system that are bound to said second computer system.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the program code binds the first reference in the first name space with the second name space over an encrypted link between the computer system and said another computer system.

9. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said program code rebinds to a third name space on said another computer system an identified list of references on said first computer system received from said second computer system.

10. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said program code, to bind the first reference with said durable subscription, transmits to the another computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said another computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system.

11. The computer system of claim 7, wherein said program code, to establish the durable subscription at said another computer system, transmits to said another computer system a first server address, a subscription server address, and a reference identifier for said first reference.

12. A program product for maintaining federated name context bindings in a name space, said program product comprising:

a tangible computer readable data storage medium;

program code within the tangible computer readable data storage medium and executable by the computer system to maintain federated name context bindings, wherein the program code when executed by a computer system causes the computer system to;

bind, with a durable subscription, a first reference within a first name space of the computer system to a second name space on another computer system by transmitting to said second computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said second computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system and by creating an entry in the database containing a naming context reference returned by the second computer system;

administer with a graphical user interface said binding of said first reference to said second name space, wherein administration of the binding includes;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of namespaces including the first name space and the second name space;

presenting a plurality of graphical objects each representing a respective one of a plurality of name references distributed among the plurality of namespaces and graphically indicating associations between the plurality of name references and the plurality of name spaces;

presenting a plurality of graphical binding indicators indicating a plurality bindings between the plurality of name references, said plurality of graphical binding indicators including a first graphical binding indicator indicating the binding between the first reference within the first name space and the second name space; and

creating at least one of the plurality of graphical binding indicators and an underlying one of the plurality of bindings via a graphical manipulation in the graphical user interface;

establish a durable subscription at said another computer system for said binding utilizing communication with said second computer system over the network;

automatically receive notification of a change affecting said binding from said second computer system based upon the durable subscription; and

in response to the notification, rebind the first reference in said first name space, wherein rebinding the first reference includes updating the entry in the database to reflect rebinding to a third name space on said second system all references in said first name space on said first computer system that are bound to said second computer system.

13. The program product of claim 12, wherein the program code binds the first reference in the first name space with the second name space over an encrypted link between the computer system and said another computer system.

14. The program product of claim 12, wherein said program code rebinds to a third name space on said another computer system an identified list of references on said first computer system received from said second computer system.

15. The program product of claim 12, wherein said program code, to bind the first reference with said durable subscription, transmits to the another computer system a data record identifying a naming context in said another computer system associated with said first reference on said first computer system.

16. The program product of claim 12, wherein said program code, to establish the durable subscription at said another computer system, transmits to said another computer system a first server address, a subscription server address, and a reference identifier for said first reference.