Peer-to-peer identity management interfaces and methods

• US 7,613,812 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2002
• Issued: 11/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Somin, Grigori M., Manion, Todd R., Donner, Robert D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US10/309,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20040111515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,526 Days
• Field of Search: 709227-229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/541 via adapters, e.g. between incompatible applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/365 Application layer names, e.g. buddy names, unstructured names chosen by a user or home appliance name
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1057 involving pre-assessment of levels of reputation of peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Peer-to-peer (P2P) application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow an application to create, import, export, manage, enumerate, and delete P2P identities are presented. Further, the management of group identity information is provided. APIs abstract away from low level credential and cryptographic functions required to create and manage P2P identities. This management includes retrieval and setting of a friendly name, generation of a cryptographic public/private key pair, retrieval of security information in the form of an XML fragment, and creation of a new name based on an existing identity. Since the P2P environment also allows for the existence of multiple separate groups of peers within the P2P cloud, a preferred embodiment of the present invention also allows for the enumeration of all groups associated with a given identity, for each identity existing for the user.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium embodying a program of instruction executable by a computer for performing a method of communicating between an application program of a resolution protocol and a server process on a same node to manage peer-to-peer identities, comprising the steps of:

providing, on the same node, an application program interface for use by the application program of the resolution protocol to manage peer-to-peer identities;

receiving, at the server process on the same node, via the application program interface, a peer identity create call having a plurality of call parameters comprising a classifier, a peer-to-peer friendly name, a handle to a container in which a key pair exists, and a pointer to a location to which an identity name should be returned,

wherein the key pair includes a private key and a public key, and

wherein the key pair and the classifier are used to generate the identity name;

parsing, at the server process, the peer identity create call to retrieve the plurality of call parameters; and

returning to the application program a value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call.

2. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the peer identity create call having the plurality of call parameters comprises the step of receiving a peer identity create call having a plurality of call parameters comprising a classifier, a peer-to-peer friendly name, a handle to the container in which a key pair exists that is set to NULL, and a pointer to a location to which an identity name should be returned, the method further comprising the step of issuing a generate new public/private key pair call.

3. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that the handle is invalid.

4. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that the identity name already exists.

5. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that a disk volume is insufficient to store information for a peer identity corresponding to the identity name.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that there is not enough memory to perform the peer identity create call.

7. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that at least one of the plurality of call parameters is invalid.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer identity create call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that no keys exist in the container.

9. A computer-readable storage medium embodying a program of instruction executable by a computer for performing a method of communicating between an application program of a resolution protocol and a server process on a same node to manage peer-to-peer identities, comprising the steps of:

providing, at the same node, an application program interface for use by the application program of the resolution protocol to manage peer-to-peer identities;

receiving, at the server process on the same node, via the application program interface, a peer create peer name call having a plurality of call parameters comprising an identity name that is to be taken as a basis for a new peer name, a string containing a new classifier that needs to be appended to an existing name of the identity, and a pointer to a location to which the new peer name is returned,

wherein the identity name is generated from an existing classifier and a key pair, and wherein the key pair includes a public key and a private key;

parsing, at the server process, the peer create peer name call to retrieve the plurality of call parameters; and

returning to the application program a value indicative of the success/failure of the peer create peer name call.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer create peer name call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that a peer identity specified by the identity name cannot be found.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer create peer name call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that there is not enough memory to perform the peer create peer name call.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the step of returning to the application program the value indicative of the success/failure of the peer create peer name call comprises a step of returning an error indicative that at least one of the plurality of call parameters is not valid.