Application programming interface for implementing directory service access using directory service markup language

• US 7,668,902 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2003
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harjanto, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US10/449,573
• Publication Number:
  US 20040243668A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,461 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A set of DSML application programming interface (DSML API) functions is provided to facilitate the implementation of DSML-based directory service access. The DSML API includes a DSML document API class for building or accessing a DSML payload, and a DSML connection API class that handles connection and transport to a DSML server. To access a directory service, the client calls functions of the DSML document API class to generate a DSML request payload, and calls functions of the DSML connection API to transport a packet with the DSML request payload according to a pre-selected connection protocol, such as SOAP, to the DSML server for forwarding to the directory service.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions, that when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method for generating and sending Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) requests to a DSML server that provides a directory service, the method comprising:

calling, by the computing device, a constructor Application Programming Interface (API) function that constructs a DSML request object, the constructor API function defined in a DSML request document class, the DSML request object being an instance of the DSML request document class, the DSML request document class defining functions for building DSML request documents, the DSML request object representing a DSML request document;

in response to calling the constructor API function, receiving, by the computing device, the DSML request object;

calling, by the computing device, a function of the DSML request object that adds a DSML element to the DSML request document, the function being one of the functions defined by the DSML request document class; and

calling, by the computing device, a send API function that sends a request packet to a DSML server, the send API function defined in a connection API class, the request packet having the DSML request document as a payload under a networking protocol.

2. A computer-readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the networking protocol includes Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) and wherein the request packet is sent using SOAP over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

3. A computer-readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the networking protocol includes SOAP and wherein the request packet is sent using SOAP over Direct Internet Message Encapsulation (DIME).

4. A computer-readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the request packet is sent to the DSML server for forwarding to the directory service.

5. A computer-readable storage medium as in claim 1, having further computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the computing device, cause the computing device to perform the steps of:

receiving, by the computing device, a DSML response object that represents a DSML response document that is responsive to the DSML request document; and

calling, by the computing device, a function of the DSML response object to process the DSML response document.

6. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 5,

wherein the DSML element is an AddRequest element;

wherein the DSML response document includes an AddResponse element; and

wherein the method further comprises;

in response to calling the function of the DSML response object to process the DSML response document, receiving, at the computing device, an AddResponse object that represents the AddResponse element.

7. A computer-readable storage medium as in claim 1, wherein the DSML request document class and the connection API class are separate and independent from each other.

8. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the DSML element is a DSML element in a group consisting of:

an AddRequest element, a ModifyRequest element, and a SearchRequest element.

9. A method for generating and sending Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) requests to a DSML server that provides a directory service, the method comprising:

calling, at a client application operating at a computing device, a constructor Application Programming Interface (API) function that constructs a DSML request object, the constructor API function defined in a DSML request document class, the DSML request object being an instance of the DSML request document class, the DSML request document class defining functions for building DSML request documents, the DSML request object representing a DSML request document;

in response to calling the constructor API function, receiving, at the client application, the DSML request object;

calling, at the client application, a function of the DSML request object that adds a DSML element to the DSML request document, the function being one of the functions defined by the DSML request document class;

calling, at the client application, a connection class constructor function that constructs a connection object, the connection class constructor function defined in a connection API class, the connection API class defining functions for manipulating connections, the connection object being an instance of the connection API class, the connection object representing a connection under a networking protocol to the DSML server;

calling, at the client application, a send function of the connection object, the send function being one of the functions defined by the connection API class, the send function sending a request packet to the DSML server, the request packet having the DSML request document as a payload under the networking protocol.

10. A method as in claim 9, wherein the networking protocol includes Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP).

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the request packet is sent using SOAP over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the request packet is sent using SOAP over Direct Internet Message Encapsulation (DIME).

13. A method as in claim 9, wherein the computing device sends the request packet to the DSML server for forwarding to the directory service.

14. A method as in claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

in response to calling the send function of the connection object, receiving, at the client application, a DSML response object, the DSML response object having functions to manipulate a DSML response document that is responsive to the DSML request document; and

calling, at the computing device, one of the functions of the DSML response object to process the DSML response document.

15. A method as in claim 9, wherein the DSML request document class and the connection API class are separate and independent from each other.

16. A method comprising:

receiving, at a computing device, an invocation, by an application, of a Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) request constructor function defined in a document Application Programming Interface (API) class;

in response to receiving the invocation of the DSML request constructor function, returning, by the computing device, to the application a first DSML request object that represents a first DSML request document;

receiving, at the computing device, an invocation by the application of an add request function of the first DSML request object,

in response to receiving the invocation of the add request function, automatically adding, at the computing device, to the first DSML request document a DSML add request element that specifies that an entry is to be added to a directory;

receiving, at the computing device, an invocation by the application of a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) connection constructor function defined in a connection API class, the invocation of the HTTP connection constructor function specifying a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of a DSML server device;

in response to receiving the invocation of the HTTP connection constructor function, returning, by the computing device, a HTTP connection object to the application;

receiving, at the computing device, an invocation by the application of a begin session function of the HTTP connection object;

in response to receiving the invocation of the begin session function, establishing, at the computing device, a session identifier;

receiving, at the computing device, a first invocation by the application of a send request function of the HTTP connection object, the invocation of the send request function specifying the first DSML request object;

in response to receiving the first invocation of the send request function;

automatically modifying, by the computing device, the first DSML request document to include a session identifier element that specifies the session identifier; and

after automatically modifying the first DSML request document, sending, by the computing device, a first Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request that comprises the first DSML request document from the computing device to the DSML server device via a computer network;

receiving, at the computing device, a HTTP response from the DSML server device, the HTTP response comprising a DSML response document that includes an add response element that indicates a result of the add request element; and

returning, by the computing device, to the application a DSML response object that represents the DSML response document;

receiving, at the computing device, an invocation by the application of a response element function of the DSML response object;

in response to receiving the invocation of the response element function, returning, by the computing device, to the application an object that represents the add response element;

after receiving the first invocation of the send request function, receiving, at the computing device, an invocation by the application of an end session function of the HTTP connection object;

after receiving the invocation of the end session function, receiving, at the computing device, a second invocation by the application of the send request function of the HTTP connection object, the second invocation of the send request function specifying a second DSML request object that represents a second DSML request document; and

in response to receiving the second invocation of the send request function and without automatically modifying the second DSML request document to include the session identifier element, sending a second HTTP request from the computing device to the DSML server device via the computer network, the second HTTP request comprising the second DSML request document.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the computing device comprises a processing unit, a system memory, and a system bus coupling the system memory and the processing unit, the system memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the computing device to perform each step of claim 16.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

executing the application at the computing device.