Hybrid groups

• US 7,689,584 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Rowley, Peter Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/606,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,217 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4552 Lookup mechanisms between a plurality of directories; Synchronisation of directories, e.g. metadirectories

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing groups in a directory server is described. In one embodiment, in response to a request for accessing a static group, an action represented by an attribute of an entry of the directory server is dynamically performed. A result of the action is returned as part of a response of the static group.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server machine that performs directory queries on an LDAP repository, a request to perform an action on a static group, wherein the static group is one of a plurality of static groups and dynamic groups maintained by the LDAP directory server machine as dynamic groups;

in response to the request to access the static group, dynamically performing, by the LDAP directory server machine, the requested action on a dynamic group that corresponds to the static group by utilizing a membership attribute of entries of the LDAP directory server machine to enumerate members of the static group; and

returning, by the LDAP directory server machine, a result of the action as part of a response corresponding to the static group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for accessing the static group comprising a query of content of the static group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein dynamically performing the action comprises executing a query with a filter on the directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein returning the result of the action comprises returning the result of a query with a filter on the directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the membership attribute comprises a “

memberof”

attribute.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the LDAP repository is part of the LDAP directory server machine.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the dynamic group that corresponds to the static group includes a filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

8. A lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server machine comprising:

an LDAP repository; and

a hybrid group management module coupled to the LDAP repository, the hybrid group management module configured to;

receive a request to perform an action on a static group, wherein the static group is one of a plurality of static groups and dynamic groups maintained by the LDAP directory server machine as dynamic groups;

dynamically perform, in response to the request to access the group, the requested action on a dynamic group that corresponds to the static group by utilizing a membership attribute of entries of the LDAP directory server machine to enumerate members of the static group; and

return a result of the action as part of a response corresponding to the static group.

9. The directory server of claim 8 wherein the request for accessing the static group comprises a query of content of the static group.

10. The directory server of claim 8 wherein the action comprises an execution of a query with a filter on the LDAP directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

11. The directory server of claim 8 wherein the result of the action comprises the result of a query with a filter on the LDAP directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

12. The directory server of claim 8 wherein the membership attribute comprises a “

memberof”

attribute.

13. The directory server of claim 8 wherein the dynamic group that corresponds to the static group includes a filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

14. A computer-accessible storage medium including data that, when accessed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to perform an action on a static group, wherein the static group is one of a plurality of static groups and dynamic groups maintained by a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server as dynamic groups;

in response to the request to access the static group, dynamically performing the requested action on a dynamic group that corresponds to the static group by utilizing a membership attribute of entries of the LDAP directory server to enumerate members of the static group; and

returning a result of the action as part of a response corresponding to the static group.

15. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the request for accessing the static group comprising a query of content of the static group.

16. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein dynamically performing the action comprises executing a query with a filter on the directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

17. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein returning the result of the action comprises returning the result of a query with a filter on the directory server, the filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.

18. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the membership attribute comprises a “

memberof”

attribute.

19. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the LDAP repository is part of the LDAP directory server machine.

20. The computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the dynamic group that corresponds to the static group includes a filter comprising the value of the membership attribute of the entry.