Nested exception roles

• US 7,725,564 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• 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): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US11/712,325
• Publication Number:
  US 20080209191A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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 a nested EXCEPTION role in a directory server is described. In one embodiment, a plurality of entries is defined in the directory server. At least one of the plurality of entries possesses a role. An entry is queried to determine its possessed role. A nested EXCEPTION role possesses at least two roles. An entry possesses the nested EXCEPTION role by possessing none of the roles within the nested EXCEPTION role.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a directory server, the method comprising:

creating an object class to which a nested EXCEPTION role comprising at least two constituent roles belongs, the object class defining the nested EXCEPTION role as a result of a logical operation on each of the constituent roles in the nested EXCEPTION role, the nested EXCEPTION role declaring itself as a member of the object class without indicating the logical operation;

defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing the nested EXCEPTION role by possessing none of the constituent roles in the nested EXCEPTION role;

querying each of the entries to determine whether the entry possesses the nested EXCEPTION role by performing the logical operation on a plurality of results, each result indicating whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested EXCEPTION role; and

in response to querying, providing entries that possess the nested EXCEPTION role to a client.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each role of the nested EXCEPTION role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested EXCEPTION role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more constituent role of the nested EXCEPTION role comprises another nested role, another nested EXCEPTION role, a nested AND role, or a nested EXCEPTION role.

5. A directory server comprising:

a processing device;

a storage device coupled to the processing device, the storage device comprising a directory repository defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing a nested EXCEPTION role by possessing none of a plurality of constituent roles within the nested EXCEPTION role, the directory repository further defining an object class to which the nested EXCEPTION role belongs, the object class to define the nested EXCEPTION role as a result of a logical operation on each of the constituent roles within the nested EXCEPTION role, wherein the nested EXCEPTION role declares itself as a member of the object class by including an identifier of the object class without indicating the logical operation;

a nested role management module coupled to the processor, the nested role management module to query each of the entries to determine whether the entry possesses the nested EXCEPTION role, the nested role management module to perform the logical operation on a plurality of results, with each result to indicate whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested EXCEPTION role, and to provide entries that possess the nested EXCEPTION role to a client.

6. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the directory server is to define a nested EXCEPTION role entry corresponding to the nested EXCEPTION role, the nested EXCEPTION role entry comprising at least two role entries, each role entry associated with a corresponding role.

7. The directory server of claim 5 wherein each role of the nested EXCEPTION role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

8. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the server is to receive from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested EXCEPTION role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

9. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed cause a computer system to perform a method comprising:

creating an object class to which a nested EXCEPTION role comprising at least two constituent roles belongs, the object class defining the nested EXCEPTION role as a result of a logical operation on each of the constituent roles within the nested EXCEPTION role, the nested EXCEPTION role declaring itself as a member of the object class by including an identifier of the object class without indicating the logical operation;

defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing the nested EXCEPTION role by possessing none of the constituent roles within the nested EXCEPTION role;

querying each of the entries to determine wherein the entry possesses the nested EXCEPTION role by performing the logical operation on a plurality of results, each result indicating whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested EXCEPTION role; and

in response to querying, providing entries that possess the nested EXCEPTION role to a client.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises:

defining a nested EXCEPTION role entry corresponding to the nested EXCEPTION role, the nested EXCEPTION role entry comprising at least two role entries, each role entry associated with a corresponding role.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein each role of the nested EXCEPTION role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested EXCEPTION role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.