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

• US 8,099,456 B2
• Filed: 10/13/2008
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Harjanto, Andy
• Primary Examiner(s): Swearingen, Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US12/250,310
• Publication Number:
  US 20090037987A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,191 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 medium comprising stored computer-executable instructions, the computer-readable medium not consisting of a propagated data signal, execution of the instructions by a computing device causing the computing device to:

send a first Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) request to a DSML server, the first DSML SOAP request comprising a request for the DSML server to begin a session;

send a second DSML SOAP request to the DSML server, the second DSML SOAP request requesting performance of a directory operation, the second DSML SOAP request associated with the session; and

send an end session request that instructs the DSML server to terminate the session.

2. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the DSML server is configured to send a request to a directory service in response to the second DSML SOAP request.

3. The computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein the directory service is a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) service.

4. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to receive a DSML response that contains directory information requested in the second DSML SOAP request.

5. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to send the first DSML SOAP request to the DSML server using a stateless transport protocol.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the stateless transport protocol is Hyper-Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein the stateless transport protocol is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.

8. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to send authentication credentials in the first DSML SOAP request.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the authentication credentials include a client certificate.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to:

construct a document object that implements a document application programming interface (API) that includes a first function that, in response to being invoked by a client application, constructs the second DSML SOAP request; and

construct a connection object that implements a connection API that includes a second function that, in response to being invoked by the client application, sends the second DSML SOAP request as a payload under a networking protocol.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10,

wherein the connection API includes a third function;

and

wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to;

associate a session identifier with the connection object when the client application invokes the third function, the session identifier identifying the session; and

generate the second DSML SOAP request such that the second DSML SOAP request includes a session identification header that includes the session identifier.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11,

wherein the connection API includes a fourth function;

and

wherein execution of the instructions by the computing device further causes the computing device to send the end session request in response to the client application invoking the fourth function.

13. A method comprising:

receiving a first Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) request at a computing device, the first DSML SOAP request received from a client device, the first DSML SOAP request containing data that requests the computing device to begin a session, the first DSML SOAP request also comprising a request for directory information;

in response to receiving the first DSML SOAP request;

establishing, by the computing device, session information used for session-oriented features; and

sending a directory access request from the computing device to a directory service, the directory access request requesting the directory information;

receiving a directory access response at the computing device, the directory access response being responsive to the directory access request, the directory access response comprising the requested directory information;

sending a DSML SOAP response from the computing device to the client device, the DSML SOAP response comprising the requested directory information;

receiving, at the computing device, an end-session request from the client device, the end-session request comprising a second DSML SOAP request, the second DSML SOAP request instructing the computing device to end the session; and

in response to receiving the end-session request, ending, by the computing device, the session.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first DSML SOAP request comprises a session identifier that identifies the session.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the DSML SOAP response comprises the session identifier.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving the first DSML SOAP request comprises receiving the first DSML SOAP request using a stateless transport protocol.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

a third DSML SOAP request at the computing device prior to the computing device receiving the end-session request, the third DSML SOAP request specifying the session identifier; and

using, by the computing device, the session information to respond to the third DSML SOAP request.

18. A computing device comprising:

a processing unit;

a network interface connected to the processing unit that enables the computing device to communicate with a remote computer; and

a system memory connected to the processing unit, the system memory comprising instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to;

establish session information for a session in response to receiving a first Directory Service Markup Language (DSML) SOAP request, the computing device receiving the first DSML SOAP request from a client device over Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), the first DSML SOAP request comprising a request for the computing device to begin the session;

send a DSML SOAP response to the client device in response to a second DSML SOAP request, the computing device receiving the second DSML SOAP request from the client device over HTTP, the second DSML SOAP request specifying a session identifier of the session, the second DSML SOAP request comprising a request for directory information, the DSML SOAP response comprising the directory information;

use the session information to respond to a third DSML SOAP request, the computing device receiving the third DSML SOAP request from the client device over HTTP, the third DSML SOAP request specifying the session identifier of the session; and

terminate the session in response to receiving a fourth DSML SOAP request, the computing device receiving the fourth DSML SOAP request from the client device over HTTP, the fourth DSML SOAP request instructing the computing device to terminate the session.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein execution of the instructions by the processing unit causes the processing unit to use the session information for the session to implement page control.

20. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the first DSML SOAP request comprises authentication credentials.