Highly available central controller to store and enforce valid state transitions of distributed components

• US 8,219,654 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2007
• Issued: 07/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Nagaraja, Girish, Ko, Supin, Mishra, Vishal, Nichols, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): MIRZA, ADNAN M
• Application Number:
  US11/750,212
• Publication Number:
  US 20080288637A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,881 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/223, 718/104
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

A highly available central controller to store and enforce valid state transitions of distributed components is provided for centrally controlling access to a service. Central control is provided by a database with an API according to a set of stored procedures, which provides a virtual view to requesters that seek to read or manipulate service entities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to provide centralized control of access to a service, the computer-implemented method comprising:

executing on a processor, computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform;

storing, in a central database, one or more entity states of the service;

receiving one or more requests to read or manipulate said one or more entity states;

providing a virtual view of said one or more entity states of the service to facilitate handling said one or more requests to read or manipulate said one or more entity states of the service; and

enforcing one or more valid entity state transitions in response to receiving said one or more requests,

the one or more entity states comprising a locked state and an internal state that enables testing in response to one of the one or more requests if the one of the one or more requests originates from a restricted set of internet protocol addresses.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising updating said one or more entity states in said virtual view in response to handling said one or more requests for said one or more valid entity state transitions.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising disallowing one or more invalid entity state transitions.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more requests is an external client request that is routed according to service entity state information.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said one or more requests is an internal service entity management tool request.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein said virtual view is provided by an application program interface of the service.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein said application program interface contains logic to enforce said one or more valid entity state transitions.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein said application program interface comprises a set of procedures stored in the central database, wherein one or more of the procedures route requests and update respective entity states in the central database.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, further comprising generating a database schema to store in the central database, a status enumeration of the one or more entity states of the service.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed on a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of claim 1.

11. A computing device comprising a central controller comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the central controller to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A user interface adapted to facilitate provisioning of centralized control of access to a service, the user interface comprising:

a processor;

a request receiving component configured to receive one or more requests to read or manipulate one or more entity states of the service;

an enforcing component configured to enforce one or more valid entity state transitions in response to the request receiving component receiving said one or more requests,

said one or more requests being formed according to a virtual view of said one or more entity states of the service provided to one or more requestors of said service, and

the one or more entity states comprising a locked state and an internal state that enables testing in response to one of the one or more requests if the one of the one or more requests originates from a restricted set of internet protocol addresses; and

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement at least one of the request receiving component or the enforcing component.

13. The user interface of claim 12, further comprising an entity state updating component configured to update said one or more entity states in said virtual view in response to receiving said one or more requests.

14. The user interface of claim 12, wherein at least one of the request receiving component or the enforcing component is provided by, at least, a set of database-stored procedures of a central database that is configured to control access to the service.

15. The user interface of claim 14, wherein said virtual view is provided to said one or more requestors according to a status enumeration of said one or more entity states of the service stored in the central database.

16. One or more non-transitory computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to transmit a data packet between two or more computer components, wherein the data packet comprises:

information associated with a request to read or manipulate one or more entity states of a service according to a virtual view of said one or more entity states provided to a requestor to enforce one or more valid service entity state transitions, the one or more entity states comprising an internal state that enables testing in response to one of the one or more requests if the one of the one or more requests originates from a restricted set of internet protocol addresses.

17. A computer-implemented system configured to provide centralized control of access to a service, the computer-implemented system comprising:

a database configured to centrally store at least one entity state of the service;

a request receiving component configured to receive at least one request to read or manipulate the at least one entity state of the service;

an enforcing component configured to enforce at least one valid entity state transition in response to receiving said at least one request;

at least one account entity associated with providing said service;

at least one repository entity configured to store said at least one account entity, said at least one request being formed according to a virtual view of at least one account entity state or at least one repository entity state;

a processor, and the one or more entity states comprising a locked state and an internal state that enables testing in response to one of the one or more requests if the one of the one or more requests originates from a restricted set of internet protocol addresses; and

one or more non-transitory computer storage media storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to implement at least one of the database, the request receiving component, the enforcing component, the at least one account entity or the at least one repository entity.

18. The computer-implemented system of claim 17, further comprising an entity state updating component configured to update said at least one entity state in said virtual view in response to handling said at least one request.

19. The computer-implemented system of claim 17, wherein at least one of the request receiving component or the enforcing component is configured to be provided according to, at least, a set of procedures stored in the database.

20. The computer-implemented system of claim 19, wherein said virtual view is configured to be provided to a requestor according to a status enumeration of the at least one entity state of the service.