File sharing administration

• US 8,438,266 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2006
• Issued: 05/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beck, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/548,610
• Publication Number:
  US 20080091790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,400 Days
• Field of Search: 709/229, 709/224, 709/246, 726/26
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/53 using third party service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

A file sharing service facilitates file sharing between a client and a host over a network. An extensible architecture provides an interface by which the file sharing service can be expanded to include additional functionality. This additional functionality may include resource management, security management, management of user experience, and the like. For example, users or administrators of the host or another computing device on the network may wish to oversee the file sharing service as a whole and/or individual file sharing transactions. The extensible file sharing described herein allows users, administrators, or other third party developers to expand or enhance a file sharing service or application to provide virtually any desired functionality.

Claims

1. One or more computer-readable storage devices comprising computer-executable instructions for administering file sharing over a network, the instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving, at an extensible plug-in architecture and from a client, a request for a file stored on a host, the request being received at an extensible plug-in interface interposed in a communication path between the client and the host;

exposing the request to a request administration module;

relaying the request for the file to an intended destination of the request;

receiving from the host a response to the request for the file;

exposing the response to a response administration module, the request administration module and the response administration module comprising plug-in modules within the extensible plug-in architecture, the plug-in modules being configured to intercept the request, manipulate the response and track a plurality of file sharing transactions;

filtering the response from the host according to instructions from the response administration module, prior to relaying the response to an intended destination of the response, filtering the response comprising appending a digital rights management element to the response or to data associated with the response, the digital rights management element comprising a digital signature or a watermark; and

relaying the response to an intended destination of the response.

2. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 1, further comprising instructions for filtering the request for the file according to instructions from the request administration module, prior to relaying the request for the file to the intended destination of the request.

3. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 2, wherein filtering the request for the file comprises changing data for which the request was originally issued to include additional or alternative data.

4. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 2, wherein filtering the request for the file comprises appending a permission set to the request, indicating data that the client is permitted to access from the host.

5. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 1, wherein filtering the response further comprises modifying data in the response or substituting alternative data for data in the response.

6. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions are implemented by an application programming interface (API).

7. The one or more computer-readable storage devices of claim 1, further comprising instructions for generating a transaction log comprising information about file sharing transactions performed by the client, the host, or both.

8. A method implemented at least partially by a computing device of administering file sharing over a network, the method comprising:

monitoring, by the computing device, file sharing communications between a client and a host using an extensible plug-in architecture by interposing an extensible plug-in interface in a communication path between the client and the host, the extensible plug-in interface providing for bi-directional communication between the client and the host;

exposing file sharing communications to an administration module, the administration module comprising plug-in modules within the extensible plug-in architecture, the plug-in modules being configured to intercept a request, manipulate a response and track a plurality of file sharing transactions; and

intercepting a communication to an intended client destination, and filtering the communication in accordance with instructions received from the administration module, before relaying the communication to the intended client destination;

the communication comprising a host response to a client request for data, and filtering the communication comprising appending a digital rights management element to the response or to data associated with the response.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a file sharing communication comprises a client request for data, a host response to a client request for data, or both.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising notifying the administration module when any of the following occurs:

a client is requested to authenticate, a client completes authentication, a client fails authentication.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising intercepting a communication to an intended host destination, and filtering the communication to the intended host destination in accordance with instructions received from the administration module, before relaying the communication to the intended host destination, and wherein the communication to the intended host destination comprises a client request for data, and filtering the communication to the intended host destination comprises at least one of:

changing data for which the request was originally issued to include additional or alternative data, or

appending a permission set to the request, indicating data that the client is permitted to access from the host.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein filtering the communication further comprises:

modifying data in the response or substituting alternative data for data in the response.

13. A system comprising:

a processor; and

computer-readable media comprising instructions for implementing;

a file sharing service facilitating file sharing between a client and a host over a network, and

an extensible plug-in architecture providing an interface by which the file sharing service can be expanded to include additional functionality, the extensible plug-in architecture comprising;

an extensible plug-in interface interposed in a communication path between the client and the host, the extensible plug-in interface providing for bi-directional communication between the client and the host; and

a plurality of plug-in modules, the plurality of plug-in modules being configured to intercept a request from the client and a response from the host, manipulate the response from the host by appending a digital rights management element to the response from the host, and track a plurality of file sharing transactions.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the extensible plug-in architecture comprises an application programming interface (API).

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the computer-readable media further comprises instructions for implementing an administration plug-in module configured to administer file sharing.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the administration plug-in module comprises a request administration module for administering client requests for data, and a response administration module for administering host responses to client requests for data.