Systems and methods for providing protocol independent disjoint port names

• US 9,992,236 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Vajravel, Gokul Thiruchengode
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, Ondrej C.
• Application Number:
  US14/746,258
• Publication Number:
  US 20160373488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 709217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/00 Accessing, addressing or allocating within memory systems or architectures digital input from, or digital output to record carriers, e.g. to disk storage units, G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/20 for access to input/output bus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1066 Session management
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A system and method for providing protocol independent disjoint port names for a session level restriction enabled information handling system utilizes a virtual USB device created at a host server when an input/output device is coupled to a remote client device. A symbolic link in global namespace is associated with the virtual USB device. If the symbolic link in global namespace begins with either “COM” or “LPT,” the symbolic link in global namespace is deleted and replaced with a port name symbolic link in user-session namespace based, at least in part, on the currently available port index in the user-session namespace.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

enabling a session level restriction (SLR);

receiving a request from a first user of a first client to connect to a first input/output (I/O) device coupled to the first client;

creating a first global namespace symbolic link in global namespace associated with a first virtual USB device, wherein the first virtual USB device is associated with the first I/O device;

determining if the first global namespace symbolic link is associated with a port of the first client;

when the first global namespace symbolic link is determined to be associated with the port of the first client, deleting the first global namespace symbolic link in global namespace and creating a first port name symbolic link in a first user-session namespace associated with the first user based, at least in part, on a first available port index in the first user-session namespace, wherein the first port name symbolic link replaces the deleted first global namespace symbolic link and wherein access to the first port name symbolic link is restricted to the first user of the first client; and

when the first global namespace symbolic link is determined not to be associated with the port of the first client, moving the first global namespace symbolic link to a user-session namespace.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a second user of a second client to connect to a second I/O device coupled to the second client;

creating a second global namespace symbolic link in global namespace associated with a second virtual USB devices, wherein the second virtual USB device corresponds to the second I/O device;

determining if the second global namespace symbolic link is associated with a port of the second client;

deleting the second global namespace symbolic link in global namespace; and

creating a second port name symbolic link in a second user-session namespace associated with the second user based, at least in part, on a second available port index in the second user-session namespace, wherein the second port name symbolic link replaces the deleted second global namespace symbolic link and wherein access to the second port name symbolic link is restricted to the second user of the second client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as the second available port index in the second user-session namespace and wherein a first port name prefix associated with the first port name symbolic link is the same as a second port name prefix associated with the second port name symbolic link.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first port name prefix corresponds to one of a serial port or parallel port and wherein the second port name prefix corresponds to one of a serial port or a parallel port.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an error notification if the first symbolic link for the first virtual USB device was not created.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a current port index of the global namespace;

determining if the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as the current port index in global namespace; and

incrementing the current port index if the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as the current port index in global namespace.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining if the current port index exceeds a maximum threshold value; and

sending an error notification if the current port index exceeds the maximum threshold value.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining if a first string associated with the first global namespace symbolic link begins with a port name prefix, wherein the port name prefix begins with one of “

COM”

or “

LPT”

.

9. One or more computer-readable non-transitory storage media embodying one or more instructions that when executed:

enable a session level restriction (SLR);

receive a request from a first user of a first client to connect to a first input/output (I/O) device coupled to the first client;

create a first global namespace symbolic link in global namespace associated with a first virtual USB device, wherein the first virtual USB device corresponds to the first I/O device;

determine if the first global namespace symbolic link is associated with a port of the first client;

when the first global namespace symbolic link is determined to be associated with the port of the first client, delete the first global namespace symbolic link in global namespace and create a first port name symbolic link in a first user-session namespace associated with the first user based, at least in part, on a first available port index in the first user-session namespace, wherein the first port name symbolic link replaces the deleted first global namespace symbolic link and wherein access to the first port name symbolic link is restricted to the first user of the first client; and

when the first global namespace symbolic link is determined not to be associated with the port of the first client, move the first global namespace symbolic link to a user-session namespace.

10. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 9, further operable when executed to:

receiving a request from a second user of a second client to connect to a second I/O device coupled to the second client;

creating a second global namespace symbolic link in global namespace associated with a second virtual USB devices, wherein the second virtual USB device corresponds to the second I/O device;

determining if the second global namespace symbolic link is associated with a port of the second client; and

deleting the second global namespace symbolic link in global namespace; and

creating a second port name symbolic link in a second user-session namespace associated with the second user based, at least in part, on a second available port index in the second user-session namespace, wherein the second port name symbolic link replaces the deleted second global namespace symbolic link and wherein access to the second port name symbolic link is restricted to the second user of the second client.

11. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 10, wherein the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as the second available port index in the second user-session namespace and wherein a first port name prefix associated with the first port name symbolic link is the same as a second port name prefix associated with the second port name symbolic link.

12. The media embodying of one or more instructions of claim 9, wherein the first port name prefix corresponds to one of a serial port or parallel port and wherein the second port name prefix corresponds to one of a serial port or a parallel port.

13. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 9, further operable when executed to:

send an error notification if the first symbolic link for the first virtual USB device was not created.

14. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 13, further operable when executed to:

determine a current port index of the global namespace;

determine if the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as the current port index in global namespace; and

increment the current port index if the first available port index in the first user-session namespace is the same as current port index in global namespace.

15. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 9, further operable when executed to:

determine if the current port index exceeds a maximum threshold value; and

send an error notification if the current port index exceeds the maximum threshold value.

16. The media embodying one or more instructions of claim 15, further operable when executed to:

determine if a first string associated with the first global namespace symbolic link begins with a port name prefix, wherein the port name prefix begins with one of “

COM”

or “

LPT”

.

17. An information handling system comprising:

one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors comprise hardware for executing one or more instructions;

a memory coupled to the processors; and

an input/output (I/O) driver in communication with the processors and the memory, wherein the I/O driver comprises;

a virtual universal serial bus (USB) driver, wherein the virtual USB driver creates a virtual USB device with the same one or more properties as an associated I/O device coupled to a first client;

a port class function driver, wherein the port class function driver executes one or more functionalities associated with the one or more properties of the virtual USB device; and

a session level restriction (SLR) filter driver, wherein when a first global namespace symbolic link is determined to be associated with a port of the first client, the SLR filter driver creates a port name symbolic link associated with the virtual USB device based, at least in part, on a first available port index in a user-session namespace and the SLR filter driver deletes a symbolic link in global namespace associated with the virtual USB device, and wherein when the first global namespace symbolic link is determined not to be associated with the port of the first client, the SLR filter driver moves the first global namespace symbolic link to a user-session namespace.

18. The information handing system of claim 17, further comprising:

one or more other ports class upper filter drivers, wherein the other ports class upper filter driver comprises one or more vendor specific drivers that provides one or more operating parameters for the virtual USB device.

19. The information handling system of claim 17, wherein a port name prefix associated with the first port name symbolic link corresponds to one of a serial port or parallel port.

20. The information handling system of claim 17, wherein the SLR filter driver further determines a current port index of the global namespace, determine if an available port index in the user-session namespace is the same as the current port index in global namespace, and increment the current port index if the available port index in the user-session namespace is the same as the current port index in global namespace.