System and method for administrating a wireless communication network

• US 20020143866A1
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Published: 10/03/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Chiu, Denny K., Lewis, Allan D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,103,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

The invention disclosed is an administration system and method for administering user access to an Enterprise system that supports redirection of data from a user'"'"'s desktop computer in a Local Area Network to a user'"'"'s wireless device. The Enterprise system having a plurality of message servers and one or more Enterprise servers, the Enterprise servers serving to direct data stored on the message servers between the user'"'"'s desktop computer and the user'"'"'s wireless device. The administration system having two components, a user interface (or client) and a administration service. The client having restricted access to what changes can be made to the data on the Enterprise server, yet sufficient permissions to require a single point of access to maintain user access to both the message server and the Enterprise servers.

Claims

1. A system for administrating a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

a) an enterprise user administration service;

b) an enterprise user administration client connected to the service;

c) one or more messaging servers connected to the service; and

d) an enterprise server connected to the one or more messaging servers to enable communications between the one or more messaging servers and a wireless communication network.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data store connected to the service and the enterprise server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the enterprise user administration service is configured to perform any of a plurality of enterprise server administration functions; and

the enterprise user administration client is configured to request that the service perform any one of a subset of the plurality of enterprise server administration functions.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the enterprise user administration service has full messaging server administration privileges for the one or more messaging servers; and

the enterprise user administration client has a limited set of messaging server administration privileges comprising a subset of the full messaging administration privileges.

5. A method for administrating a wireless communication network, the method comprising the steps of:

a) waiting for a user administration request from a user administration client;

b) receiving the request at a user administration service and determining if the request is;

i) an add user request to enable one or more users for wireless communications;

ii) a delete user request to disable one or more users for wireless communications;

iii) a list users request to generate a list of users enabled for wireless communications;

iv) a verify users request to verify that one or more particular users have been enabled for wireless communications;

or

v) another administration request associated with wireless communications; and

c) acting upon the request at the user administration service.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein:

the user administration service is configured to perform any of a plurality of administration functions; and

the user administration client is configured to request that the service perform any one of a subset of the plurality of administration functions, the subset of administration functions comprising an add user function, a delete user function, a list users function and a verify user function.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of acting upon the request, for an add user request, comprises the steps of:

a) requesting user information from the user administration client;

b) creating and storing a user information record in a data store;

c) determining if the add user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request; and

d) determining if the add user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the step of requesting user information.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of acting upon the request, for a delete user request, comprises the steps of:

a) deleting a user information record in a data store;

b) determining if the delete user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request; and

c) determining if the delete user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the step of deleting a user information record.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of acting upon the request, for a list users request, comprises the steps of:

a) accessing user records in a data store;

b) displaying a list of the user records; and

c) returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of acting on the request, for a verify user request, comprises the steps of:

a) accessing a user information record for a particular user stored in a data store;

b) providing the results of the accessing to the user administration client;

c) determining if the verify user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request; and

d) determining if the verify user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the step of waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the step of accessing a user information record.

11. A system for administrating a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

a) an enterprise user administration component;

b) an administration user interface connected to the component;

c) one or more messaging servers connected to the component;

d) one or more enterprise server agents connected to the component and to a respective one of the messaging servers; and

e) a router connected to the component and to the one or more enterprise server agents to enable communications between the one or more messaging servers and a wireless communication network.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein each of the one or more enterprise server agents is connected to a respective one of the messaging servers via a messaging server interface.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the messaging server interface is a Messaging API (MAPI) client.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the messaging server interface is a Remote Procedure Call (RPC) client.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the router is connected to the component via an administration interface.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the router is connected to each of the enterprise server agents via a router protocol interface which conforms to a router protocol.

17. The system of claim 11, further comprising a user information database connected to the component.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the router is connected to the component via an administration client interface and to each of the enterprise server agents via a router interface;

the messaging server interface is dependent upon a type of the one or more messaging servers; and

the administration interface and the router interface are independent of the type of the one or more messaging servers.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the enterprise user administration component has administration authority for the one or more messaging servers; and

the administration user interface provides a user interface to the component and has limited administration authority for the one or more messaging servers.

20. A system for administrating a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

a) means for waiting for a user administration request from a user administration client;

b) means for receiving the request at a user administration service and determining if the request is;

i) an add user request to enable one or more users for wireless communications;

ii) a delete user request to disable one or more users for wireless communications;

iii) a list users request to generate a list of users enabled for wireless communications;

iv) a verify users request to verify that one or more particular users have been enabled for wireless communications;

or

v) another administration request associated with wireless communications; and

c) means for acting upon the request at the user administration service.

22. The medium of claim 20 wherein the instructions for acting upon the request comprise:

for an add user request, instructions for;

a) requesting user information from the user administration client;

b) creating and storing a user information record in a data store;

c) determining if the add user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the waiting for a user administration request; and

d) determining if the add user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the instruction for requesting user information;

for a delete user request, instructions for;

a) deleting a user information record in a data store;

b) determining if the delete user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request; and

c) determining if the delete user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the instruction for deleting a user information record;

for a list users request, instructions for;

a) accessing user records in a data store;

b) displaying a list of the user records; and

c) returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request; and

for a verify user request, instructions for;

a) accessing a user information record for a particular user stored in a data store;

b) providing the results of the accessing to the user administration client;

c) determining if the verify user request is for a single user, if so, returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request; and

d) determining if the verify user request is for the last user in a list of users, if so, returning to the instruction for waiting for a user administration request, and otherwise returning to the instruction for accessing a user information record.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the limited set of the plurality of administration functions comprises an add user function to enable one or more users for wireless communications, a delete user request to disable one or more users for wireless communications, a list users request to generate a list of users enabled for wireless communications, and a verify users request to verify that one or more particular users have been enabled for wireless communications.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the enterprise server comprises one or more messaging server interfaces respectively connected to the one or more messaging servers and a gateway interface connected to wireless gateway.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the gateway interface is connected to the wireless gateway through the Internet.

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the enterprise server, the one or more messaging servers, the enterprise server user administration service and the enterprise server user administration client are located behind a security firewall.

28. The system of claim 23, wherein the enterprise server comprises:

one or more messaging server agents respectively connected to the one or more messaging servers via a messaging server interface; and

a router connected to the each messaging server agent via a router interface and to the wireless gateway via a gateway interface which conforms to a gateway protocol.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein:

the router interface conforms to a router protocol; and

the router protocol and the gateway protocol are based on Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP).

21. A computer readable medium containing instructions for administrating a wireless communication network, the medium comprising instructions for:

a) waiting for a user administration request from a user administration client;

b) receiving the request at a user administration service and determining if the request is;

i) an add user request to enable one or more users for wireless communications;

ii) a delete user request to disable one or more users for wireless communications;

iii) a list users request to generate a list of users enabled for wireless communications;

iv) a verify users request to verify that one or more particular users have been enabled for wireless communications;

or

v) another administration request associated with wireless communications; and

c) acting upon the request at the user administration service.

23. A system for administrating a wireless communication network, the system comprising:

a) an enterprise server connected to one or more messaging servers and a wireless gateway and configured to enable communications between the messaging servers and a wireless communication network through the wireless gateway;

b) an enterprise server user administration service, the service having administration authority to perform any of a plurality of administration functions for the one or more messaging servers; and

b) an enterprise server user administration client connected to the service, the client providing a user interface to the service for a limited set of the plurality of administration functions of the enterprise server user administration service.