Specifying a repository for an authentication token in a distributed computing system

• US 20040010715A1
• Filed: 07/12/2002
• Published: 01/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Vesseur, Joep J., Moffat, Darren J., Winiger, Gary W.
• Granted Patent: US 7,386,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates specifying a repository containing authentication information to a plugin in a plugable authentication system. When the system receives a command that requires the repository to be accessed, the system populates a data structure with information including a specifier for the repository. The system passes this data structure into a plugin framework. This enables one or more plugins within the framework to access the specified repository.

Claims

1. A method to facilitate specifying a repository containing authentication information within a plugable authentication system, comprising:

receiving a command that requires the repository to be accessed;

populating a data structure with data from the command, wherein the data structure includes a specifier for the repository; and

passing the data structure to a plugin framework, thereby enabling one or more plugins within the framework to access the specified repository.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the command includes a change authentication token command to change an authentication token within the repository.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the authentication token includes a password.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing at least one plugin involves accessing a series of plugins in an order specified by a security administrator.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising authenticating a user that originated the command prior to passing the data structure to the plugin framework.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising if there is no data within the command, populating the data structure with null values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the specifier contains type information, which specifies a type for the repository.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

examining a type field within the data structure at the type of the repository; and

if the type field contains a null value,

processing the command in a default manner specified within the plugin,

else if the type field contains a type value known to the plugin,

processing the command using an optional scope included in the data structure,

otherwise,

ignoring the command.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method to facilitate specifying a repository containing authentication information within a plugable authentication system, the method comprising:

receiving a command that requires the repository to be accessed;

populating a data structure with data from the command, wherein the data structure includes a specifier for the repository; and

passing the data structure to a plugin framework, thereby enabling one or more plugins within the framework to access the specified repository.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the command includes a change authentication token command to change an authentication token within the repository.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the authentication token includes a password.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein accessing at least one plugin involves accessing a series of plugins in an order specified by a security administrator.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising authenticating a user that originated the command prior to passing the data structure to the plugin framework.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, the method further comprising if there is no data within the command, populating the data structure with null values.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the specifier contains type information, which specifies a type for the repository.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the method further comprising:

examining a type field within the data structure at the type of the repository; and

if the type field contains a null value,

processing the command in a default manner specified within the plugin,

else if the type field contains a type value known to the plugin,

processing the command using an optional scope included in the data structure,

otherwise,

ignoring the command.

17. An apparatus to facilitate specifying a repository containing authentication information within a plugable authentication system, comprising:

a receiving mechanism that is configured to receive a command that requires the repository to be accessed;

a populating mechanism that is configured to populate a data structure with data from the command, wherein the data structure includes a specifier for the repository; and

a data structure passing mechanism that is configured to pass the data structure to a plugin framework, thereby enabling one or more plugins within the framework to access the specified repository.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the command includes a change authentication token command to change an authentication token within the repository.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the authentication token includes a password.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein accessing at least one plugin involves accessing a series of plugins in an order specified by a security administrator.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising an authenticating mechanism that is configured to authenticate a user that originated the command prior to passing the data structure to the plugin framework.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising a setting mechanism that is configured to populate the data structure with null values.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the specifier contains type information, which specifies a type for the repository.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising:

an examining mechanism that is configured to examine a type field within the data structure at the type of the repository; and

a processing mechanism that is configured to process the command in a default manner specified within the plugin, if the type field contains a null value;

wherein the processing mechanism is further configured to process the command using an optional scope included in the data structure if the type field contains a known type value; and

wherein the processing mechanism is further configured to ignore the command if the type field contains an unknown type value.