System and method for propagating security information in a web portal system

• US 20070073786A1
• Filed: 09/26/2005
• Published: 03/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Devgan, Manish, Laird, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 7,752,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/604 Tools and structures for managing or administering access control systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes

Abstract

In accordance with embodiments, there are provided mechanisms and methods for propagating security information for an application between a first environment and a second environment. These mechanisms and methods can enable embodiments to propagate changes to security information from a first application instance in a first environment to a second application instance in a second environment. For example, an embodiment can receive security information from an adapter associated with a test version of an application, and then propagate the security information to a production version of the application residing in a production environment. The ability of embodiments to propagate security information between adapters associated with application versions can enable propagation of changes to security information, i.e., information about changes to permissions, rules, policies and so forth relating to security, between a first environment and a second environment without necessitating taking the production version of the application off line.

Claims

1. A method for propagating security information for an application between a first environment and a second environment, the method comprising:

receiving a set of changes to be made to security information, the set of changes to be applied to the second version of the application residing in a second environment, wherein the set of security information indicates changes made to security parameters of the first version of the application that can be propagated to the second version of the application; and

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application in the second environment; and

wherein the set of changes are received from and written to a security adapter for propagation to data structures specific to the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a set of changes to be made to security information, the set of changes to be applied to the second version of the application residing in a second environment comprises:

receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into a common language format.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into a common language format comprises:

receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into an extended markup language (XML) format.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein applying changes to the second version of the application in the second environment comprises:

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a common language format into data structures specific to the second version of the application.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a common language format into data structures specific to the second version of the application comprises:

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a extended markup language (XML) format into data structures specific to the second version of the application.

6. A machine readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for propagating security information for an application between a first environment and a second environment, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out:

receiving a set of changes to be made to security information, the set of changes to be applied to the second version of the application residing in a second environment, wherein the set of security information indicates changes made to security parameters of the first version of the application that can be propagated to the second version of the application; and

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application in the second environment; and

wherein the set of changes are received from and written to a security adapter for propagation to data structures specific to the application.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions for receiving a set of changes to be made to security information to be applied to the second version of the application residing in a second environment, wherein the set of security information indicates changes made to security parameters of the first version of the application that can be propagated to the second version of the application include instructions for carrying out:

receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into a common language format.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the instructions for receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into a common language format include instructions for carrying out:

receiving a set of changes made to the first version of the application, the set of changes received from a security adapter associated with the first version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from data structures specific to the first version of the application into an extended markup language (XML) format.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 6, wherein the instructions for applying the set of changes to the second version of the application in the second environment include instructions for carrying out:

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a common language format into data structures specific to the second version of the application.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a common language format into data structures specific to the second version of the application include instructions for carrying out:

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application, the set of changes written to a security adapter associated with the second version of the application, the security adapter configured to translate security parameters from a extended markup language (XML) format into data structures specific to the second version of the application.

11. An apparatus for managing applications, the apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

one or more stored sequences of instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to carry out the steps of;

receiving a set of changes to be made to security information, the set of changes to be applied to the second version of the application residing in a second environment, wherein the set of security information indicates changes made to security parameters of the first version of the application that can be propagated to the second version of the application; and

applying the set of changes to the second version of the application in the second environment; and

wherein the set of changes are received from and written to a security adapter for propagation to data structures specific to the application.