System and method for managing concurrent scheduled or on-demand replication of subscriptions

• US 6,845,383 B1
• Filed: 06/19/2000
• Issued: 01/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nowacki, Mark A., Mills, William A., Kraenzel, Carl J., Lu, Jeannie J., Immerman, John D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Robinson, Greta
• Assistant Examiner(s): PANNALA, SATHYANARAYA R
• Application Number:
  US09/596,783
• Time in Patent Office: 1,674 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-205, 709/218
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2141 Access rights, e.g. capability lists, access control lists, access tables, access matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

A workflow, enterprise, and mail-enabled application server and platform supports distributed computing and remote execution of web applications. Lotus Domino online services (DOLS) is used by a web site administrator to configure Internet Notes (iNotes) clients to auto download from server, thus providing iNotes clients with web access using HTTP with various browsers, and with local processing and replication. A local run time model comprises a hierarchy of models including object data store model, security model, indexing model, replication model, agent workflow model and mail model. DOLS provides a layered security model that allows flexibility for controlling access to all or part of an application. The highest level of security is managed through a database access control list (ACL). Further refinements within the security model provide access to specific documents, and their views, forms or folders, and include read access lists, write access lists, form access lists and readers and authors fields.

Claims

1. A system for managing concurrent scheduled or on-demand replication of subscriptions f or different user credentials within a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled web application server and platform, comprising:

a database for storing user passwords;

a plurality of subscriptions, each identified by a subscription user credential including password, user name and authenticatable electronic certificate, said subscription providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context including roles that said application implementation responds to differently and access control and distribution rules for said subset of data;

a service manager for executing concurrent replication of a plurality of said subscriptions on schedule or demand in accordance with said distribution rules for which a password corresponding to said subscription credential for said subset of data has been provided by a user or found in said database; and

said service manager replicating to a user browser an offline subscription corresponding to one of said plurality of subscriptions and containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server.

2. A system for managing concurrent replication of subscriptions within a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled web application server and platform, comprising:

a plurality of web-enabled, offline subscriptions each identified by user credentials including user identifier and subscription password, said subscription providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context;

a service manager for displaying to a user a plurality of said subscriptions, for enabling user selection of replication parameters for each said subscription, for maintaining replication schedules for said subscriptions, and for replicating to a user browser an offline subscription corresponding to one of said plurality of subscriptions and containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server; and

a utility responsive to user input for concurrently replicating on schedule or demand in accordance with said distribution rules a subscription corresponding to one of said plurality of subscriptions and for which said user has entered a user password matching said subscription password.

3. The system of claim 2, said service manager further displaying disk space usage for enabling user limitation of usage or removal of said subscription.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said plurality of web enabled, offline subscriptions are from multiple servers and from multiple user identities, and selectively having separate database groupings and synchronization rules and properties.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising

a user password database for optionally storing said user password for each of said plurality of subscriptions;

and

said utility being selectively responsive to a matching user password in said password database for replicating a corresponding subscription and responsive to no matching user password in said password database for prompting for user input of said user password before replicating said corresponding subscription.

6. A method for managing concurrent replication of subscriptions within a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled web application server and platform, comprising the steps of:

storing user passwords in a password database;

associating a subscription password with each of a plurality of subscriptions, each said subscription containing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context for providing a client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser;

executing concurrent replication of a plurality of said subscriptions on schedule or demand in accordance with said distribution rules for which a password corresponding to said subscription password has been provided by a user or found in said database.

7. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for managing concurrent replication of subscriptions within a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled web application server and platform, said method steps comprising:

storing user passwords in a password database;

a associating a subscription password with each of a plurality of subscriptions, said subscription providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context;

executing concurrent replication of a plurality of said subscriptions on schedule or demand in accordance with said distribution rules for which a password corresponding to said subscription password has been provided by a user or found in said database, each said subscription containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser.

8. A system for issuing user identifiers for subscriptions in a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled application server and platform, comprising:

a database of security domains;

system electronic certificates for authenticating user credentials;

each said subscription containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser by providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context; and

a tool responsive to said database and said certificates for distributing user identifiers selectively based upon security domain through auto generation, directory lookup or user prompt.

9. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

an identifier repository database;

a security domain document in said database of security d oma ins for use in locating in said identifier repository database a user identifier selected for distribution based upon directory lookup.

10. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a security domain document from said database of security domains for specifying an electronic certificate for use in auto generating a user identifier selected for distribution based upon auto generation.

11. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

prompt code for execution in response to a need for a user entered user identifier.

12. The system of claim 8, further comprising:

a security model for enabling the distribution of previously deployed user identifiers by table lookup.

13. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

prompt code for execution in response to a need for a user entered user identifier; and

a security model for enabling the distribution of previously deployed user identifiers by table lookup.

14. A method for issuing user identifiers for subscriptions in a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled application server and platform, comprising the steps of:

providing a database of security domains;

responsive to said database, distributing user identifiers selectively based upon security domain through auto generation, directory lookup or user prompt; and

each said subscription providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

providing an identifier repository database of user identifiers;

locating a security domain document in said database of security domains for accessing in said identifier repository database a user identifier select ed for distribution based upon directory lookup.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

locating a security domain document in said database of security domains for specifying an electronic certificate for use in auto generating a user identifier selected for distribution based upon auto generation.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

executing user prompt code response to a need for a user entered user identifier.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of:

responsive to a security model, distributing previously deployed user identifiers by table lookup.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising the steps of:

executing prompt code in response to a need for a user entered user identifier; and

responsive to a security model, enabling the distribution of previously deployed user identifiers by table lookup.

20. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for issuing user identifiers for subscriptions in a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled application server and platform, said method steps comprising:

providing a database of security domains; and

responsive to said database, distributing user identifiers for subscription containing client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser selectively based upon security domain through auto generation, directory lookup or user prompt, said subscription providing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context.

21. A computer program product configured to be operable for managing concurrent scheduled or on-demand replication of subscriptions for different user credentials within a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled web application server and platform, according to the steps of:

storing user passwords in a password database;

associating a subscription password with each of a plurality of subscriptions;

each said subscription containing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of data to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context for providing a client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server f or offline operation of a client browser;

executing concurrent replication of a plurality of said subscriptions on schedule or demand in accord ance with said distribution rules for which a password corresponding to said subscription password has been provided by a user or found in said database.

22. A computer program product configured to be operable for issuing user identifiers for subscriptions in a workflow, enterprise and mail-enabled application server and platform, according to the steps of:

providing a database of security domains;

each said subscription containing a logical grouping of data defining a subset of said database to be replicated, application implementations, and application-instance security context for providing a client-side runtime and framework for a fully functioning offline server for offline operation of a client browser; and

responsive to said database, distributing user identifiers selectively based upon security domain through auto generation, directory lookup or user prompt.