Nested AND roles

• US 7,725,563 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2007
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Red Hat, Inc. (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Rowley, Peter Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer; Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALGIBHAH, HAMZA N
• Application Number:
  US11/712,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20080208811A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing a nested AND role in a directory server is described. In one embodiment, a plurality of entries is defined in the directory server. At least one of the plurality of entries possesses a role. An entry is queried to determine its possessed role. A nested AND role possesses at least two roles. An entry possesses the nested AND role by possessing all the roles within the nested AND role.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a directory server, the method comprising:

creating an object class to which a nested AND role comprising at least two constituent roles belongs, the object class defining the nested AND role as a result of a logical AND operation on all of the constituent roles within the nested AND role, the nested AND role declaring itself as a member of the object class by including an identifier of the object class without indicating the logical AND operation;

defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing the nested AND role by possessing all of the constituent roles within the nested AND role;

querying each of the entries to determine whether the entry possesses the nested AND role by performing the logical AND operation on a plurality of results, each result indicating whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested AND role; and

in response to querying, providing entries that possess the nested AND role to a client.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein each role of the nested AND role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested AND role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more constituent role of the nested AND role comprises another nested role, another nested AND role, a nested XOR role, or a nested EXCEPTION role.

5. A directory server comprising:

a processing device;

a storage device coupled to the processing device, the storage device comprising a directory repository defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing a nested AND role by possessing all of a plurality of constituent roles within the nested AND role, the directory repository further defining an object class to which the nested AND role belongs, the object class to define the nested AND role as a result of a logical AND operation on all of the constituent roles within the nested AND role, wherein the nested AND role declares itself as a member of the object class by including an identifier of the object class without indicating the logical AND operation;

a nested role management module coupled to the processor, the nested role management module to query each of the entries to determine whether the entry possesses the nested AND role, the nested role management module to perform the logical AND operation on a plurality of results, with each result to indicate whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested AND role, and to provide entries that possess the nested AND role to a client.

6. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the directory server is to define a nested AND role entry corresponding to the nested AND role, the nested AND role entry comprising at least two role entries, each role entry associated with a corresponding role.

7. The directory server of claim 5 wherein each role of the nested AND role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

8. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the server is to receive from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested AND role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

9. The directory server of claim 5 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, having instructions stored therein, which when executed cause a computer system to perform a method comprising:

creating an object class to which a nested AND role comprising at least two constituent roles belongs, the object class defining the nested AND role as a result of a logical AND operation on all of the constituent roles within the nested AND role, the nested AND role declaring itself as a member of the object class by including an identifier of the object class without indicating the logical AND operation;

defining a plurality of entries in the directory server, at least one of the plurality of entries possessing the nested AND role by possessing all of the constituent roles within the nested AND role;

querying each of the entries to determine whether the entry possesses the nested AND role by performing the logical AND operation on a plurality of results, each result indicating whether the entry possesses a corresponding one of the constituent roles of the nested AND role; and

in response to querying, providing entries that possess the nested AND role to a client.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises:

defining a nested AND role entry corresponding to the nested AND role, the nested AND role entry comprising at least two role entries, each role entry associated with a corresponding role.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein each role of the nested AND role comprises a plurality of group member attributes, and entries associated with the plurality of the group member attributes in the corresponding role entry.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the client, a request for determining if an entry of the directory server possesses the nested AND role, the request comprising a nsRoleDN attribute for each role.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.