Per entry changelog

• US 7,761,405 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2006
• 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): MIZRAHI, DIANE D
• Application Number:
  US11/606,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20080126438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,329 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-102
• US Class Current: 707/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9027 Trees

Abstract

A method and apparatus for managing log per entry in a directory server is described. In one embodiment, the directory server receives a request to operate on an entry in the directory server. The directory server operates on the entry. The information of the operation on the entry is stored in a log attribute of the entry.

Claims

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

receiving, by a log management module in the directory server, a request to operate on an entry in the directory server;

operating on the entry by a log management module in the directory server;

storing, by a log management module in the directory server, information of the operation in a single log attribute of the entry, wherein the information of the operation further comprises a time of the operation, a method of the operation, an identity of the origin of the request, a value of an attribute of the entry prior to the operation, a value of an attribute of the entry after the operation, and a history of all prior values of the attributes of the entry; and

retrieving, by a processor of the directory server, a history of changes to the entry without performing a script to parse a main audit log of the directory server.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the operation comprises a change to the entry.

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

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the log attribute comprises an entryChangeLog attribute.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the operation for a limited amount of time.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the last predefined numbers of operations on the entry.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein one or more values of the log attribute are deleted when the number of values in the log attribute exceeds a predefined limit.

8. A server comprising:

a processor to retrieve a history of changes to an entry in a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository without performing a script to parse a main audit log of the server;

a storage coupled to processor, the storage comprising the LDAP repository; and

a log management module coupled to the LDAP repository, the log management module configured to store information of an operation in a single log attribute of the entry in the LDAP repository, wherein the information of the operation further comprises a time of the operation, a method of the operation, an identity of the origin of the request, a value of an attribute of the entry prior to the operation, a value of an attribute of the entry after the operation, and a history of all prior values of the attributes of the entry.

9. The server of claim 8 wherein the operation comprises a change to the entry.

10. The server of claim 9 wherein the log attribute comprises an entryChangeLog attribute.

11. The server of claim 9 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the operation for a limited amount of time.

12. The server of claim 9 wherein one or more values of the log attribute are deleted when the number of values in the log attribute exceeds a predefined limit.

13. The server of claim 9 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the last predefined numbers of operations on the entry.

14. A non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium including data that, when accessed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a request to operate on an entry in a directory server;

operating on the entry; and

storing information of the operation in a single log attribute of the entry,

wherein the information of the operation further comprises a time of the operation, a method of the operation, an identity of the origin of the request, a value of an attribute of the entry prior to the operation, a value of an attribute of the entry after the operation, and a history of all prior values of the attributes of the entry; and

retrieving, by a processor of the directory server, a history of changes to the entry without performing a script to parse a main audit log of the directory server.

15. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the operation comprises a change to the entry.

16. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the directory server comprises a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) repository.

17. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the log attribute comprises an entryChangeLog attribute.

18. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the operation for a limited amount of time.

19. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein the log attribute is configured to store the information of the last predefined numbers of operations on the entry.

20. The non-transitory computer-accessible storage medium of claim 14 wherein one or more values of the log attribute are deleted when the number of values in the log attribute exceeds a predefined limit.