Resource sharing on the internet via the HTTP

Details Resource sharing on the internet via the HTTP Resource sharing on the internet via the HTTP

2001-04-02

2004-09-07

Barron, Gilberto (Department: 2132)

Electrical computers and digital processing systems: support

Multiple computer communication using cryptography

Protection at a particular protocol layer

C709S229000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06789204

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of Invention
This invention relates to computer systems, and more specifically to an information sharing environment in a computer network. Portions of this patent document may contain material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, “Write Once, Run Anywhere”, Java, JavaOS, JavaStation and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All SPARC trademarks are used under license and are trademarks of SPARC International, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Products bearing SPARC trademarks are based upon an architecture developed by Sun Microsystems, Inc.
B. Background Art
In computer networks, it is often desirable to share information or services available on one computer (“server”) with other computers (“clients”) on the network. One area of focus relates to sharing of information over a world wide network of computers known as the Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW). For example, a program (or application) running on a client computer may need to use information available on a remote network, via the Internet.
For security reasons, information communicated over the Internet is shared with trusted applications only. A trusted application is an application that can successfully secure a connection with a network server, after satisfying a series of checks and balances. Typically, an application's access is limited to information that is available on the network server with which it has established a direct communication link. However, sometimes, it is desirable for a client application to access information on a network computer other than the network communication server.
For example, referring to
FIG. 1
, an employee using his home computer
101
may establish a direct connection via the Internet with an office server
102
. As a trusted user, the employee can use information available on server
102
. However, for security reasons, he may not be able to use the information on other office computer (e.g., office computer
103
) connected to the same network, unless he can successfully establish a direct connection with it. A method is needed to allow a user to securely access information on network computers to which it cannot not directly linked, via the Internet.
The problems involving secure and authorized access to networked computer resources via an Internet connection can be better understood from a review of a general description of network environment, including the Internet, network communication protocols, the Java™ programming language, and the prior art resource sharing schemes.
Networks
In modern computing environments, it is common to employ multiple computers or workstations linked together in a network to communicate between, and share data with, network users. A network can be a small system that is physically connected by cables or via wireless communication (a local area network or “LAN”). Alternatively, several separate networks can be connected together to form a larger network (a wide area network or “WAN”). Other types of networks include the Internet, telcom networks, intranets, extranets, wireless networks, and other networks over which electronic, digital and/or analog data may be communicated.
A network may include resources, such as printers, modems, file servers, etc., and may also provide services such as electronic mail and file sharing. These resources and services are, typically, provided to a plurality of users, or client applications that are authorized to access the network.
To access the resources on a network, a client application must successfully authenticate against a network server that acts as a gateway to resources available on that server. However, a client application is, typically, limited to information directly available on the network server. Thus, an application is unable to access the resources available on other network computers, unless it can directly authenticate against them.
The Internet
The Internet is a client/server system that includes a worldwide network of interconnected computers. A “client” is the computer that is used to access the Internet. An Internet client accesses a computer on the network (“server”) via an Internet provider. An Internet provider is an organization that provides a client with access to the Internet (via analog telephone line or Integrated Services Digital Network line, for example). Typically, when a user logs onto the Internet or the World Wide Web (WWW), using a client computer, the user views “web pages” that are stored on a remote server. Information including data files, and the web pages are often shared and transferred between the client and the server.
A client may access the resources available on the Internet server, such as shared file systems or printers. Depending on the sensitivity of the resources and the security measures in place, a server evaluates certain information, such as identity of a client, its access rights, and file ownership issues prior to allowing the client to access its resources. One method for sharing resources may be more efficient than another method, depending on the manner the resources are shared.
The components of the Internet include browser software, network links, and servers. The browser software, or browser, is a user-friendly interface that simplifies access to the Internet. A browser allows a client to communicate a request without having to learn a complicated command syntax, for example. A browser typically provides a graphical user interface (GUI) for displaying information and receiving input. Examples of browsers currently available include Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer.
A browser displays information to a client or user as pages or documents. A language called Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) is used to define the format for a page to be displayed in the browser. A Web page is transmitted to a client as an HTML document. The browser executing at the client parses the document and produces and displays a Web Page based on the information in the HTML document. Consequently, the HTML document defines the Web Page that is rendered at runtime on the browser.
In addition to displaying information, a browser can also retrieve applications or programs from a server to be executed on a client. Typically, an application that runs on a client computer can access the resources of the server that it was retrieved from. However, for security reasons, a client application is not allowed to access the resources of another computer attached to the server, unless it can directly authenticate against it. A method is needed to allow an application to indirectly access resources of computers other than the one it is retrieved from, via the Internet.
Network Communication/Data Transfer
Information servers maintain resources that may be shared through the Internet and are capable of processing a client request to access those resources. To share resources, computers on a network need to be able to communicate with one another. A set of standardized rules, referred to as a “protocol”, is utilized to enable computers to communicate.
Communication protocols generally specify the data format, timing, sequencing, and error checking of data transmissions. As a communication network involves numerous layers of operation, various communication protocols are used in the networking environment, as further discussed below.
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
One communication protocol is referred to as the transmission control protocol/internet protocol (“TCP/IP”). The TCP/IP communication protocol includes a set of communication protocols used on the Internet and on many multiplatform networks.

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