Web interface and method for accessing directory information

Details Web interface and method for accessing directory information Web interface and method for accessing directory information

1997-12-15

2001-07-10

Alam, Hosain T. (Department: 2172)

Data processing: database and file management or data structures

Database design

Data structure types

C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C707S793000, C709S217000, C709S218000, C709S219000, C713S152000, C713S152000, C713S152000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06260039

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to an electronic messaging system and more particularly relates to World Wide Web (“Web”) interface and method for displaying directory information.
2. Description of the Background
Electronic directories are evolving into important information tools having a myriad of applications. They operate much like a printed directory; that is, they provide names, locations and other information about people, products, equipment and organizations. First generation electronic directories were designed for a particular application, such as an employee or e-mail system directory, and thus had limited usefulness outside the scope of the application. However, the growth of local area networks (LANs), heterogeneous e-mail networks, the Internet, and other electronic communications media such as telephone and fax has resulted in enterprises having to manage a hodgepodge of proprietary directory systems. These directory systems rarely interoperate, are costly to maintain, and frequently contain redundant information. Enterprises today are finding a need to unify these disparate directories with a single standards-based directory to reduce maintenance costs and provide universal access through well-defined interfaces. Most directory vendors have chosen X.500 as the technology best suited to meet this need.
Until recently, users could only access information contained in an X.500 directory through specialized applications called directory user agents (DUAs). DUAs were typically limited in functionality, because (a) they were tailored for particular X.500 implementations, making them unable to interoperate with other X.500 directories; and (
b
) they typically displayed directory information in a fixed format, with little if any ability to customize the presentation of data.
Another shortcoming of existing directory access systems is that they fail to provide users with access to directory information via a World Wide Web (“Web”) interface in a configurable manner. Neither the format in which the information is published nor the particular content of the information is customizable. The end result therefore looks the same for any user requesting the information, irrespective of whether the user is linked via an internal network, such as a corporate intranet, or via an external network, such as the Internet. Moreover, the location or identification of the user does not affect the type of information that is provided. This may result in the disclosure of personal or otherwise secure information (such as a home telephone number) to unintended recipients.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome these and other drawbacks of existing systems.
It is another object of the invention to provide a request mapper for linking a directory entry to a template file in response to a directory request.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a friendly name mapper for correlating an abbreviated name to a non-abbreviated name.
It is another object of the invention for these mappers to be configurable by an administrator.
According to one embodiment of the present invention, these and other objects and technical advantages of the invention are achieved by providing a web interface for accessing directory information. The Web interface for accessing directory information comprises a request mapper that links directory data to a template file in response to a directory request, and a friendly name mapper that correlates an abbreviated name to a non-abbreviated name, wherein said abbreviated name refers to at least one entry of said directory data.
In another embodiment, a method for accessing directory information in accordance with the invention comprises the following steps: (1) receiving a request for directory data; (2) determining whether the request is a distinguished name request, wherein the distinguished name request is a request for a distinguished name; (3) in response to a determination that the request is not a distinguished name request, retrieving a directory resource corresponding to the request; (4) in response to a determination that the request is a distinguished name request, determining whether the distinguished name is mapped; (5) in response to a determination that the distinguished name is not mapped, retrieving an object class of the distinguished name and finding a template using the object class; and (6) in response to a determination that the distinguished name is mapped, finding a template using the distinguished name.


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