System and method for performing lookups across namespace domains using universal resource locators

Abstract

A system and method for performing a lookup in a second namespace, the lookup being performed from a first namespace, whereby a component performing the lookup is not required to be configured for performing a lookup in the second namespace, the system and method further comprising: parsing a first lookup request for a URL tag, the first lookup request for an object located in the second namespace, the lookup request including a symbolic name corresponding to a target location in the second namespace, the URL tag corresponding to a URL context; searching the URL context for a provider URL corresponding to the symbolic name; and creating a second lookup request, the second lookup comprising the provider URL and the object's name.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 122,542 filed Apr. 15, 2002, the contents of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.BACKGROUND [0002] Naming services and directory services provide a way of identifying and associating names with data. Similarly, naming and directory services may also be used for referencing data and data locations using more easily comprehendible names. For example, NIS and NIS+ are naming services developed by Sun Microsystems for allowing users to access files and applications on any NIS host using a single login name and password. DNS, an Internet naming service, associates people-friendly names with computer network addresses. Additional naming and / or directory services include LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol), NDS (Novell Directory Services), and COS (Common Object Services). While normally having similar basic functionality, each naming or d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a system and method for performing a lookup in a second namespace from a first namespace without requiring the component performing the lookup to be configured for the second namespace. The system and method include parsing a first lookup request for a URL tag, searching the URL context for a provider URL corresponding to the symbolic name, and creating a second lookup request with the provider URL and the object's name. The technical effect of this patent is to enable efficient and flexible searching for objects in a second namespace without requiring excessive configuration of components.

Problems solved by technology

Solutions have been offered that require special mechanisms within a naming service itself to create, recognize, and traverse federated junctions between namespaces, however such solutions require participation by the naming service and are therefore limited to naming services that implement identical federation schemes.

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