Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Grigori M Somin

Todd R Manion

Robert D Donner

Alexandru Gavrilescu

John L Miller

Graham Arthur Wheeler

Rohit Gupta

David R Mowers

Peer-to-peer (P2P) application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow an application to create, import, export, manage, enumerate, and delete P2P identities are presented. Further, the management of group identity information is provided. APIs abstract away from low level credential and cryptographic functions required to create and manage P2P identities. This management includes retrieval and setting of a friendly name, generation of a cryptographic public/private key pair, retrieval of security information in the form of an XML fragment, and creation of a new name based on an existing identity.

Peer-to-peer identity management interfaces and methods

Peer-to-peer (P2P) application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow an application to create, import, export, manage, enumerate, and delete P2P identities are presented. Further, the management of group identity information is provided. APIs abstract away from low level credential and cryptographic functions required to create and manage P2P identities. This management includes retrieval and setting of a friendly name, generation of a cryptographic public/private key pair, retrieval of security information in the form of an XML fragment, and creation of a new name based on an existing identity. Since the P2P environment also allows for the existence of multiple separate groups of peers within the P2P cloud, a preferred embodiment of the present invention also allows for the enumeration of all groups associated with a given identity, for each identity existing for the user.

Communicating between an application process and a server process to manage peer-to-peer identities

A set of managed application programming interfaces (APIs) are presented to allow management of a user's name and identity within a peer to peer networking environment. These managed APIs enable a user to successfully create and manage their peer names and identities within this environment. The creation of peer names for the purpose of resolving to a third party is also provided through the managed APIs of the invention. Importing and exporting of peer identities is also provided, as is the ability to delete a peer identity.

Peer-to-peer identity management managed interfaces and methods

A system and method for providing security to a graph of interconnected nodes includes a grouping multiplexing layer configured to monitor calls to the system, a graphing dynamic link layer configured to transmit and receive data to and from the graph, and a group security manager coupled to the grouping multiplexing layer and coupled to the graphing dynamic link layer; the group security manager is configured to perform security-related acts via interacting with a group database to propagate security-related information to members of a group within the graph. The group security manager is configured to provide role-based authorization on publication of one or more records and provide membership control for admission to a graph of interconnected nodes. The group security manager provides membership control by providing credentials to potential members of the graph to enable a connection and by providing a governed system for renewal and revocation of members.

Group security

Disclosed are peer-to-peer computer program products, methods, and systems in which a remote peer on a peer-to-peer network is granted or denied access to a resource based on the credentials presented by the remote peer. In accordance with the disclosed subject matter, an access token that includes one or more security identification values which represent respectively one or more access rights in an access control system is generated. An execution thread that is associated with the access token thus generated attempts to access the resource on behalf of the remote peer. In some embodiments, the access control system includes a generic user account, and the access token that is generated for the remote peer includes the security identification value associated with the generic user account in the access control system.

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Seattle, WA, United States of America

Grigori M Somin