International Business Machines Corporation

Julianne Yarsa

Bruce Arland Rich

Theodore Jack London Shrader

Lorin Ullmann

Jason Benfield

Oliver Yehung Hsu

Donna E Skibbie

Anthony Joseph Nadalin

James Andre Rocke

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product is presented for management of a distributed data processing system on behalf of a plurality of management customers. The distributed data processing system is logically represented as a set of scopes, wherein a scope is a logical organization of network-related objects. Endpoint objects, system objects, and network objects are logically organized into a set of scopes that do not logically overlap. Each scope is uniquely assigned to a management customer. The distributed data processing system is managed as a set of logical networks in which a logical network contains a set of scopes and in which each logical network is uniquely assigned to a management customer. An administrative user may dynamically reconfigure the logical networks within the distributed data processing system while managing the logical networks for a set of customers.

Management of logical networks for multiple customers within a network management framework

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product is presented for management of a distributed data processing system. Resources within the distributed data processing system are dynamically discovered, and the discovered resources are adaptively monitored using the network management framework. When the network management framework detects that certain components within the network management framework may have failed, new instances of these components are started. If duplicate components are later determined to be active concurrently, then a duplicate component is shutdown, thereby ensuring that at least one instance of these components is active at any given time. After certain failover events, a resource rediscovery process may occur, and a topology database containing previously stored information about discovered resources is resynchronized with resource information about rediscovered resources.

Method and system for a network management framework with redundant failover methodology

A computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product that enable a component to prepare for the arrival of a moving component by providing, to the component, an automated notification of the moving component's approach. When a moving component approaches an arrival point, a signal is received from a transponder chip on the moving component, wherein the signal includes a unique identifier for the transponder chip. The moving component is then identified based on the unique identifier in the signal. A second signal is sent to the component to signal that initiation of a set of actions to be performed with respect to the moving component may occur.

System for automatic notification in a sequential process

A method, system, and computer program product for discovering status of a network topology. A network management framework provides the ability to specify a method for determining how to gather status of a data processing system. A data gathering technique (DGT) may be dynamically adjusted to discovery or monitoring of devices within the data processing system. Different data gathering techniques may be employed in an effort to discover or monitor the devices. In addition, results of previous network data gathering may be stored for later use. These stored results may used to develop an order of relative capabilities for a managed device or devices as compared to other device or devices in the same network. Discovery and monitoring information may be obtained about one device or N devices within the network.

Dynamic intelligent discovery applied to topographic networks

A method, system, apparatus, and computer program product are presented for management of a distributed data processing system on behalf of a plurality of management customers. A set of logical networks within the distributed data processing system and/or a set of physical networks in the distributed data processing system are associated with an anchor object. A topology map can be generated and displayed in which a root node of the topology map is the anchor object. Each anchor object is uniquely associated with a customer for which the distributed data processing system is managed. The topology display can be restricted such that portions of topology information are displayed to an administrative user in accordance with the authorized security access of the user.

Method and system for restricting and enhancing topology displays for multi-customer logical networks within a network management system

Automatic notification in a sequential process

A system, apparatus and method for processing Personal InFormation EXchange Syntax (PFX) objects in a data processing system is presented. The PFX object may be formatted, i.e. may maintain a syntax, as defined by PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standard) standards, and in particular PKCS #12. A PFX object utility allows a user to view and edit the contents of data objects embedded within a PFX object via a graphical user interface. Graphical objects represent the data objects embedded within a PFX object. A user may drag and drop objects onto other objects within the PFX object, and the PFX object utility automatically performs the necessary operations.

System, apparatus and method for presentation and manipulation of personal information syntax objects

A mechanism that allows enterprise authorities to be informed when security-sensitive decisions or actions have been or are attempting to be made by users of untrusted code executing in the trusted computing base. The mechanism may be implemented as an abstract class that is part of the trusted computing base. The class provides a framework abstract enough to permit multiple possible notifications (e.g., providing an e-mail to a system operator, sending an Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) alert, making an entry in an online database, or the like) in the event that a given action is taken by a user of untrusted code. The abstract class may provide a default notification, or the class may be extended to enable an authority to provide its own set of customized notifications.

Notification of modifications to a trusted computing base

An apparatus and method for managing keystores is implemented. A distributed keystore is established by aggregating individual. The distributed keystore may, be organized in a multi-level structure, which may be associated with an organizational structure of an enterprise, or other predetermined partitioning. Additionally, a centralized management of certificates may be provided, whereby the expiration or revocation of the certificates may be tracked, and expired or revoked certificates may be refreshed. The keystore may be updated in response to one or more update events.

Composite keystore facility apparatus and method therefor

A method and system for processing enveloped data objects in a data processing system. The enveloped data object may be formatted as defined by PKCS (Public Key Cryptography Standard) standards. An enveloped data object utility allows a user to view and edit the contents of data objects embedded within an enveloped data object via a graphical user interface. Graphical objects represent the data objects embedded within an enveloped data object. A user may drag and drop objects onto other objects within the enveloped data object, and the enveloped data object utility automatically performs the necessary encrypting operations. Logical associations between data objects contained within the enveloped data object are determined or created, and the logical associations are displayed using visual indicators. As data objects are added or deleted through user actions on the graphical objects, the visual indicators are updated.

Method and system for presentation and manipulation of PKCS enveloped-data objects

A framework for processing signed applets that are distributed over the Internet. Using the framework, an applet that is packaged as a Netscape- or JDK-signed jar file, or as an Internet Explorer-signed cab file, is processed within the same Java runtime environment irrespective of the browser type (i.e. Netscape Communicator, Internet Explorer or JDK) used to execute the applet. When the applet is executed, the framework verifies one or more applet signatures using the same algorithm that was used to sign the applet, verifies the signer(s) of the applet, and stores information about the signers so that they can be honored by a security policy when permissions for the applet are determined.

Method and computer program product for processing signed applets

A method and system for processing PKCS-attributes and user-defined attributes in heterogeneous environment is provided. Attributes are registered with a PKCS9 gateway class, and the attributes include user-defined attributes and PKCS-standard defined attributes. Each of the registered attributes is associatively stored with an identifier. A method in the PKCS9 gateway class may be called with a parameter containing an object identifier for an attribute. An attribute mapping data structure is searched using the object identifier in the received parameter, and in response to finding a matching object identifier, a class identifier that has been associatively stored with the matching object identifier is retrieved from the attribute mapping data structure. A method in the class identified by the class identifier is then called. The called method may include an operation for construction, attribute conversion to and from DER-encoding, attribute differentiation, and attribute value extraction. A class hierarchy of attribute types is based on an abstract class for all attribute objects with a subclass for undefined attributes and a subclass for defined attributes. The subclass for defined attributes is further decomposed into a subclass for each PKCS-defined attribute and a subclass for each user-defined attribute.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Julianne Yarsa