Patent ID: 6792462
Filing Date: 2004-09-14
Classification: G06Q,H04L

Abstract:
A method for distributed administration of a network environment having defined administrator authorities, the method comprising:defining a plurality of entity objects associated with the network environment, the entity objects having an identifier and properties, the entity objects not having the administrator authorities of the network environment, defining a plurality of administration powers for the network environment, the administration powers establishing the properties of selected ones of the plurality of entity objects using the administrator authorities of the network environment; defining a plurality of rules specifying ones of the plurality of entity objects authorized to invoke ones of the plurality of administration powers to establish properties of target ones of the entity objects based on at least one of the properties of the target ones of the entity object; receiving a request to establish one of the properties of a target one of the entity objects from a requesting one of the entity objects; and wherein the following are executed by an administrator application executing on the network environment responsive to the received request: identifying one of the plurality of rules associated with one of the plurality of administration powers for the one of the properties; obtaining the at least one of the properties of the target one of the entity objects designated by the identified rule; executing the identified one of the plurality of rules to determine if the requesting one of the entity objects is authorized to invoke the associated one of the plurality of administration powers to establish the one of the properties of the target one of the entity objects based on the obtained one of the properties of the target one of the entity objects; and establishing the one of the properties of the target one of the entity objects if the requesting one of the entity objects is authorized.