Patent ID: 7555543
Filing Date: 2009-06-30
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A server for disseminating resource information over a network, the server comprising: a processor; a memory; a media service module stored in the memory and executed on the processor to operate in a first user context to facilitate administrative access and control of the server to share resource information over the network, wherein the first user context is a clamped-down user context that provides an associated first level of access, the first level of access comprising: monitoring for new devices added to the network; detecting announcements generated by new rendering devices added to the network; specifying the sharing of resource information, wherein the resource information comprises a resource metadata part and a resource content part, wherein the resource content part comprises media content and the resource metadata part describes attributes of the resource content part; a supplemental module stored in the memory and executed on the processor to operate in a second user context to facilitate an additional administrative access and control of the server to assist the media service module in sharing resource information over the network, wherein the second user context is a local system user context that provides an associated second level of access to resource information, wherein the second level of access is greater than the first level of access, wherein the second user context is operable to grant the first user context permission to access resource information associated with the second level of access; logic to provide multiple instances of a configuration and control panel module associated with multiple respective users that are logged onto the server, wherein: the multiple instances of the configuration and control panel module exist at the same time; the multiple respective users are logged onto the server at the same time; each respective user comprises an administrative user that performs administrative functions on the server comprising specifying the sharing of resource information; each respective user is permitted to start up at most one instance of the configuration and control panel module in a particular terminal service session; a private application program interface (API) facilitates communication between each instance of the configuration and control panel module and the media service module; and each instance of the configuration and control panel module is required to provide a callback object to the media service module, wherein the media service module notifies each instance of the configuration and control panel module of a unique client ID by using the associated provided callback object, wherein the requiring to provide the call back object to the media service module prevents a rogue application from masquerading as an instance of the configuration and control panel module and accessing the media service module via the private API; and logic to notify the callback object of concurrently active instances of the configuration and control panel module, when any instance of the configuration and control panel module modifies global data.