Abstract: A method of enabling an HTTP server plug-in to pass an unmangled environment variable into a CGI process begins by configuring the HTTP server to initially override a CGI service method. When the server processes an HTTP request, the server plug-in, which is called prior to the CGI service method and is running in a process of the HTTP server, inserts a “name value” pair prepended with a marker in a request header parameter block of the HTTP server. Then, the CGI service override method executes the server's original (i.e. native) CGI service method, causing it to run an encapsulation program in the CGI process. This program scans the environment of the CGI process for any string prepended with a given HTTP code (e.g., the string “HTTP_”) and the marker. If it finds any such string, the program strips the given HTTP code and the marker from a remainder of the string and resets the environment variable into the CGI process in an “unmangled” form.

Abstract: An improved method, apparatus, and instructions for locating a server in a distributed network using the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP), maintaining information for the server, displaying a tree of servers, browsing the tree of servers, and searching the tree of servers for an entry with specific attributes is provided. The information maintained about the server includes its location, lists of attributes, and access control. The tree displayed can be for all servers combined or for an individual server. The search can be across the entire server or customized to a subset of servers. The search can be based on one of the following attributes: user, country, group, locality, access group, access role, organization, organization unit, domain, or can be based on user defined attributes.

Abstract: An account manager plug-in for a Web server having an application programming interface (API). The plug-in is preferably a computer program product comprising a set of instructions (program code) encoded on a computer-readable substrate. This plug-in includes program code for establishing a set of one or more monitored resources (e.g., UrlCounter, ByteCounter, PageCounter and FailedLoginCounter) and for defining a threshold rule for at least one of the set of monitored resources. As Web transactions occur at the Web server, the account manager is responsive to a monitored resource exceeding a condition of a threshold rule for triggering one of a set of threshold actions. The set of threshold actions, for example, include clearing a record counter, running a given program, sending an e-mail note and disabling or enabling a user account.

Abstract: A method of enabling a Web server to impersonate a Web client to thereby obtain access to files stored in a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment. The distributed computing environment includes a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system. In response to receipt of a transaction request from the Web client, a determination is made whether the transaction request has originated from a user authenticated to access the distributed file system. If so, the Web server is controlled to reuse the credential of the user across multiple file accesses in the distributed file system on behalf of the Web client.

Abstract: A method of authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment. The distributed computing environment includes a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system. In response to receipt by the Web server of a user id and password from the Web client, a login protocol is executed with the security service. If the user can be authenticated, a credential is stored in a database of credentials associated with authenticated users. The Web server then returns to the Web client a persistent client state object having a unique identifier therein. This object, sometimes referred to as a cookie, is then used to enable the Web client to browse Web documents in the distributed file system.