Capability
From Erights
(Difference between revisions)
(→Examples) |
m (Controversy concerning sparse vs. password capabilities is settled. These terms are synonyms. I have removed XXX question.) |
||
Line 15: | Line 15: | ||
** Shared private documents such as in Google Docs, Google Maps, [http://picasa.google.com Picasa] albums, [http://www.doodle.com Doodle] schedulers. | ** Shared private documents such as in Google Docs, Google Maps, [http://picasa.google.com Picasa] albums, [http://www.doodle.com Doodle] schedulers. | ||
* Designation of file-system sub-trees in [[MinorFs]], such as <tt> /mnt/minorfs/cap/3d5d3efbf73bb711e7a47f82a44f471fcf77c70e/</tt> | * Designation of file-system sub-trees in [[MinorFs]], such as <tt> /mnt/minorfs/cap/3d5d3efbf73bb711e7a47f82a44f471fcf77c70e/</tt> | ||
- | |||
== See also == | == See also == |
Revision as of 15:12, 15 April 2011
Definition
A capability is a token that identifies an object and provides its holder with the permission to operate on the object it identifies. Capabilities must either be totally unforgeable or infeasible to forge by being sparse.
Examples
Some examples of unforgeable capabilities:
- Designations of objects in the E language. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to invoke any method supported by the designated object.
- Designations of functions and procedures in Emily. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to call designated functions or procedures.
- Capabilities held by a process in capability operating systems.
- POSIX file descriptors.
Some examples of sparse capabilities (sometimes called password capabilities):
- Designations of remote objects in E, such as captp://*orwqphzlugjwqj2wozz7tmg47ime466j@74.125.87.147:55189/oa6vn5whhapylswhzesdlqh5ppmjkcrq. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to invoke any method supported by the designated object.
- Private URLs where having the URL is necessary and sufficient to use the resource. Common examples are:
- Designation of file-system sub-trees in MinorFs, such as /mnt/minorfs/cap/3d5d3efbf73bb711e7a47f82a44f471fcf77c70e/
See also
XXX improve this section
See What is a Capability, Anyway? for a partisan explanation of what capabilities actually are.
See also Overview: Capability Computation
- This page is a stub; it should be expanded with more information. If doing so, check the original E web site and the mailing list archives for content which could be moved into this page.