Provisional administrator privileges

Abstract

A system grants “provisional privileges” to a user request for the purpose of provisionally performing a requested transaction. If the provisionally-performed transaction does not put the system in a degraded state, the transaction is authorized despite the user request having inadequate privileges originally.

1 . A method performed on at least one computing device, the method comprising: performing, by the at least one computing device, one or more portions of a transaction that were requested with privileges that are insufficient for performing the one or more portions of the transaction. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1  where the performed one or more portions of the transaction comprise the transaction in its entirety. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1  where others of the one or more portions of the transaction are simulated as opposed to being performed. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1  further comprising determining whether or not the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4  where the determining is based on states of the at least one computing device before and after the performing. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising committing, based on the determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would not put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction in spite of the insufficient privileges. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 4  further comprising rolling-back, based on the determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction. 
     
     
         8 . At least one computing device comprising:
 a processing unit;   memory coupled to the processing unit;   a transaction manager implemented at least in part by the processing unit and configured to perform one or more portions of a transaction that were requested with privileges that are insufficient for performing the one or more portions of the transaction.   
     
     
         9 . The at least one computing device of  claim 8  where the performed one or more portions of the transaction comprise the transaction in its entirety. 
     
     
         10 . The at least one computing device of  claim 8  where others of the one or more portions of the transaction are simulated as opposed to being performed. 
     
     
         11 . The at least one computing device of  claim 8 , the transaction manager further configured to determine whether or not the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state. 
     
     
         12 . The at least one computing device of  claim 11  where the transaction manager determines based on states of the at least one computing device before and after the performing. 
     
     
         13 . The at least one computing device of  claim 11 , the transaction manager further configured to commit, based on determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would not put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction in spite of the insufficient privileges. 
     
     
         14 . The at least one computing device of  claim 11 , the transaction manager further configured to roll-back, based on the determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction. 
     
     
         15 . At least one computer storage device storing computer-executable instructions that, based on execution by at least one computing device, configure the at least one computing device to perform actions comprising: performing one or more portions of a transaction that were requested with privileges that are insufficient for performing the one or more portions of the transaction. 
     
     
         16 . The at least one computer storage device of  claim 15  where the performed one or more portions of the transaction comprise the transaction in its entirety, or where others of the one or more portions of the transaction are simulated as opposed to being performed. 
     
     
         17 . The at least one computer storage device of  claim 15 , the actions further comprising determining whether or not the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state. 
     
     
         18 . The at least one computer storage device of  claim 17  where the determining is based on states of the at least one computing device before and after the performing. 
     
     
         19 . The at least one computer storage device of  claim 17 , the actions further comprising committing, based on the determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would not put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction in spite of the insufficient privileges. 
     
     
         20 . The at least one computer storage device of  claim 17 , the actions further comprising rolling-back, based on the determining that the requested one or more portions of the transaction, once performed, would put the system into a degraded state, the performed one or more portions of the requested transaction.