Heterogenous domain-based routing mechanism for user authentication

• US 20050071667A1
• Filed: 09/30/2003
• Published: 03/31/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ho, Ann Thuanah, Dankovich, John Andrew, Lin, Dah-Haur H.
• Granted Patent: US 7,484,243 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/26
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]

Abstract

A routing routine is used within a security access program in order to provide access to various heterogeneous directories and registries. Each user logs on with an indication of the domain of which they are a part. An access protocol for the given domain is loaded and used to authenticate the user'"'"'s access rights.

Claims

1. A computer system, comprising:

an output device for providing information to a user;

an input device for receiving requests from the user;

a processor connected to said input device and to said output device to process requests and provide information; and

a routing program executed by said processor, said routing program being connected to receive a user name, a user password, and a domain name associated with the user and to route requests for authorization according to said domain name.

2. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said processor is a server.

3. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said input device is a keyboard.

4. The computer system of claim 1, wherein said routing program routes requests to ones of a plurality of heterogeneous registries.

5. The computer system of claim 4, wherein said plurality of heterogeneous registries are accessed by a corresponding plurality of heterogeneous access protocols.

6. A method for providing secure system access, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving, from a user, a user name, password, and a domain name;

using said domain name to determine an access protocol and an access registry that is associated with said domain name; and

routing access queries from said user to said access registry using said access protocol.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising the step of determining if said access protocol that is associated with said domain name is in memory.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of loading said access protocol that is associated with said domain name.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said using step determines an access protocol from a plurality of heterogeneous access protocols.

10. A computer program product on a computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising:

a login routine for receiving a user identification, a password, and a domain name; and

a router routine that receives authorization queries and routes said authorization queries according to said domain name.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of heterogeneous registries and a corresponding plurality of heterogeneous access methods to which said router routine routes said queries.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein said router routine determines if an access method corresponding to said domain name is already in memory.

13. A computer system, comprising:

an output device for providing information to a user;

an input device for receiving requests from the user;

a processor that is connected to said input device and to said output device to process requests and provide information;

a plurality of heterogeneous registries, each of said registries being associated with a corresponding access protocol; and

a routing program, connected on said processor to route authorization requests to a corresponding one of said plurality of heterogeneous registries.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said processor is a server.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said input device is a keyboard.

16. The computer system of claim 13, wherein said routing program routes said authorization requests according to a domain name submitted by a user.

17. A method for providing secure system access, said method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of heterogeneous registries, said plurality of registries being accessed by a corresponding plurality of access protocols;

routing authorization queries to a corresponding one of said plurality of access protocols.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of determining if said corresponding one of said plurality of access protocols is in memory.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of loading said corresponding one of said plurality of access protocols.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said routing step routes said authorization query according to a domain name specified by a user.

21. A computer program product on a computer readable medium, said computer program product comprising:

a router connected to receive authorization queries and to route said authorization queries to one of a plurality of heterogeneous registries through an associated heterogeneous access method.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein said router routes said authorization queries according to a domain name received from a user.