APPLICATION-ACCESS AUTHENTICATION AGENT

• US 20130198828A1
• Filed: 01/31/2012
• Published: 08/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Pendergrass, Eric Addkison, Wood, Matthew D., Walsh, Justin P., Te, Davuth
• Granted Patent: US 8,844,015 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/10
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/45 Structures or tools for the administration of authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

In response to requests from a manager to the agents for connections to the applications executing, the agents authenticate the manager. In response to the authenticating, the agents establish connections to the applications. In response to the establishing of connections, the agents provide the connections to the manager.

Claims

1. A process comprising:

in response to requests from a manager for connections to applications executing on servers, authenticating of said manager by agents executing on said servers;

in response to said authenticating, establishing connections to said applications by said agents; and

in response to said establishing, providing by said agents to said manager said connections to said applications.

2. A process as recited in claim 1 wherein said authentication involves using a same certificate by plural agents.

3. A process as recited in claim 1 further comprising:

said servers authenticating said manager; and

in response to said authenticating, said manager installing said agents on said servers.

4. A process as recited in claim 3 further comprising said agents listening for said manager on specified virtual ports and not on other virtual ports.

5. A process as recited in claim 1 further comprising said manager updating said applications using said connections.

6. A system comprising storage media encoded with code that, when executed by a processor, implements an agent, said agent including:

a manager interface to interface with a remote manager to receive or fulfill a request by said manager for access to an application executing on a same server as said agent, said manager interface including an authenticator for authenticating said manager; and

an application interface to provide a connection between said agent and said application so that said manager interface can provide a connection between said manager and said application.

7. A system as recited in claim 6 further comprising said processor.

8. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said code further implements said application, said application including a user authenticator for authenticating a user requesting access to said application, said agent being configured to bypass said user authenticator.

9. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said code further implements an operating system executing on said server, said operating system including an authenticator to authenticate said manager for the purpose of installing said agent.

10. A system as recited in claim 6 wherein said code further implements plural additional agents, each of said agents having an authenticator relying on a common certificate to authorize said manager.

11. A system comprising storage media encoded with code that, when executed, causes a processor to:

respond to a manager request for a connection to an application executing on a server by authenticating of said manager;

establish a connection to said application; and

provide said connection to said manager.

12. A system as recited in claim 11 further comprising said processor.

13. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said connection enables said manager to update said application.

14. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said authenticating involves using a certificate.

15. A system as recited in claim 11 wherein said code further causes said processor to:

authenticate said manager using an operating system; and

installing said agent on said server.