System and method for network log-on by associating legacy profiles with user certificates

• US 6,807,577 B1
• Filed: 09/14/2000
• Issued: 10/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gillespie, Don R., Murphy, Thomas E. Jr., Stevens, Jeffrey S., Rieth, Paul F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Burgess, Glenton B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PARTON, KEVIN S
• Application Number:
  US09/662,244
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/225, 709/227, 709/229, 713/155, 713/156, 713/175, 713/201, 713/202
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

System for connecting a client system to a server system includes a client database of certificates; a user access panel for receiving user authentication indicia; a program interface for authenticating a certificate in the client database with respect to the indicia; a communication link interconnecting the client and server; a server database of certificates; a program interface for authenticating a certificate received from the client over with a certificate in the server database and responsive thereto for establishing a job session with the client without prompting for user input of user profile and password.

Claims

1. A method for connecting a client system to a server system, comprising the steps of:

associating at said client a legacy profile with a user certificate, said legacy profile including a user name required by a network service to be mapped to it together with an associated user key to implement security;

responsive to user input of said legacy profile, authenticating said user to said certificate;

communicating said certificate to said server;

validating said certificate at said server; and

responsive to said validating step and without prompting said user for said profile and said associated user key, establishing an interactive job session with said network service.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

associating said certificate with local user information.

3. The method of claim 2, said local user information including an initial program, and further comprising the step of executing said initial program.

4. The method of claim 2, said local user information including an initial menu, and further comprising the step of presenting said initial menu to said user.

5. The method of claim 2, said local user information including a current library, and further comprising the step of enabling user access to said current library.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending an interactive job session panel to said client.

7. The method of claim 2, said user information being associated with said certificate at said client, and further including the step of communicating said user information to said server in said certificate.

8. The method of claim 2, said user information being associated with said certificate at said server, and further including the step responsive to a user profile received from said client in said certificate of accessing said user information at said server.

9. A method for providing a network connection which requires no exchange of profiles and passwords over said network, comprising the steps of:

responsive to user authentication at a client, accessing at said client and communicating from said client to a server a certification authority provided certificate associated with a legacy user identifier, said legacy user identifier including a user name used by a service and required by said service to be mapped to it together with a password to implement security; and

responsive to server authentication of said certificate and responsive to said legacy user identifier without prompting a user at said client for a user profile and said password, establishing a job session.

10. Method executed at a client for logging on to a computer network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a certificate from a certification authority;

authenticating a user with respect to said certificate;

once authenticated, communicating said certificate associated with a legacy user identifier to said network, said legacy identifier including a user name required by a network service to be mapped to it together with an associated password to implement security; and

receiving from said network a job session without further exchange of profiles and any associated passwords.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of encrypting at least a portion of said certificate for communication to said network and, upon receiving said job session, turning off encryption for subsequent communication to said network.

12. System for connecting a client system to a server system, comprising:

a client database of certificates;

a user access panel for receiving user authentication indicia;

a program interface for authenticating a certificate in said client database with respect to said indicia;

a communication link interconnecting said client to said server;

a server database of certificates;

a program interface for authenticating a certificate associated with a legacy user identifier received from said client over said communication link with a certificate in said server database, said legacy user identifier including a user profile used by a service together with an associated password to implement security, said service requiring that said user profile be mapped to it, and responsive thereto for establishing a job session to said client without prompting for user input of said user profile and said associated password.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a user information database accessed by a certificate database profile for selectively executing or enabling an initial program, initial menu, or library.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by a machine to perform method steps for connecting a client system to a server system, said method steps comprising:

associating at said client a legacy profile with a user certificate, said legacy profile including a user name used by a service together with an associated key to implement security, said service being a service which requires that said legacy profile be mapped to it;

responsive to user input of said legacy profile, authenticating said user to said certificate at said client;

communicating said certificate to said server;

validating said certificate at said server; and

responsive to said validating step and without prompting said user for said profile and said associated key, establishing an interactive job session.

15. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer useable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for providing a network connection which requires no exchange of profiles and passwords over said network, the computer readable program means in said article of manufacture comprising;

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to user authentication at a client, accessing at said client and communicating from said client to a server a certification authority provided certificate associated with a legacy user identifier, said legacy user identifier including a user name required to be mapped to it by a service together with an associated user password to implement security; and

computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect responsive to server authentication of said certificate and without said service prompting a user at said client for said legacy user profile and password, establishing a job session.

16. A computer program product or computer program element for establishing a client to server connection according to the steps of:

associating at said client a legacy profile with a user certificate, said legacy profile including a user name used by a service together with an associated key to implement security, said service being a service that requires that said user name be mapped to it;

responsive to user input of said legacy profile, authenticating said user to said certificate;

communicating said certificate to said server;

validating said certificate at said server;

responsive to said validating step and without prompting said user for said legacy profile, establishing an interactive job session; and

associating said certificate with local user information.