Method and system for authenticating a user in a web-based environment

A method of authenticating a user having a user privilege server proxy for a network system having a privilege server, a head end server and a web adapter comprising:

• negotiating an authentication scheme between the server proxy and privilege server;
• presenting user information to the web adapter;
• presenting the user information to a head end server;
• presenting the user information to the privilege server from the head end server;
• validating the user at the privilege server in response to the user information in accordance with the authentication scheme;
• when a user is validated, generating a ticket for the user at the privilege server;
• encrypting the ticket with a user password to form an encrypted ticket;
• providing the encrypted ticket to the user privilege server proxy through the head end server;
• decrypting the encrypted ticket;
• forming a service access request token from the ticket and user identification at the user privilege server proxy;
• sending the token from the user privilege server proxy to the privilege server;
• validating the user in response to the token;
• forming a packet having a sequence number and session key encrypted with the ticket at the privilege server;
• providing the packet to the head-end server;
• in response to the packet, authenticating the user at the head end server;
• providing the packet to the user privilege proxy;
• decrypting the packet;
• sending the ticket and sequence number encrypted with the session key to a service server through the web adapter;
• validating the user at the service server;
• and
• granting the user role based privileges at the service server.

A method for accessing a service comprising:

• presenting a ticket and sequence number to a service through the web adapter;
• choosing a service in the service server;
• sending the session name encrypted with the ticket and user identification to the privilege server and requesting a session key and sequence number;
• receiving the session name from the user;
• validating the user ticket and privilege;
• when the user is validated, issuing the session key and sequence number for the ticket;
• encrypting the session key and sequence number with the ticket to from a packet;
• sending the packet and ticket to the service.

A system for authenticating a user having a user privilege server proxy for generating user information comprising:

• a web adapter coupled to said user privilege server proxy for receiving user information;
• a service server coupled to said web adapter;
• an intermediate server coupled to the web adapter for receiving said user information;
• a privilege server coupled to said intermediate server, said privilege server receiving said user information and validating said user in response to said use information, said privilege server generating a ticket;
• said user privilege server proxy receiving said ticket through said intermediate server and generating a token;
• said privilege server generating a packet having a sequence number and a session key in response to said token and coupling said packet to said user privilege server proxy;
• said user privilege server proxy coupling the ticket and sequence number to said service server through said web adapter;
• said service server validating said user and granting said user privileges in response to the ticket and session key.

A method of authenticating a user having a user privilege server proxy for a network system having a privilege server, a head end server and a web adapter, said method comprising:

• determining an authentication scheme at the privilege server;
• validating the user at the privilege server in response to user information in accordance with the authentication scheme;
• when a user is validated, generating a ticket for the user at the privilege server;
• encrypting the ticket with a user password to form an encrypted ticket;
• validating the user in response to a service access request token formed from the ticket and a user identification;
• and
• forming a packet having a sequence number and session key encrypted with the ticket at the privilege server to authenticate the user.