Authentication and authorization across autonomous network systems

A data structure, comprising:

• one or more namespace records configured to define a trust link between a network system and an autonomous trusted network system, an individual namespace record including:
• a namespace field to maintain a namespace corresponding to the trusted network system;
• a namespace data field to maintain a value that identifies the namespace;
• and
• a flag field to maintain an indicator that identifies whether the namespace is trusted.

A first network system domain controller performing a method comprising:

• establishing a trust link with a second network system domain controller to provide transitive resource access between domains in a first network system and domains in a separate, autonomous second network system;
• receiving an authentication request from an account managed by a domain in the second network system;
• and
• determining to authenticate the request via the trust link.

A first network system domain controller performing a method comprising:

• establishing a trust link with a second network system domain controller to provide transitive resource access between domains in a first network system and domains in a separate, autonomous second network system;
• receiving a resource request from an account managed by the first network system domain controller;
• determining to communicate the resource request to the second network system;
• and
• communicating the resource request to the second network system domain controller via the trust link.

One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a first network system domain controller to perform a method comprising:

• establishing a trust link with a second network system domain controller to provide transitive resource access between domains in a first network system and domains in a separate, autonomous second network system;
• receiving a resource request from an account managed by a domain controller in the second network system;
• determining to communicate the resource request to the second network system;
• and
• communicating the resource request to the second network system domain controller via the trust link.

One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, direct a domain controller in a first network system to perform a method comprising:

• requesting network system identifiers corresponding to a second network system to create a trust link between the first network system and the second network system, the second network system being autonomous from the first network system;
• determining whether to accept the network system identifiers;
• designating accepted network system identifiers as trusted with trust indicators;
• and
• creating a data structure to maintain the accepted network system identifiers and corresponding trust indicators.

A domain controller in a first network system performing a method, comprising:

• receiving a security identifier from a domain controller in a second network system via a trust link, the security identifier corresponding to an account managed by the second network system;
• determining whether the security identifier is valid;
• and
• trusting the account corresponding to the security identifier if the security identifier is determined to be valid.