Distributed file system web server user authentication with cookies

A method of authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) for an HTTP request received by the Web server, determining whether the Web client has a browser that supports persistent client state objects;
• (b) if the Web client has a browser that supports persistent client state objects, having the Web server sends the Web client a login HTML form and a first persistent client state object including a URL identified by the HTTP request;
• (c) having the user complete the HTML form with user id and password;
• (d) transmitting the completed form along with the first persistent client state object including the URL back to the Web server;
• (e) extracting information from the completed form and executing a login protocol with the security service to generate a credential;
• (f) returning to the Web client a second persistent client state object having an identifier therein;
• and
• (g) having the Web client use the second persistent client state object including the identifier in lieu of a user id and password to obtain subsequent access to Web documents in the distributed file system.

A method of authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, comprising the steps of:

• (a) responsive to receipt of a transaction request from the Web client, executing a login protocol with the security service to determine whether the Web client has access rights to the distributed file system;
• (b) if the Web client does not have access rights to the distributed file system, returning an error message to the Web client;
• (c) if the Web client does have access rights to the distributed file system, storing a credential resulting from the login protocol in a database of credentials associated with authenticated users;
• (d) returning to the Web client a cookie having an identifier uniquely associated with the Web client;
• and
• (e) having the Web client use the cookie in lieu of a user id and password to obtain subsequent access to Web documents in the distributed file system.

A method of authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, comprising the steps of:

• maintaining credentials of the users authenticated to access the distributed file system in a storage;
• responsive to receipt from a Web client of a persistent client state object having an identifier therein, using the identifier to access one of the credentials in the storage;
• and
• using the credential to facilitate multiple file accesses in the distributed file system.

A computer program product for use in authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable storage medium having a substrate;
• and
• program data encoded in the substrate of the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the program data comprises:
• means, responsive to receipt by the Web server of a user id and password from the Web client, for executing a login protocol with the security service and storing a credential resulting therefrom;
• means for returning to the Web client a persistent client state object having an identifier therein;
• and
• means responsive to receipt of the persistent client state object including the identifier for controlling subsequent access to Web documents in the distributed file system.

A computer program product for use in authenticating a Web client to a Web server connectable to a distributed file system of a distributed computing environment, the distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer-readable storage medium having a substrate;
• and
• program data encoded in the substrate of the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the program data comprises:
• means for maintaining a storage of the credentials of the users authenticated to access the distributed file system;
• and
• means, responsive to receipt from a Web client of a persistent client state object having an identifier therein, for using the identifier to access one of the credentials in the storage to facilitate access to documents in the distributed file system.

A computer connectable to a distributed computing environment including a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, comprising:

• a processor;
• an operating system;
• a Web server program for providing World Wide Web information retrieval to Web clients connectable to the Web server program via a stateless computer network;
• a server plug-in for authenticating Web clients to the Web server program, comprising:
• means, responsive to receipt by the Web server of a user id and password from a Web client, for executing a login protocol with the security service and storing a credential resulting therefrom;
• means for returning to the Web client a persistent client state object having an identifier therein;
• and
• means responsive to subsequent receipt of the persistent client state object including the identifier in lieu of a user id and password to control access to Web documents in the distributed file system.

A method of accessing documents from a Web server and a distributed file system to which the Web server is connected, the distributed file system supported in a distributed computing environment having a security service for returning a credential to a user authenticated to access the distributed file system, the method comprising the steps of:

• (a) responsive to receipt by the Web server of a user id and password from the Web client, executing a login protocol with the security service and storing a credential resulting therefrom;
• (b) returning to the Web client a persistent client state object having an identifier therein;
• (c) having the Web client use the persistent client state object including the identifier in lieu of a user id and password to obtain access to Web documents in the distributed file system;
• and
• (d) having the Web client use the user id and password to obtain access to Web documents in the Web server.