Automatic re-authentication

A server system programmed to perform actions comprising:

• authenticating a client device for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the client device;
• after losing communications with the client device, receiving from the client device a session verifier that is derived at least in part from the auto-reconnect data;
• validating the session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the client device for the particular server session;
• periodically changing at least a portion of the auto-reconnect data and sending at least said changed portion to the client device.

A terminal server system programmed to perform actions comprising:

• executing multiple server sessions in conjunction with remote terminals, wherein user applications execute primarily on the terminal server system and user I/O is performed through the remote terminals;
• requesting user credentials to authenticate a particular remote terminal for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the particular remote terminal over a secure communications channel, the auto-reconnect data comprising a first random number;
• re-establishing communications with the particular remote terminal after a communications failure;
• sharing a second random number with the particular remote terminal after re-establishing communications;
• receiving from the particular remote terminal a session verifier that is derived at least in part from the first and second random numbers;
• validating the session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the particular remote terminal for the particular server session without again requesting user credentials.

A client device programmed to perform actions comprising:

• providing user credentials to a server system to authenticate the client device with the server system;
• initiating a server session on a server system, the server session being associated with the client device;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the server system, the auto-reconnect data comprising a session ID and a first random number;
• after losing communications with the server system, sharing a second random number with the server system;
• deriving a session verifier at least in part from both the first and second random numbers;
• after losing and re-establishing communications with the server system, requesting automatic re-authentication by the server system without providing user credentials, wherein said requesting comprises sending the session verifier to the server system.

A client device programmed to perform actions comprising:

• providing user credentials to a server system to authenticate the client device with the server system;
• initiating a server session on a server system, the server session being associated with the client device;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the server system, the auto-reconnect data comprising a session ID and a first random number;
• periodically sharing a changed first random number with the server system;
• deriving a session verifier at least in part from the first random number;
• after losing and re-establishing communications with the server system, requesting automatic re-authentication by the server system without providing user credentials, wherein said requesting comprises sending the session verifier to the server system.

A method comprising:

• establishing data communications between a client device and a server system;
• authenticating the client device for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data between client device and the server system, the auto-reconnect data including a first random number;
• deriving a client session verifier at the client device from at least a portion of the auto-reconnect data;
• re-establishing data communications between the client device and the server system after a communications failure;
• after re-establishing data communications:
• sharing a second random number between the client device and the server device;
• providing the client session verifier from the client device to the server system;
• deriving a server session verifier at the server system at least in part from the first and second random numbers;
• validating the client session verifier by comparing it to the server session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the client device for the particular server session.

A method comprising:

• establishing data communications between a client device and a server system;
• authenticating the client device for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data between client device and the server system;
• deriving a client session verifier at the client device from at least a portion of the auto-reconnect data;
• re-establishing data communications between the client device and the server system after a communications failure;
• after re-establishing data communications, providing the client session verifier from the client device to the server system;
• deriving a server session verifier at the server system from at least a portion of the auto-reconnect data;
• validating the client session verifier by comparing it to the server session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the client device for the particular server session;
• periodically changing at least a portion of the auto-reconnect data and sharing at least said changed portion between the client device and the server device.

One or more computer storage media containing instructions that are executable by a computer to perform actions comprising:

• establishing communications with a client device;
• requesting user credentials through the client device to authenticate the client device for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the client device, the auto-reconnect data comprising a first random number;
• re-establishing communications with the client device after a communications failure;
• after re-establishing communications, sharing a second random number with the client device;
• receiving from the particular client device a session verifier that is derived at least in part from the first and second random numbers;
• validating the received session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the particular client device for the particular server session without again requesting user credentials.

One or more computer storage media containing instructions that are executable by a computer to perform actions comprising:

• establishing communications with a client device;
• requesting user credentials through the client device to authenticate the client device for a particular server session;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the client device, the auto-reconnect data comprising a first random number;
• re-establishing communications with the client device after a communications failure;
• receiving from the particular client device a session verifier that is derived at least in part from the first random numbers;
• validating the received session verifier;
• upon successfully validating the session verifier, automatically re-authenticating the particular client device for the particular server session without again requesting user credentials;
• periodically changing said first random number and re-sending it to the client device.

One or more computer storage media containing instructions that are executable by a client computer to perform actions comprising:

• providing user credentials to a server system to authenticate the client computer with the server system;
• initiating a server session on a server system, the server session being associated with the client computer;
• sharing auto-reconnect data with the server system, the auto-reconnect data comprising a session ID and a first random number;
• after losing and re-establishing communications with the server system requesting automatic re-authentication by the server system without providing user credentials, wherein said requesting comprises:
• sharing a second random number with the server system;
• deriving a session verifier at least in part from the first and second random numbers;
• sending the session verifier to the server system.