Methods and apparatus providing automatic client authentication

A data communications device comprising:

• at least one communications interface;
• a memory;
• a processor;
• and
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface, the memory and the processor;
• wherein the memory is encoded with an authentication manager application that when performed on the processor, produces an authentication manager process that causes the data communications device to provide authentication of a client device to a server device by performing the operations of:
• detecting a requirement for authentication of a request for data sent from a client device to a server device;
• creating an authentication response in response to the step of detecting the requirement for authentication, the authentication response containing authentication information required by the server device to allow the client device to access data via the server device;
• inserting the authentication response into the data communications session between the client device and the server device on the at least one communications interface, the authentication response authenticating, to the server device, access to the data by the client device;
• maintaining the data communications session between the server device and the client device in the presence of authentication response information inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device by:
• maintaining connection state data in the data communications device that tracks an amount of extra data associated with the authentication response that is inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device;
• and
• modifying connection information within packets passing through the data communications device that are exchanged between the client device and server device using the data communications session in order to allow the client and server device to maintain proper respective first and second connection states for the data communications session regardless of the amount of extra data added in the data communications session due to insertion of the authentication response.

A computer program product having a computer-readable medium including computer program logic encoded thereon that, when performed on a computer system having a coupling of a memory, a processor, and at least one communications interface, provides a method for authenticating a client device to a server device by performing the operations of:

• detecting a requirement for authentication of a request for data sent from a client device to a server device;
• creating, on the processor, an authentication response in memory in response to the step of detecting the requirement for authentication, the authentication response containing authentication information required by the server device to allow the client device to access data via the server device;
• inserting the authentication response into the data communications session between the client device and the server device on the at least one communications interface, the authentication response authenticating, to the server device, access to the data by the client device;
• and
• maintaining the data communications session between the server device and the client device in the presence of authentication response information inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device by:
• maintaining connection state data in the data communications device that tracks an amount of extra data associated with the authentication response that is inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device;
• and
• modifying connection information within packets passing through the data communications device that are exchanged between the client device and server device using the data communications session in order to allow the client and server device to maintain proper respective first and second connection states for the data communications session regardless of the amount of extra data added in the data communications session due to insertion of the authentication response.

A data communications device comprising:

• at least one communications interface;
• a memory;
• a processor;
• and
• an interconnection mechanism coupling the at least one communications interface, the memory and the processor;
• wherein the memory is encoded with an authentication manager application that when performed on the processor, produces an authentication manager process that causes the data communications device to provide authentication of a client device to a server device by providing a means including:
• means for detecting a requirement for authentication of a request for data sent from a client device to a server device;
• means for creating an authentication response in response to the step of detecting the requirement for authentication, the authentication response containing authentication information required by the server device to allow the client device to access data via the server device;
• means for inserting the authentication response into the data communications session between the client device and the server device on the at least one communications interface, the authentication response authenticating, to the server device, access to the data by the client device;
• means for maintaining the data communications session between the server device and the client device in the presence of authentication response information inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device by
• means for maintaining connection state data in the data communications device that tracks an amount of extra data associated with the authentication response that is inserted into the data communications session between the client device and the server device;
• and
• means for modifying connection information within packets passing through the data communications device that are exchanged between the client device and server device using the data communications session in order to allow the client and server device to maintain proper respective first and second connection states for the data communications session regardless of the amount of extra data added in the data communications session due to insertion of the authentication response.