Certificate selection for virtual host servers

A method operating on a network device for managing a secure communication over a network, comprising:

• receiving, from a client, a request to access a resource at a virtual hosted website;
• receiving from the client another request to access a secure resource that is hosted on the virtual hosted website;
• storing information about the client and about the virtual hosted website;
• sending to the client a request to call back to establish a secure connection with the virtual hosted website;
• receiving, from the client, a request to establish the secure connection with the virtual hosted website;
• employing the stored information about the client and the determined virtual hosted website to identify a certificate associated with the virtual hosted website;
• and
• providing, by the network device, to the client the certificate to enable the client to authenticate the virtual hosted website and establish secure connection.

An apparatus for managing a secure communication between a client and a virtual hosted website over a network, comprising:

• a transceiver to send and receive data over the network;
• program code that receives from the client a first request to access a resource at the virtual hosted website, and stores information about the client and the virtual hosted website;
• program code that receives from the client a second request to establish a secure connection to access content that is hosted on the virtual hosted website;
• means for identifying a certificate associated with the virtual hosted website based on the first request and the stored information about the client and the virtual hosted website;
• and
• program code that provides to the client the determined certificate such that the client employs the certificate to authenticate the virtual hosted website and establish the secure connection.

A system for managing secure communications between a client device and a plurality of virtual hosted websites, each of the virtual hosted websites having an individual domain name and a shared network address, the system comprising:

• a first network device between the client device and the plurality of virtual hosted websites, wherein each of the plurality of virtual hosted websites are hosted on at least one other network device other than the first network device, the first network device, comprising:
• a processor having:
• program code that receives requests for resources, each request including application layer information that is stored with information about one of the virtual hosted websites;
• program code that receives a request to establish a secure connection to access content that is hosted on one of the virtual hosted websites;
• and
• means for, in response to receiving the request to establish the secure connection, identifying a certificate associated with the one of the virtual hosted websites based on stored application layer information and stored information about the one of the virtual hosted websites from a previous request for a resource and providing the certificate to the client device such that the client device uses the provided certificate to authenticate the virtual hosted website associated with the certificate and establish the secure connection.