| 摘要 |
<p>A user (10) accessing resources on the Internet is often required to change servers (40A,40B) whilst in the middle of what for the user is a single task. For example, the user may have accessed a multi-homed database or may have browsed a catalog on one server (40A) and now needs to go to another (40B) to make payment. As many Internet resources require user authentication, the process of changing servers frequently results in the user having to re-authenticate himself/herself. To overcome this problem the present invention provides that a server (40A) wishing to direct a user (10) to another server (40B) does so by returning (Ä2Ü) a URI that has been signed by the first serve r by including a signature in the URI. The user (10) uses this signed URL to access (Ä3Ü) the second server (40B). The second server (40B) can then use the signature contained in the URL to confirm that the user (10) has come from the first server (40A) and therefore does not need to be re-authenticated. Information can also be included in the URI and the signature used at the second server (40B) to check its integrity. <IMAGE></p> |
