| 摘要 |
A method and apparatus for providing automatic user access authentication of any user who is a member of a set of authorized users of a computer enterprise from any one of a plurality of geographically dispersed user workstations, onto one of a plurality of predetermined local security servers, through the use of a single logon. A person server resident on a local security server compares the user-provided identification information to entries contained in a local authentication database. If the person server finds a match, the user is granted access to the local security server. If the person server does not find a match, the user-provided authentication information is not valid for granting access to the local security server and the person server then searches a network database to determine whether the entered user name is known to the enterprise. If the person server finds a single user name matching the previously entered user name, it returns the name of the local security server associated with the computer enterprise whose local authentication database may have the information necessary for allowing proper authentication of the user. Upon receiving the name of the newly-identified server, the client then automatically retrieves the server's logical location from a service mapping file and then repeats the authentication request to the new local security server. If the person server finds more than one user with the entered user name or if the person server fails to find any user name matching the previously entered user name, then it returns a failed logon request to the client. The system provides the capability to operate across a number of network protocols through its use of a standard directory protocol, such as the X.500 standard.
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