Generic user authentication for network computers

摘要

The present invention provides a system and method of performing user authentication on web based applications, such as IBM's Network Station Configuration Preference Manager. In particular, the system and method saves and continuously passes user information back and forth between a web client and a web server. The user information can then be used by CGI programs being executed on the web server for authentication purposes. Specifically, each CGI program will examine the user information, determine the authority privileges of the user, run the CGI program under a non-default user mode, return user information back to the web client, and return the CGI job to run in a default user mode.