Single sign-on (SSO) for non-SSO-compliant applications

1. A method for providing single sign-on (SSO) authentication when accessing non-SSO-compliant applications, the method comprising:

receiving a user name and a password at a non-SSO-compliant application;

forwarding the user name and the password received from the non-SSO-compliant application to an SSO proxy;

encapsulating said user name and password in a request to access a protected application;

authenticating said user name and password responsive to said request using SSO authentication; and

generating an SSO token if said authentication step is successful.

2. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising providing said SSO token, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to a server.

3. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising providing said SSO token and said user name to said protected application.

4. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising providing said token and a notification of said successful authentication to said SSO proxy.

5. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising configuring said SSO proxy as an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client.

6. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising configuring said encapsulated request as an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

7. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising sending said request to a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

8. A method according to claim 1 and further comprising configuring said protected application as a protected hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) servlet residing on a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

9. A system for single sign-on (SSO) authentication for use with non-SSO-compliant applications, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory including:

a non-SSO-compliant application that receives a user name and password;

an SSO proxy operative to receive the user name and password from the non-SSO-compliant application and encapsulate said user name and password in a request to access a protected application; and

an authenticator operative to authenticate said user name and password responsive to said request using SSO authentication and generate an SSO token if said authentication is successful.

10. A system according to claim 9 wherein said authenticator is operative to provide said SSO token, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to a server.

11. A system according to claim 10 wherein said server is operative to provide said SSO token and said user name to said protected application.

12. A system according to claim 10 wherein said server is a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

13. A system according to claim 9 wherein said protected application is operative to provide said token and a notification of said successful authentication to said SSO proxy.

14. A system according to claim 9 wherein said SSO proxy is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client.

15. A system according to claim 9 wherein said encapsulated request is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

16. A system according to claim 9 wherein said protected application is a protected hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) servlet residing on a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

17. A method for providing single sign-on (SSO) authentication when accessing non-SSO-compliant applications, the method comprising:

receiving a user name and a password at a non-SSO-compliant application;

forwarding the user name and the password received from the non-SSO-compliant application to an SSO proxy;

encapsulating said user name and token in a request to access a protected application;

authenticating said token responsive to said request using SSO authentication; and

generating a security context for said request if said authentication step is successful.

18. A method according to claim 17 wherein said generating step comprises generating said security context to include said authenticated token and said user name.

19. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising passing said request, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to a server.

20. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising passing said request, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to said protected application.

21. A method according to claim 20 wherein said providing step comprises providing said affirmative response to said SSO proxy.

22. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising:

comparing said user name received with said request with said user name received with said security context of said request; and

providing an affirmative response to said request if said user names match.

23. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising configuring said SSO proxy as an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client.

24. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising configuring said encapsulated request as an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

25. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising sending said request to a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

26. A method according to claim 17 and further comprising configuring said protected application as a protected hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) servlet residing on a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

27. A system for single sign-on (SSO) authentication for use with non-SSO-compliant applications, the system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, the memory including:

a non-SSO-compliant application that receives a user name and password;

an SSO proxy operative to receive the user name and password from the non-SSO-compliant application and encapsulate said user name and token in a request to access a protected application; and

an authenticator operative to authenticate said user name and token responsive to said request using SSO authentication and generate a security context for said request if said authentication step is successful.

28. A system according to claim 27 wherein said security context includes said authenticated token and said user name.

29. A system according to claim 27 wherein said authenticator is operative to pass said request, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to a server.

30. A system according to claim 29 wherein said server is operative to pass said request, said user name, and a notification of said successful authentication to said protected application.

31. A system according to claim 30 wherein said protected application is operative to provide said affirmative response to said SSO proxy.

32. A system according to claim 29 wherein said server is a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

33. A system according to claim 27 wherein said protected application is operative to:

compare said user name received with said request with said user name received with said security context of said request; and

provide an affirmative response to said request if said user names match.

34. A system according to claim 27 wherein said SSO proxy is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client.

35. A system according to claim 27 wherein said encapsulated request is an hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.

36. A system according to claim 27 wherein said protected application is a protected hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) servlet residing on a JAVA 2 enterprise edition (J2EE) server.

37. A method for implementing single sign-on (SSO) authentication in support of non-SSO-compliant application access, the method comprising:

receiving a user name and a password at a non-SSO-compliant application;

providing a SSO proxy operative to receive the user name and the password received from non-SSO-compliant application; and

configuring said SSO proxy to

a) encapsulate said user name and password in a request to access a protected application, and

b) send said request to a computer operative to

c) authenticate said user name and password responsive to said request using SSO authentication; and

d) generate an SSO token if said authentication is successful.

38. A computer program embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, the computer program comprising:

a preliminary code segment operative to receive a user name and a password at a non-SSO-compliant application;

a first code segment operative to forward the user name and the password received from the non-SSO-compliant application to an single sign-on (SSO) proxy;

a second code segment operative to encapsulate said user name and password in a request to access a protected application;

a third code segment operative to authenticate said user name and password responsive to said request using SSO authentication; and

a fourth code segment operative to generate an SSO token if said authentication is successful.