Granted Patent B2

US 8,918,847 · App. 13/630,595 · Granted Dec 23, 2014

Abstract

Claims (46)

1. A method for authenticating a communication device at Open System Interconnection (OSI) layer 7 based on an (OSI) layer 2 or (OSI) layer 3 authentication comprising:

receiving, at a processor, a first request from the communication device to authenticate to a network, wherein the first request to authenticate to the network is for a layer 2 or layer 3 authentication;

authenticating the communication device to the network using credentials associated with the communication device;

storing authentication information for the communication device after successfully authenticating the communication device to the network;

receiving, at the processor, a second request to authenticate a first layer 7 client application running on the communication device, wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device requires a layer 7 authentication;

retrieving the authentication information for the communication device;

authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device based on the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication;

creating one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device, wherein the one or more credentials indicate that the communication device is authenticated to the network and wherein the one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application comprises an indication to forgo any encryption at layer 6 based on the communication device being authenticated to the network at layer 2 or layer 3;

sending the one or more credentials to a server; and

allowing access to a layer 7 server application corresponding to the first layer 7 client application.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer 7 client application is authenticated by checking if a configured layer 7 proxy application matches a default gateway IP address that the communication device has established layer 2 encryption in combination with being authenticated at layer 2 or layer 3.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the encryption at layer 6 is forgone based on a configuration by an administrator.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein authenticating the communication device to the network is accomplished in a wireless access point and authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device is accomplished in a layer 7 proxy application in the wireless access point.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the layer 7 proxy application is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server.

6. The method of claim 4 , wherein authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device comprises determining that the communication device is authenticated from an authentication table.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising the step of:

receiving the one or more credentials at the server.

8. The method of claim 6 , wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application and the one or more credentials are in a SIP header or field.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device is at least one of the following: a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application, a H.323 application, a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) application, a Telnet Application, and a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) application.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication is a layer 2 authentication.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication is a layer 3 authentication.

12. A network access point comprising:

a network interface configured to receive a first request for an Open System Interconnection (OSI) layer 2 or (OSI) layer 3 authentication to a network, from a communication device and receive a second request to authenticate a first (OSI) layer 7 client application running on the communication device, wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device requires a layer 7 authentication;

a processor enabled authentication module that authenticates the communication device to the network at layer 2 or layer 3 using credentials associated with the communication device and stores authentication information for the communication device after successfully authenticating the communication device to the network at layer 2 or layer 3;

a layer 7 proxy application configured to authenticate the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device based on the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication and allow access to a corresponding layer 7 server application; and

a wireless access point configured to retrieve the authentication information for the communication device, create one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device, send the one or more credentials to a server, wherein the one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application comprises an indication to forgo any encryption at layer 6 based on the communication device being authenticated to the network at layer 2 or layer 3.

13. The network access point of claim 12 , wherein the first layer 7 client application is authenticated by checking if a configured layer 7 proxy application matches a default gateway IP address that the communication device has established layer 2 encryption in combination with being authenticated at layer 2 or layer 3.

14. The network access point of claim 12 , wherein the layer 7 proxy application is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) proxy server.

15. The network access point of claim 12 , wherein:

the layer 7 proxy application is further configured to determine that the communication device is authenticated from an authentication table.

16. The network access point of claim 15 , wherein the server is further configured to receive the one or more credentials and allow the access to a corresponding layer 7 server application.

17. The network access point of claim 15 , wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application and the one or more credentials are in a SIP header or field.

18. The network access point of claim 12 , wherein the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device is at least one of the following: a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) application, a H.323 application, a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) application, a Telnet Application, and a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) application.

19. The network access point of claim 12 , wherein:

the network interface is further configured to receive a request to authenticate a second layer 7 client application running on the communication device; and

the layer 7 proxy application is further configured to authenticate the second layer 7 client application running on the communication device based on the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication.

20. A non-transient computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions that cause a processor to execute a method, the method comprising:

instructions to receive a first request from a communication device to authenticate to a network, wherein the first request to authenticate to the network is an Open System Interconnection (OSI) layer 2 or (OSI) layer 3 authentication;

instructions to authenticate the communication device to the network using credentials associated with the communication device;

instructions to store authentication information for the communication device after successfully authenticating the communication device to the network;

instructions to receive a second request to authenticate an (OSI) layer 7 client application running on the communication device, wherein the layer 7 client application running on the communication device requires a layer 7 authentication;

instructions to authenticate the layer 7 client application running on the communication device based on the layer 2 or layer 3 authentication;

instructions to retrieve the authentication information for the communication device;

instructions to create one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application running on the communication device, wherein the one or more credentials for authenticating the first layer 7 client application comprises an indication to forgo any encryption at layer 6 based on the communication device being authenticated to the network at layer 2 or layer 3; and

instructions to send the one or more credentials to a server; and

instructions to allow access to a layer 7 server application corresponding to the layer 7 client application.

Assignments (13)