Novell, Inc.

Anand Subramaniam

Hashem Mohammad Ebrahimi

Muthukumar Muthumavadi

Mark L Shapiro

Methods, signals, devices, and systems are provided for secure access to a network from an external client. Requests for access to confidential data may be redirected from a target server to a border server, after which a secure sockets layer connection between the border server and the external client carries user authentication information. After the user is authenticated to the network, requests may be redirected back to the original target server. Web pages sent from the target server to the external client are scanned for non-secure URLs such as those containing 'http://' and modified to make them secure. The target server and the border server utilize various combinations of secure and non-secure caches. Although tunneling, may be used, the extensive configuration management burdens imposed by virtual private networks are not required.

Secure intranet access

Methods, signals, devices, and systems are provided for secure access to a network from an external client. Requests for access to confidential data may be redirected from a target server to a border server, after which a secure sockets layer connection between the border server and the external client carries user authentication information. After the user is authenticated to the network, requests may be redirected back to the original target server. Web pages sent from the target server to the external client are scanned for non-secure URLs such as those containing &ldquo;http://&rdquo; and modified to make them secure. The target server and the border server utilize various combinations of secure and non-secure caches. Although tunneling may be used, the extensive configuration management burdens imposed by virtual private networks are not required.

Methods, signals, devices, and systems are provided for secure access to a network from an external client. Requests for access to confidential data may be redirected from a target server to a border server, after which a secure sockets layer connection between the border server and the external client carries user authentication information. After the user is authenticated to the network, requests may be redirected back to the original target server. Web pages sent from the target server to the external client are scanned for non-secure URLs such as those containing 'http://' and modified to make them secure. The target server and the border server utilize various combinations of secure and non-secure caches. Although tunneling may be used, the extensive configuration management burdens imposed by virtual private networks are not required.

A system and method for regulating access to a proxy cache server residing on an institutional intranet or local network provides a directory for storing user names that are appended to client requests for remote web site information. The proxy cache server reads the appended requests and either accepts or denies access to the requested information based upon predetermined access control guidelines relative to the specific user name. The access control guidelines can be stored on the directory, and down-loaded to the proxy cache server's memory as needed. The proxy cache server stores and retrieves requested site information via the Internet, but only retrieves and delivers requested site information to clients if authorization is approved.

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San Jose, CA, United States of America

Anand Subramaniam