Patent ID: 7614078
Filing Date: 2009-11-03
Classification: H04L,Y10S

Abstract:
1. A method, comprising: receiving, from an access requester that does not have access to a data communication network, a request to access the data communication network; the access control server attempting to obtain assistance from an external validation server that normally handles one or more credentials used for authentication to process the request; storing and maintaining, separate from the external validation server, access requester history data for the access requester, wherein the access requester history data comprises one or more of a location of validation of one or more prior access requests, a length of time since a last successful access request from the access requester, a length of time that an account associated with the access requester has existed, a type of credential associated with the access request, a group membership associated with the access requester, a MAC address or other unique identifier associated with the access request, or a status credential that represents a security configuration of a device associated with the assess requester; determining that an access control server cannot process the access request associated with the access requester, wherein said determining that the access control server cannot process the access request includes failing to obtain the assistance from the external validation server; and in response to failing to obtain the assistance from the external validation server: