Patent ID: 7024556

Claim:
A method of authenticating a user of a client computer at a server computer executing a distributed application on a plurality of first data processing agents, comprising the steps of: receiving a first service request from the user at one of the plurality of first data processing agents; submitting an authentication request from the one of the plurality of first data processing agents to a second data processing agent to authenticate the user; authenticating the user at the second data processing agent; if the user is successfully authenticated: storing a first timeout value indicative of a predetermined first time period on the second data processing agent; and sending authentication information that the one of the plurality of first data processing agents can use to subsequently re-authenticate the user without submitting subsequent authentication request to the second data processing agent; determining whether the predetermined first time period is exceeded; if the predetermined first time period is exceeded without receiving a second service request from the user, requiring the user to log into the second data processing agent upon receipt of the second service request; and if the second service request is received from the user at another of the plurality of first data processing agents before the first time period is exceeded, restarting the first timeout value.