Patent ID: 7406510

Claim:
In a distributed network comprising a plurality of portals, a computer-implemented method comprising: storing a set of links for each portal instance in a plurality of portal instances, each portal instance corresponding to a portal system from a plurality of portals; receiving information defining a new first link for a first portal instance in the plurality of portal instances, along with a first user-selected indication that the new first link is not global; adding the new first link to the set of links associated with the first portal instance without adding the new first link to the sets of links associated with other portal instances; receiving information defining a new second link for the first portal instance, along with a second user-selected indication that the new second link is global; adding information about the new second link to the set of links associated with the first portal instance; adding information about the new second link to other sets of links associated with other portal instances; receiving information indicative of selection of the new first link corresponding to a first portal component; determining the first portal instance corresponding to the new first link; determining connection information for the first portal instance, the connection information comprising information for connecting to a first portal from the plurality of portals; determining authentication information for the first portal instance, the authentication information comprising information for authenticating a user; determining link information for the new first link, the link information comprising information used by the first portal to provide access to the first portal component; and accessing the first portal component using the connection information determined for the first portal instance, the authentication information determined for the first portal instance, and the link information determined for the new first link.