Patent ID: 7461400

Claim:
A method for providing authentication in a computer environment, the method comprising: receiving a request for a web service from a client, wherein the request is received at a J2EE based application server hosting one or more applications, the request includes a Kerberos security token and a Kerberos service ticket, and each application has its own Kerberos identity; verifying that the client has access to the web service using the Kerberos security token and Kerberos service ticket as input to the verifying; and providing the client a connection to the web service if the verifying results in a determination that the client has access to the web service; wherein the web service is hosted on a BEA WebLogic application server, the request is received at the BEA WebLogic application server; the BEA WebLogic application server detelmining if the request includes a generic security service (GSS) framed Kerberos application request in a simple object access protocol (SOAP) header; and wherein the BEA WebLogic application server returns a security exception if the Kerberos application request is not in the simple object access protocol (SOAP).