Patent ID: 7188359

Claim:
A method for authenticating a user to a primary authentication server or a secondary authentication server with pre-submission test authentication, said secondary authentication server is used when said primary authentication server is unavailable, comprising the steps of: a Web browsing device fetching a login page from a Web server, said login page containing a login form and a routing module; submitting a login request with an identifier of said user and an associated password from said Web browsing device; and said Web browsing device invoking said routing module to determine routing by performing said pre-submission test authentication with the following sub-steps: registering a routing code event handler to be called upon successful pre-submission test authentication; registering a callback event in a configurable delay time; sending said pre-submission test authentication request to said primary authentication server without submitting said login form or leaving said login page; processing said pre-submission test authentication request and sending response to said Web browsing device by said primary authentication server; if a successful response to said pre-submission test authentication request is received from said primary authentication server within said delay time, said Web browsing device submitting said login form to said primary authentication server; and otherwise said Web browsing device submitting said login form to said secondary authentication server.