Patent ID: 7950051

Claim:
A password management system for a communication network having a plurality of network elements having a plurality of applications wherein the applications allow access to a plurality of users in response to passwords and wherein the applications automatically expire the passwords after time periods, the password management system comprising: a password processing system configured to generate first ones of the passwords for the users, generate first registration messages to register the first passwords with the applications in the network elements in the communication network, generate first user messages to indicate the first passwords to the users, wherein the users use the first passwords to access the applications in the network elements in the communication network, generate second ones of the passwords for the users before the first passwords expire, generate second registration messages to register the second passwords with the applications in the network elements in the communication network before the first passwords expire, generate second user messages to indicate the second passwords to the users before the first passwords expire, wherein the users use the second passwords to access the applications in the network elements in the communication network; a communication interface configured to transfer the first registration messages to the applications in the network elements in the communication network, transfer the first user messages to the users, transfer the second registration messages to the applications in the network elements in the communication network before the first passwords expire, and transfer the second user messages to the users before the first passwords expire; and wherein a first set of the applications use a first registration process to register the passwords, wherein a second set of the applications use a second registration process to register the passwords, and wherein the first registration process and the second registration process are different.