JP2006323743A - Method for authenticating user of groupware server system and groupware server system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for authenticating the user of a groupware server system by which the ID of a personal user who has actually performed a contribution can be displayed when displaying the contributor without any exclusive group authentication server, and a groupware server having a hierarchical structure can efficiently be operated. <P>SOLUTION: When access is performed through a low rank server A to an upper rank server B in an ST601, the user of a low rank server A retrieves his or her own table for user authentication in an ST602, and when it is judged that the pertinent ID and password are present in the table in an ST603, user ID which has actually logged in is added to the ID of the low rank server A itself so as to be set as a sub-user name for the upper rank server B in an ST604, and authentication is performed to the upper rank server B by using the user ID unique to the low rank server A in ST605 to 607 so that it is possible for the low rank serer A to log in the upper rank server B by using one user ID. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a user authentication method and a groupware server system for a plurality of groupware server systems arranged hierarchically on a network.

  As a user authentication method in a conventional environment where multiple servers are connected to a network, in addition to a method having a user ID and password for each server, a group server method for managing users as a whole of multiple servers In addition, a method of mutually converting user IDs and a method of using representative user IDs have been devised.

  In particular, with respect to access to a server having a hierarchical structure, the user ID itself is managed as a hierarchical group, so that it is possible to access an upper server with a single user ID. In this case, a dedicated server for managing the group is required, and the function is limited to authentication (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

Patent Document 1 as the first prior art is as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration in which workstations showing an embodiment of the group server method according to the first prior art are interconnected using a ring network, and FIG. 12 is a description showing a list of files required by the workstations in FIG. FIG.
11 and 12, the network environment when using this group server method is a distributed environment in which six workstations W1 to W6 each having a magnetic disk F are interconnected by a ring-shaped network token ring LAN. It is also possible to refer to a file in the magnetic disk F of another workstation from any of the workstations W1 to W6 in the network LAN. First, in order to use the group server method, among the six workstations W1 to W6 in the network LAN, for example, a plurality of group servers S corresponding to the workstations W1 and W2 are created, and each group server belongs to a group. The user information file F3 in the group such as all the user names and their passwords is created, and the group information file F1 such as the group server identification information F2 and the group password is created in each of the workstations W1 to W6. By referring to the user information in the group of the group server S from the information, the user collation is provided to provide a group work environment, and the user is managed by a multi-hierarchical group and user names divided into a plurality of groups. .
In such a configuration, with respect to a plurality of servers installed on the same network, the user information is collectively stored in the group authentication server, so that which server can be set without setting individual user IDs. Even with this, authentication can be performed with one user ID. Further, as shown in claim 4, in the case of a server configuration having a hierarchical structure, when authenticated by the upper server, the lower server can have the same authority. Hierarchical structure is realized.

In Patent Document 2 as the second prior art, a user has a structure called a gateway, and a user who desires access to a server uses a representative ID and a representative password via a conversion table, so that one user Authentication and access to multiple servers by ID are possible.
JP-A-5-108523 JP 2000-3334 A

  However, the conventional technology requires a dedicated server for managing user IDs as a whole, and even when a dedicated server is not provided, a special server for bridging user authentication in the server. Processing functions and data tables are required.

  In addition, if only authentication is used, it is possible to access with one user ID even with the conventional technology. However, when using groupware functions such as a bulletin board and a conference room, individual recognition of the poster or speaker is possible. It is necessary to recognize and display each individual user who has actually logged in, instead of simply representing the representative ID.

  As described above, in the conventional group authentication server-like authentication method, in a network in which a plurality of servers having the same groupware system are installed in a hierarchical structure, a dedicated server is required, or the groupware itself As a function, a special processing function is required. For this reason, it is difficult to easily deal with flexible rearrangement of the hierarchical structure and installation of new servers, etc. Also, the functions of bulletin boards and conference rooms in the groupware can be handled as access user information. Issues remain, such as differences.

  The present invention does not require a dedicated group authentication server, and can display the ID of an individual user who has actually contributed in the display of a contributor, etc., and has a hierarchical groupware. It is an object of the present invention to provide a groupware server system user authentication method and a groupware server system capable of improving server operation efficiency.

In order to solve the above problems, the user authentication method and groupware server system of a plurality of groupware server systems arranged in a hierarchical structure on the network of the present invention are configured as follows.
That is, according to the first and fourth aspects of the present invention, when accessing the upper server via the lower server, the user ID logged into the lower server is set as a sub-user name, By authenticating the upper server together with the user ID, it is possible to log in to the upper server using only one user ID.

  The inventions of claims 2 and 5 are configured to recognize not only the lower server but also the specific user who has logged in to the lower server, as well as the user in the upper server.

  The inventions of claims 3 and 6 display the ID of the user who has actually logged in to the lower server as a contributor for posting to a bulletin board or the like on the upper server logged in via the lower server. And a case where the lower server and the user ID are displayed together can be arbitrarily selected.

  According to the first to sixth aspects of the present invention, the groupware authentication function itself has sub-user information so that a dedicated group authentication server is not required and a plurality of groups having a hierarchical structure are provided. With respect to the wear server, the user can access and authenticate the target server and its upper server by accessing the server connected to the terminal used by the user with its own user ID. The sub-user information can be used not only for access from lower-level servers but also for specific users at the individual level. ID can be displayed. As a result, the operation of the groupware server having a hierarchical structure can be made efficient.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a groupware server having a hierarchical structure installed on a network according to an embodiment of the present invention. Reference numerals 1 to 5 in the figure denote groupware servers, which are denoted as A, B1, B2, C1, and C2 in order to distinguish the hierarchy of the servers 1 to 5.
A user uses a terminal connected to one of the groupware servers to access the groupware server to which the terminal is connected using a pre-registered user ID and password and is authenticated. Later, various groupware functions in the groupware server can be used.
In a groupware server having a hierarchical structure, an upper server can also be accessed from a lower server. For example, a user belonging to the groupware server C1 (4) uses a terminal C1-1 to By logging in to the wear server C1 (4), the groupware function in the groupware server C1 (4) can be used, and the groupware function in the groupware server B1 (2), which is the higher server, can also be used. is there. Furthermore, the groupware function in the groupware server A (1), which is the upper server, can also be used.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram when the groupware server is used in a class at elementary and junior high schools as an example of using the groupware server having the hierarchical structure shown in FIG.
In FIG. 2, A municipal a1 elementary school (204) has its own groupware server in the school, but for a school (A municipal a2 elementary school (205)) that cannot install its own groupware server, A regional groupware server can also be installed in an education center (203) or the like in the region. In this case, if the school has its own groupware server, the students of the school use the groupware server in the school, but the school's own groupware like the A municipal a2 elementary school (205). If there is no server, access and use the local groupware server directly.

  However, regional groupware has a groupware function as regional information. For example, a bulletin board where teachers from all regional schools participate is installed with its own groupware server. It is necessary to allow access from the schools where they are located. In this case, without having a user ID for the groupware server unique to the school and a user ID for the groupware server for the entire area installed in the center, one user ID can be used for the school-specific groupware. It is desirable to be able to both log in to the server and log in to the groupware servers in the entire area installed in the center. In addition, when using the groupware function of the center, it is necessary to specify not only “posts from xx junior high school” but also “posts of xx junior high school xx” and personal names as individual comments. It is said.

  If a center server cannot be installed in the area as a higher level than the local center server, a groupware server (201) is installed in an IDC (Internet data center) operated by a company or the like, and the IDC group is directly connected from the school. It is also possible to access the wear server.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a user authentication method in the network having the server structure shown in FIG.
In FIG. 3, the A city a1 elementary school (304) has a groupware server installed in the school, and the user information of the A city a1 elementary school (304) is the group in the school of the A city a1 elementary school (304). It is registered only on the wear server.
The A city a2 elementary school (305) does not have a groupware server in the school, but there is a groupware server (302) in the regional center, and the user information of the A municipal a2 elementary school (305) is the groupware of the regional center. Registered in the server (302).
In addition, the C municipal c1 elementary school (306) does not have a groupware server in the school and cannot use the groupware server of the regional center. User information of the C municipal c1 elementary school (306) is registered in the groupware server (301) in the IDC.

Each server contains the same groupware system, but the usage authority is as follows.
-The bulletin board in the A municipal a1 elementary school (304) uses only the groupware in the A municipal a1 elementary school (304).
The bulletin board of A city where the A municipal a1 elementary school (304) and the A municipal a2 elementary school (305) exist uses the groupware of the groupware server (302) of the regional center of A city.
-The overall bulletin board uses the groupware of the IDware groupware server (301).
When each user uses groupware, the user information in the groupware server to which the school terminal to which the user belongs is connected is searched, and if registered, login is permitted.
When accessing the upper server from the groupware server in the school or the groupware server in the area, the user is logged in by login information unique to the server (“school ID” in the case of a school groupware server).

For example, when the user registered as “Tanaka” in the school server of the A municipal a1 elementary school (304) uses the bulletin board of the groupware server of the A city regional center, which is the upper level, the following procedure is taken. However, the user information of “Tanaka” is not registered in the groupware server of the A city area center, but “a1 elementary school” is registered.
(1) Log in as “Tanaka” to the school groupware server at a1 elementary school.
(2) The user “Tanaka” tries to access the bulletin board on the groupware server of the A city area center.
(3) The school groupware server of a1 elementary school asks the groupware server of the A city area center to use the bulletin board as the user “a1 elementary school”.
(4) The groupware server of the A city regional center permits the use of the in-school groupware server of the a1 elementary school as the user “a1 elementary school”.
(5) The user “Tanaka” can access the groupware server of the A city area center as a sub-user of “a1 elementary school”.
Note that the user “Tanaka” cannot directly log in to the groupware server of the A city area center.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the structure of the user ID processed by the groupware.
The user authentication table is worried about “user ID” and “password” for user management. That is, the ID “AAA” is registered in the user authentication table (401) held in the server A as a user who directly accesses the server A. In addition, the server B is positioned as a higher-level server of the server A, and the ID “BBB” is registered as a user who directly accesses the server B in the user authentication table (402) held in the server B. The ID “Server-A” is also registered for access from the lower server A.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure for performing user authentication.
When the user inputs the ID and password (step ST501), first, the user authentication table (510) in the server is searched (step ST502), and it is determined whether or not the corresponding ID exists (step ST503). . When the corresponding ID exists and the passwords match, the use of the groupware of the server is permitted as authentication OK (step ST504).

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a procedure when the user logs in to the upper server.
For the purpose of logging in to the upper server B, the user logs in to the server to which the terminal being used is connected, that is, the lower server A (step ST601).
The subordinate server A searches its own user authentication table (step ST602), determines whether or not the corresponding ID and password are in the table (step ST603), and if so, the login to the subordinate server itself is successful. From there, access to the upper server B is performed. At this time, the lower server A adds a special symbol (here, “&” is used) to the lower server A's own ID (Server-A) with respect to the upper server B, followed by Further, after adding the user ID actually logged in to the lower server A as “sub-user information” as the login ID to the upper server B (step ST604), the upper server B is logged in (step ST604). Step ST605). At this time, the password owned by the subordinate server A itself is used.

  The upper server B receives from the lower server A a user ID obtained by adding sub-user information below the special symbol “&” to the ID of the lower server B itself (step ST606). In the determination, only the part before the special symbol “&” is used. That is, the user authentication table of the upper server B is searched with the ID and password of the lower server A itself (step ST607), and it is determined whether or not it is applicable (step ST608). If applicable, login of lower server A is permitted (step ST609).

  As described above, regarding access to the upper server, as an ID for authentication, sub-user information below a special symbol (for example, “&”) is hierarchically added to the ID of the server itself. An ID before the first special symbol (for example, “&”) is used only for user authentication.

  FIG. 7 shows that a server having an ID “AAA” logged into the lowest server A (703) tries to access the highest server C (701) in a server having a three-level hierarchical structure. In this case, the authentication ID and password in each server are shown. Finally, the login ID to the highest server C (701) is "Server-B & Server-A & AAA".

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a recognition procedure when a user logged in via the lower server in the upper server posts on a bulletin board or the like.
If there is a login request from the lower server (step ST801), the part before the first special symbol “&” of the ID is an ID for authenticating the login. (Step ST803) Login authentication is possible (step ST804).
If there is a post request from a subordinate server, the part after the last special symbol “&” in the ID is the ID of the user who has actually logged in. (Step ST805) In the display of the contributor on the bulletin board, it is possible to display the actual login user ID (step ST806).

FIG. 9 shows an example of a screen displaying the posting contents to the bulletin board operating with the groupware of the upper server as a result. In this way, the poster name of each posting is displayed as the ID of the actually logged-in user. It becomes possible to do.
In this case, since the actual login user ID is not necessarily unique in the upper server, in FIG. 10, it is separated by a special symbol “&” in order to display the exact poster name. By adding the ID of each server to the display, the server user is clearly displayed.

  The display method of FIGS. 9 and 10 can be selected as a function of groupware.

  It can be applied as a groupware system when installing and operating multiple groupware with a hierarchical structure in a large organization.

1 is a configuration diagram of a groupware server having a hierarchical structure on a network according to an embodiment of the present invention. As a usage example of the groupware server having the hierarchical structure shown in FIG. 1, a configuration diagram in the case of using a groupware server in a class at elementary and junior high school, The figure for demonstrating the method of user authentication in the network with the server structure shown in FIG. The figure which showed the structure of the user ID which is processed with groupware, Flowchart showing the procedure for user authentication, A flowchart showing the procedure when the user logs in to the upper server, Display example of authentication ID and password received by the user in the server having a three-level hierarchical structure, A flowchart showing the recognition procedure when a user who has logged in via a lower server posts on a bulletin board, etc. Screen example 1 showing the content posted on a bulletin board that runs on groupware, Sample screen 2 showing the content posted on a bulletin board that runs on groupware, The block diagram which interconnected the workstation which shows one Example of the group server method by 1st prior art using the ring network, Explanatory drawing which shows the list of the files which the workstation in FIG. 11 needs

Explanation of symbols

1 Groupware server A
2 Groupware server B1
3 Groupware server B2
4 Groupware server C1
5 Groupware server C2
11 Terminal A-1 connected to groupware server A

Claims (6)

In a user authentication method for a plurality of groupware server systems arranged hierarchically on a network,
When accessing the upper server via the lower server, the user ID logged in to the lower server is set as a sub-user name, and the upper server is authenticated together with the user ID unique to the lower server. A user authentication method for a groupware server system, characterized in that, when performed, it is possible to log in to the upper server using only one user ID.   2. The user authentication method for a groupware server system according to claim 1, wherein the user in the upper server recognizes not only the lower server but also a specific user who has logged in to the lower server. .   Regarding posting to a bulletin board or the like on the upper server logged in via the lower server, when displaying the ID of the user who actually logged in to the lower server as the contributor, the lower server and user ID The user authentication method for a groupware server system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the user can arbitrarily select a case where the information is displayed together. In a plurality of groupware server systems arranged hierarchically on a network,
When accessing the upper server via the lower server, the user ID logged in to the lower server is set as a sub-user name, and the upper server is authenticated together with the user ID unique to the lower server. A groupware server system which operates so as to enable login to the higher-level server using only one user ID.   5. The groupware server system according to claim 4, wherein the user in the upper server recognizes not only the lower server but also a specific user who has logged in to the lower server.   Regarding posting to a bulletin board or the like on the upper server logged in via the lower server, when displaying the ID of the user who actually logged in to the lower server as the contributor, the lower server and user ID 6. The groupware server system according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the groupware server system operates so that a case where a message is displayed together can be arbitrarily selected.

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