Terminal Authentication System for Server Unavailability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication systems face challenges in maintaining user authentication when the authentication server is unavailable, particularly for low-frequency users, leading to failed job executions due to cache limitations and information expiration.
Innovation Solution
An authentication system that enables client terminals to perform user authentication independently by accepting user and terminal information, allowing them to authenticate users and execute jobs such as printing, even when the authentication server is unavailable.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If authentication is performed using a server apparatus, then authentication can be centralized and managed, but the system becomes dependent on server availability and cache limitations cause authentication failures for low-frequency users
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication function is segmented from the central server and distributed to individual information processing apparatuses. Each apparatus maintains its own authentication capability through local storage of user information, eliminating single-point dependency while maintaining centralized management benefits
Solution Approach 2:
User information is preliminarily stored in the information processing apparatus before authentication is needed. This advance preparation ensures that authentication can proceed immediately without requiring real-time server connection, solving the availability issue for low-frequency users
2Speed
If user information is accumulated in a cache unit, then authentication speed is improved, but information expiration and cache size limitations cause authentication failures
Solution Approach 1:
The solution moves authentication data from a centralized cache with limited capacity to a distributed storage model across multiple information processing apparatuses. This dimensional shift from single-point to multi-point storage eliminates cache size constraints and information expiration issues while maintaining fast local access
3Adaptability or versatility
If the system requires server authentication, then centralized security management is achieved, but job execution is halted when server is unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The information processing apparatus performs authentication independently using locally stored user information, serving its own authentication needs without external assistance. This self-service capability ensures job execution continues uninterrupted even when the server is unavailable, while centralized security management is maintained through initial data population
Data Source
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AI summary
An authentication system (1) includes a terminal (30); and an information processing apparatus (20) communicable with the terminal, the authentication system being configured to perform authentication of a user who operates the information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes: a first accepting unit (20F1) configured to accept user information for use in authentication of the user; a second accepting unit (20F2) configured to accept terminal information for use in identification of the terminal; and a user information transmission unit (20F3) configured to identify the terminal based on the terminal information and transmit the user information to the terminal. The terminal includes: a storage unit (30F1) configured to store a job designated by the user; a reception unit (30F2) configured to receive the user information from the information processing apparatus; and an authentication unit (30F3) configured to perform authentication of the user based on the received user information.