Computer Access Control

The access control systems to computer resources are of great interest specifically when such resources are generally limited and numerous user communities have to be dealt with.

The actual solutions offered by operative systems such as Unix or Windows, and which are based both on the login and password system, are insufficient due to the fact that they present diverse defaults (it is common to work with post suitability and not person suitability). In organisations with thousands of users, a scheme based on generic login by post is used. This makes the control of identification and session status almost impossible, given the fact that the moment one user accesses the system, there would be no simple and economical mechanism to control the available time a user has, for instance.

In addition, the existing systems would not allow a central management of resources that would rationalize the way it is handled by community users, through, for example, access and pre-booking services control policy.

An access system to the software equipment has been developed where the Smart Card acts as a totally personalized key, identifying the user in the PC.

UmGina is the software solution that is in the users computers, able to manage all the events related to the user session. To achieve this goal, Microsoft Windows NT access control system has been modified by a module known as Gina (Graphical Identification aNd Authentication). In this implementation, both the management of the action done by the CPU (open, block or close a user session) and the proper operations on the Smart Card (insert, extract, validation of the PIN, reading of administrative data, etc.) and the management system of access and bookings are linked.  Once installed, the module accesses Windows NT and the traditional scheme of login/password is replaced by another device based on the use of the University Smart Card.