Web-based delegation using XML

Existing access control mechanisms should be extended in order to authorize external (and possibly unknown) clients, when entering distributed environments. This paper proposes the structure and issuing of appropriate authorization certificate to support the delegation process under a role-based access control environment. The proposed processes aim to enhance accessing automation and to avoid (central administrator) bottlenecks (in cases of altering an authorization or a policy). The delegation requests and the certificates are expressed according to the XML syntax for enhancing the interoperability of the delegation processes, which is highlighted in a step-by-step algorithmic fashion using flowcharts.