A method for authenticating a requesting entity in a communications
environment. In an exemplary embodiment, the method includes determining
a client identification of a client node associated with the requesting
entity, and determining whether the requesting entity associated with the
client node is acting in a supervisor capacity. A key to the requesting
entity is returned from a resource provider node upon determining that
the client identification of the client node indicates that the client
node is permitted to access one or more resources of the provider node,
and that the client node is acting in a supervisor capacity.