1. A method for authenticating a user in a heterogeneous computer environment, the method comprising: utilizing one or more computers to perform: a. defining a set of unique prefixes, each prefix identifying a type of user repository; b. defining a set of abstract repository names, each abstract repository name identifying an address of a user repository, wherein each abstract repository name is mapped to a user repository, and is used to retrieve required address information that must be used to communicate with the repository, wherein said defining comprises defining an Abstract Repository Name Catalogue, which maps references to abstract repository names and abstract repository names to physical addresses; and c. identifying the user in the heterogeneous computer environment by assigning a sequence comprising a unique prefix, a reference to an abstract repository name and a unique identifier for the user within the user repository indicated by the reference to the abstract repository name, wherein the user repository is indicated via the mapping by the Abstract Repository Name Catalogue of the reference to the abstract repository name, and of the abstract repository name to the physical address of the user repository, wherein the unique identifier for the user uniquely identifies the user based on one or more rules of the user repository, and wherein authenticating the user comprises verifying that the identified user is authenticated for the indicated user repository based on the one or more rules; wherein more than one physical address is provided for a single abstract repository name, if the respective repository can be accessed via more than one protocol, and wherein the Abstract Repository Name Catalogue selects the physical address to return to the requestor based on the protocol required by the requestor to access the repository.
1. A method for authenticating a user in a heterogeneous computer environment, the method comprising: utilizing one or more computers to perform: a. defining a set of unique prefixes, each prefix identifying a type of user repository; b. defining a set of abstract repository names, each abstract repository name identifying an address of a user repository, wherein each abstract repository name is mapped to a user repository, and is used to retrieve required address information that must be used to communicate with the repository, wherein said defining comprises defining an Abstract Repository Name Catalogue, which maps references to abstract repository names and abstract repository names to physical addresses; and c. identifying the user in the heterogeneous computer environment by assigning a sequence comprising a unique prefix, a reference to an abstract repository name and a unique identifier for the user within the user repository indicated by the reference to the abstract repository name, wherein the user repository is indicated via the mapping by the Abstract Repository Name Catalogue of the reference to the abstract repository name, and of the abstract repository name to the physical address of the user repository, wherein the unique identifier for the user uniquely identifies the user based on one or more rules of the user repository, and wherein authenticating the user comprises verifying that the identified user is authenticated for the indicated user repository based on the one or more rules; wherein more than one physical address is provided for a single abstract repository name, if the respective repository can be accessed via more than one protocol, and wherein the Abstract Repository Name Catalogue selects the physical address to return to the requestor based on the protocol required by the requestor to access the repository. 5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the Abstract Repository Name Catalogue is implemented as a database.