An authenticated user has requested an eDirectory service. As a part of the verification process, the Novell Client sends a request for access to the service. What happens next?

The service cannot verify credentials at this step because it has not yet issued the challenge; verification occurs later after the client returns the signed response.

Access is granted only after the full challenge-response exchange is completed and the service successfully validates the client's signed response.

A confirmation message is sent only after authentication succeeds, not as the immediate next step following the initial access request.

The client provides proof of its credentials only after receiving and signing the random challenge from the service, so this step occurs later in the sequence.

In the eDirectory challenge-response authentication process, after the client requests access to a service, the service sends a unique random number (the challenge) to the client. The client then uses its private key to sign this challenge and returns the encrypted result, proving possession of correct credentials without ever transmitting the actual password.