ACME Centralized Management System for Load Balancing and Certificate Issuance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The ACME protocol faces challenges in certificate management due to limited commercial certificate authorities supporting ACME, high failure rates in certificate applications, lengthy verification times, increased costs, inability to automatically switch certificate brands, and failure to perceive application failures, especially with network jitter or CA failures.
Innovation Solution
An ACME centralized management system with modules for unloading, statistics, strategy, verification, and notification, which connects with multiple CAs and ACME clients, allowing for load balancing, token-based authentication, and domain name verification through file proxy or DNS CNAME authorization to improve certificate issuance efficiency and reduce costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If ACME clients are deployed on each WEBSERVER server to generate independent ACME accounts, then automatic certificate application is achieved, but certificate authority rate limitations are triggered and application failure rate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple ACME client accounts into a unified account managed by a gateway server. Instead of each WEBSERVER having its own independent ACME account, all servers share a single account through the gateway, which consolidates certificate application requests and avoids triggering rate limitations at the CA.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway server acts as an intermediary between WEBSERVERs and the certificate authority. It receives certificate application requests from multiple servers, manages the single ACME account, and handles communication with the CA, thereby preventing direct rate limitation triggers from individual server requests.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple ACME clients apply for certificates simultaneously, then coverage is improved, but domain name verification conflicts occur and issuance efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple certificate application requests into a single unified application process through the gateway. Multiple WEBSERVERs can share the same certificate via the single ACME account, eliminating the need for simultaneous separate applications and their associated verification conflicts.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway server pre-manages the ACME account and prepares certificate applications before actual deployment needs arise. By having the account ready and managing verification processes in advance, it prevents conflicts when multiple servers need certificates simultaneously.
3Extent of automation
If DNS verification is used for domain name ownership verification, then automated verification is achieved, but verification values may fail to take effect in time causing issuance failure
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway server performs DNS verification in advance before the actual certificate application is submitted to the CA. By pre-adding the verification value to DNS records and confirming its effectiveness beforehand, it ensures verification is complete before the CA checks, eliminating timing-related failures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where the gateway continuously monitors DNS verification status and only proceeds with certificate application when verification is confirmed effective. This feedback loop ensures that verification is complete before submission, preventing issuance failures due to timing issues.
4Extent of automation
If HTTP file verification is used for domain name ownership verification, then verification can be performed, but users need high operation and maintenance knowledge and errors are prone to occur
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway server automatically creates and manages the verification files in the HTTP challenge path without requiring user intervention. It self-generates the required files, places them in the correct locations, and monitors their status, completely eliminating the need for users to manually create or manage verification files.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway acts as an intermediary that handles all HTTP file verification operations between the ACME client and the verification server. It automatically manages file creation, placement, and monitoring, shielding users from the complexity of HTTP verification procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to an ACME centralized management system and a load balancing method thereof. The system is connected with an ACME client and a plurality of certificate authorities (CAs) respectively and comprises an ACME unloading module, and a statistics module, a strategy module, a verification module and a notification module which are connected with the ACME unloading module respectively. The ACME unloading module is in communication with the ACME client and the plurality of certificate authorities (CAs). Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the advantages of avoiding frequent verification, quickly issuing certificate copies, more efficiently issuing certificates, etc.