Adaptive Policy Enforcement Grid for Heterogeneous Points

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing policy enforcement systems face challenges in handling heterogeneity across different hardware and software-based enforcement points, particularly in extensibility and efficient enforcement of custom policies in distributed service-oriented architectures, and in managing service level agreements.

Innovation Solution

An adaptive policy enforcement system that utilizes a multi-agent system with a policy decision point, an adaptive policy grid, and an enforcement knowledge base to optimize policy enforcement by discovering and utilizing the capabilities of various policy enforcement points, which are represented as semantic web services, allowing for intelligent and efficient policy execution.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If hardware-based enforcement points are used, then processing speed and resource efficiency are improved, but extensibility and ability to enforce custom policies deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveprocessing speedVSAvoidextensibility

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments policy enforcement into two distinct components: hardware-based enforcement points for performance-critical tasks and software-based enforcement points for custom policies. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal domain, resolving the contradiction between processing speed and extensibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The policy decision point acts as a universal coordinator that can direct any policy to any appropriate enforcement point regardless of whether it is hardware or software-based. This multi-functional approach allows the system to leverage both hardware performance and software flexibility through a unified policy management architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Adaptability or versatility

If software-based enforcement points are used, then extensibility and custom policy enforcement are improved, but processing speed and resource efficiency deteriorate

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveextensibilityVSAvoidprocessing speed

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments policy enforcement into two distinct components: hardware-based enforcement points for performance-critical tasks and software-based enforcement points for custom policies. This segmentation allows each component to operate in its optimal domain, resolving the contradiction between processing speed and extensibility.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The policy decision point serves as an intermediary that mediates between policy requirements and enforcement points. It analyzes policy characteristics and routes them to the most appropriate enforcement point, optimizing the balance between software flexibility and hardware performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Adaptability or versatility

If multiple heterogeneous enforcement points are deployed, then policy coverage and SLA enforcement are improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepolicy coverageVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The policy decision point acts as a universal coordinator that can direct any policy to any appropriate enforcement point regardless of whether it is hardware or software-based. This multi-functional approach allows the system to leverage both hardware performance and software flexibility through a unified policy management architecture.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where enforcement points report their capabilities and status back to the policy decision point. This enables dynamic adaptation and optimization of policy routing based on real-time system state, managing complexity through intelligent feedback loops.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS8498959B2Policy enforcement

Publication Date: 2013.07.30 MICRO FOCUS LLC

AI summary

An enforcement system may include a policy decision point and an adaptive grid. Requests for service from users are passed to the policy decision point which uses enforcer agents in the adaptive grid to enforce policies by selecting from available policy enforcement points. The adaptive grid may also include explorer agents for evaluating enforcement capabilities available to the enforcement system.