Cloud Instance Provisioning With Certificate Bundle Injection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud resource instance provisioning processes face challenges in ensuring secure communications and avoiding downtime due to outdated digital certificates, particularly in virtual cloud networks, as updating CA certificates in OS images is impractical and time-consuming.
Innovation Solution
Distribute a certificate bundle during the provisioning process, including a set of CA certificates, to establish secure communications and ensure compatibility with security protocols, thereby avoiding delays and downtime associated with updating CA certificates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If CA certificates are updated in OS images, then security is improved, but provisioning time increases and downtime occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent separates CA certificates from the OS image by distributing them as independent certificate bundles during the provisioning process. This segmentation allows the OS image to remain static while certificates are updated separately, resolving the contradiction between security updates and provisioning time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs certificate distribution as a preliminary action during instance provisioning, before the instance becomes operational. By pre-distributing certificate bundles during the provisioning phase rather than requiring post-provisioning updates, the system achieves security updates without additional downtime.
2Reliability
If CA certificates are updated in OS images, then security is improved, but the process becomes impractical and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts CA certificates from the OS image update process and creates independent certificate bundles that can be distributed separately. This extraction makes the certificate update process more practical and easier to manage, as certificates can be updated without re-imaging entire OS systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses certificate bundles as copyable, distributable units that can be replicated and deployed across multiple instances efficiently. Instead of modifying OS images, the system creates and distributes certificate bundle copies during provisioning, simplifying the update process.
3Productivity
If certificate bundles are distributed during provisioning, then provisioning speed is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges certificate bundle distribution with the existing provisioning workflow, integrating certificate delivery into the instance creation process rather than treating it as a separate step. This integration improves provisioning speed while managing complexity through unified process management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces certificate bundles as an intermediary mechanism between the provisioning system and security protocols. These bundles serve as pre-packaged certificate sets that simplify the interaction between provisioning processes and security requirements, managing complexity through standardized intermediaries.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for provisioning a cloud resource instance associated with a virtual cloud network may include detecting a certificate bundle-retrieval trigger during a provisioning process for the cloud resource instance, and responsive to detecting the certificate bundle-retrieval trigger, sending, to an agent executing on a network interface linked to the cloud resource instance, a request for a certificate bundle for the cloud resource instance. Techniques may further include receiving the certificate bundle from the network interface. The certificate bundle may include a set of certificate authority (CA) certificates. Techniques may further include installing the certificate bundle in a storage medium associated with the cloud resource instance. Installing the certificate bundle may represent an operation of the provisioning process.