Cloud Orchestrator Token Authentication for Portable Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Personal computing devices lack the computing power to handle processor-intensive or data-intensive tasks, necessitating reliance on high-power desktop or server environments for applications like computer-aided design and image processing.
Innovation Solution
A cloud computing system that includes an orchestrator component to manage the activation of application virtual machines (VMs) on a cloud infrastructure, allowing clients to access and process files stored in cloud storage using user credentials, eliminating the need for explicit user authentication through token-based authentication protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If personal computing devices are used for processor-intensive tasks, then portability and ease of use are improved, but computing power and processing capability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system divides computing tasks into two segments: lightweight operations executed locally on personal devices and processor-intensive tasks offloaded to cloud-based virtual machines. This segmentation allows personal devices to maintain portability while accessing high-power computing resources remotely through network connections.
Solution Approach 2:
Cloud-based virtual machines serve as intermediaries between personal computing devices and high-power server environments. The VMs act as a mediator that provides access to processor-intensive capabilities without requiring the personal device itself to have such power, resolving the contradiction between portability and computing power.
2Power
If cloud-based application execution is implemented, then computing power is improved, but system complexity and authentication management deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal authentication mechanism using access tokens that work across multiple cloud services and applications. This multi-functional approach consolidates authentication management into a single framework, reducing system complexity while enabling access to diverse cloud-based computing resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transforms the authentication parameter from traditional username/password pairs to access tokens with embedded scopes and permissions. This parameter change simplifies the authentication flow and reduces the complexity of managing credentials across multiple cloud services while maintaining security.
3Reliability
If traditional authentication methods are used, then security is improved, but user convenience and access speed deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary authentication actions by obtaining access tokens in advance during application activation. These pre-obtained tokens are then reused for subsequent file access operations, eliminating the need for repeated explicit user authentication while maintaining security. The token is obtained once and valid for multiple operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates a copy of user credentials in the form of access tokens that can be used multiple times without exposing the original credentials. These token copies enable convenient repeated access while the original authentication remains secure, resolving the contradiction between security and convenience.
4Productivity
If cloud storage integration is implemented, then data accessibility is improved, but explicit authentication requirements and operational complexity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges cloud storage authentication with the application activation process. The same access token obtained for application access is also used for cloud storage access, combining two authentication flows into one. This merging eliminates redundant authentication steps and reduces operational complexity while maintaining data accessibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A method includes receiving, by an orchestrator component from a client computer, a request to activate an application in a cloud. The orchestrator component is a part of a cloud computing infrastructure hosted on a network connected to the client computer. The request to activate the application includes user credentials for access to user accounts including a user account with a cloud storage that stores a file for the user. The method further includes sending, by the orchestrator component to an application VM executing an instance of the application in the cloud, the user credentials specifically for access by the application VM to the user's account with the cloud storage drive. The method additionally includes using the user credentials to access the file stored in the cloud storage as and when needed for processing the file by the instance of the application executing in the application VM in the cloud.