Cloud Service Manager Token Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Establishing trusted communication channels in public cloud environments is challenging due to the need for manual intervention, which becomes increasingly difficult as public clouds grow in size.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that transmit tokens from a cloud service manager to a public cloud controller, generate a cloud certificate, and establish a trusted connection between the public cloud controller and the management plane without explicit user administrator intervention, using APIs and certificates for authentication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual intervention is used to establish trusted communication channels between components in public cloud, then security and trust can be established, but the complexity and time required increases significantly as public clouds grow in size
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring trust relationships through automated certificate generation and distribution before communication is needed. The cloud service manager proactively establishes trusted channels by generating certificates and distributing public keys in advance, eliminating the need for manual intervention when components need to communicate.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud service manager acts as an intermediary that facilitates automatic trust establishment between the public cloud controller and management plane. It generates certificates, distributes public keys, and manages authentication credentials, serving as a mediator that eliminates the need for direct manual configuration between components.
2Reliability
If manual configuration is used for authentication in public cloud environments, then security can be maintained, but the time and effort required increases with cloud size
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service authentication where components automatically obtain and configure their own authentication credentials. The public cloud controller and management plane automatically receive certificates and public keys from the cloud service manager, and automatically establish trusted communication without requiring administrator intervention for each authentication setup.
Solution Approach 2:
Authentication credentials are prepared and distributed in advance by the cloud service manager before components need to communicate. Certificates and public keys are generated and distributed proactively, so that when authentication is needed, the process has already been completed automatically.
3Ease of operation
If automated certificate generation is implemented, then manual effort is reduced, but the need for secure token transmission and certificate management increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The cloud service manager combines multiple functions into a single centralized component: it generates certificates, manages public key distribution, handles authentication credentials, and coordinates trust establishment. This consolidation simplifies the overall system architecture by providing a single point of control for all authentication and trust management operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud service manager serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of certificate management and secure transmission, shielding other components from these complexities. The public cloud controller and management plane interact with the cloud service manager through standardized interfaces, while the certificate management complexity remains encapsulated within the intermediary.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for managing a trusted connection within a public cloud comprises transmitting a first token and a second token from a cloud service manager to a public cloud controller, initializing a public cloud manager in response to receipt of the first token and the second token, and generate a cloud certificate, and transmitting the cloud certificate and the second token from the public cloud manager to a management plane. The method further comprises establishing a trusted connection between the public cloud controller and the management plane in response to receipt of the cloud certificate and the second token by the management plane.