Cloud Zone Management via Agent-Based Authentication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current cloud computing environments do not effectively manage private resources of cloud customers, as they are often inaccessible to management servers and lack secure authentication mechanisms, hindering efficient resource management and utilization.
Innovation Solution
A management server is introduced to manage private resources by organizing them into private zones, which can be located behind a firewall, using agents to initiate continuous communication sessions and authenticate authorized agents with tokens for secure resource management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If private resources are located behind a firewall to enhance security, then security is improved, but the management server becomes inaccessible to these resources
Solution Approach 1:
An agent is introduced as an intermediary component deployed on the customer's network behind the firewall. This agent receives management commands from the management server and forwards them to the private resources, enabling indirect access while maintaining firewall security constraints. The agent acts as a secure bridge that allows management functionality without compromising the firewall's protective barrier.
2Ease of operation
If continuous communication sessions are initiated by agents to enable management server access, then accessibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The agent autonomously initiates continuous communication sessions with the management server without requiring manual configuration or intervention. The agent self-manages the connection lifecycle, including establishing, maintaining, and recovering the communication session, thereby simplifying the overall system operation despite the underlying complexity of persistent connections.
3Reliability
If token-based authentication is implemented for agents, then security is improved, but authentication time is increased
Solution Approach 1:
Authentication tokens are pre-generated and configured in the agent before the agent needs to access private resources. The token creation and validation processes are performed in advance, allowing the agent to authenticate quickly when needed without undergoing time-consuming verification procedures at the moment of access.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and systems for managing cloud zones are described herein. A management server for a cloud of computing resources may add private zones to the cloud. The private zones may contain computers owned and operated by a user of the cloud, such as a cloud customer, rather than the cloud operator. The management server may manage the computing resources in the private zone by sending commands to an agent, which in turn relays the management server's commands to the individual computing resources. The agent may be authenticated using a token.