Cluster Key Synchronization via Coordinator Appliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Clustered security systems face challenges in managing and synchronizing encryption keys across multiple security appliances, leading to inconsistencies when one appliance becomes inactive, and administrators struggle to coordinate key management and synchronization.
Innovation Solution
A system and protocol that assign sequence numbers to key objects and store them in identified spaces, allowing synchronization among security appliances by tracking sequence counters, ensuring that only key objects with higher or equal sequence numbers are transferred, and utilizing a coordinator appliance to maintain synchronization even if nodes go offline.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional key synchronization methods are used in clustered security systems, then key management can be performed across multiple appliances, but inconsistencies occur when appliances become inactive and administrators struggle to coordinate synchronization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a coordinator appliance as an intermediary that centralizes key synchronization management. The coordinator receives key objects from active appliances and distributes them to inactive ones, eliminating the need for administrators to manually coordinate synchronization between multiple appliances. This mediator approach resolves the contradiction by maintaining reliability through centralized control while simplifying operation through automated coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the coordinator appliance tracks the status of cluster members and automatically initiates synchronization operations. When an appliance becomes inactive or returns online, the coordinator detects this state change and triggers appropriate key distribution or collection actions. This automated feedback loop ensures consistency without requiring administrator intervention, resolving the contradiction between reliability and ease of operation.
2Reliability
If key objects are synchronized across all cluster members, then consistency is maintained, but system complexity increases for managing multiple appliances and synchronization protocols
Solution Approach 1:
The coordinator appliance serves as an intermediary that simplifies the synchronization architecture. Instead of implementing complex peer-to-peer synchronization protocols between all cluster members, each appliance only needs to communicate with the coordinator. The coordinator handles all synchronization logic, reducing device complexity while maintaining key object consistency across the cluster.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements selective synchronization where only key objects with sequence numbers higher than what a receiving appliance already has are transferred. This partial action approach avoids unnecessary data transmission and processing, reducing system complexity while ensuring consistency. The coordinator tracks sequence numbers to determine what synchronization is actually needed, rather than forcing full synchronization cycles.
3Measurement precision
If sequence numbers are assigned to all key objects for tracking, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but information overhead and processing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the sequence number as a separate metadata field from the key object itself. This allows the system to track synchronization status with high precision using sequence numbers while keeping the actual key object data minimal. The coordinator and appliances only need to exchange sequence numbers to determine synchronization needs, reducing information overhead while maintaining tracking accuracy. Full key objects are only transmitted when actually needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatus and method for synchronizing encryption keys among a cluster of security appliances and stand alone lifetime key management, LKM, appliances. The cluster includes security appliances where new encryption keys are generated and assigned to an SNS ID with an SNS CTR (counter). The security appliances inside a cluster have local sequence counters and share their keys. One security appliance is a coordinator with which the LKMs will synchronize. Each LKM also has a SNS ID and local sequence counter from which increasing sequence numbers are generated. In each security appliance in a cluster, the up-to-date stored sets of keys are organized with respect to SNS IDs and SNS CTRs associated with the other cluster members. The object keys are stored in the SNS space and a peer map associates a given peer with a given SNS ID, and version numbers are assigned and incremented when a key is modified.