Database Host Certificate Generation for Secure Client Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
In multi-tenant database management systems, establishing secure communication connections between clients and database hosts can be challenging due to the manual setup requirements of secure communication protocols like TLS, which may not be available 'out-of-the-box' during system setup, especially in environments where clients and hosts are not part of a single on-premise computing system or network.
Innovation Solution
The database management system generates a root certificate and host certificates corresponding to tenants, allowing clients to request and verify these certificates for secure communication, using prior knowledge of the database host to establish secure connections through protocols like TLS or SSH.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual setup of secure communication protocols is required, then security can be ensured, but ease of setup deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The database management system pre-generates and stores root certificates and host certificates during system initialization. These certificates are automatically provided to clients upon connection requests, eliminating the need for manual certificate setup while ensuring security is established before actual communication begins.
2Ease of operation
If automated certificate provision is implemented, then ease of setup improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The database management system automatically manages its own certificate generation, storage, and provisioning to clients. The system self-configures secure communication parameters and distributes certificates without requiring external manual intervention, thereby simplifying setup while containing complexity within the system's automated mechanisms.
3Reliability
If secure protocols like TLS are used, then security improves, but ease of operation worsens due to manual configuration requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-generates root certificates and host certificates during initialization and automatically provides them to clients when connection requests are received. This preliminary preparation of security infrastructure eliminates manual TLS configuration requirements, allowing secure connections to be established automatically without user intervention.
Data Source
AI summary
Various examples are directed to systems and methods using a database management system. The database management system may generate a root certificate for a database host of the database management system and a first host certificate using the root certificate. The database management system may receive, from a first client associated with the first tenant, a request to access the root certificate stored at a root certificate storage location and send the root certificate to the first client. The database management system may receive, from the first client, a request to establish a secure communication connection. The secure communication connection with the first client may be established at least in part by providing the first host certificate to the first client.