Automated Firewall ACL Rule Generation Platform
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current manual configuration of Access Control Lists (ACLs) for firewalls in data centers is time-consuming, error-prone, and requires extensive knowledge of diverse vendor hardware and syntax, especially in large and complex environments like healthcare data centers, where continuous updates and audits are necessary.
Innovation Solution
A vendor-agnostic computing platform automatically generates and deploys ACL rules in multiple syntaxes for firewalls, using intelligent discovery modules to identify firewalls and traverse data center mapping structures, thereby simplifying the configuration process and reducing manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual configuration of ACL rules is performed, then flexibility and adaptability are maintained, but time consumption and error rates increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs self-service by automatically discovering firewalls, generating ACL rules, and deploying configurations without manual intervention. The automated discovery module identifies firewalls and their syntax requirements, while the generation module creates appropriate ACL rules based on source and destination IP addresses, eliminating manual configuration errors and time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical manual configuration process with an automated computational system. The discovery module, generation module, and deployment module work together to substitute human operators with an automated system that handles firewall configuration tasks, improving both speed and consistency of operations.
2Reliability
If manual testing and validation of ACL rules is performed, then accuracy can be verified, but time consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where the discovery module continuously monitors the network environment to identify firewalls and their syntax requirements. The generation module uses this feedback to create appropriately formatted ACL rules, and the deployment module validates the configuration deployment, creating a closed-loop feedback system that ensures accuracy without requiring manual testing.
3Adaptability or versatility
If knowledge of multiple vendor hardware and syntax is required, then comprehensive coverage is achieved, but operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system achieves universality by implementing a unified automated platform that handles multiple vendor firewalls with different syntax requirements. The discovery module identifies the specific vendor and syntax for each firewall, while the generation module adapts the ACL rules to match the required syntax, allowing a single system to manage diverse vendor equipment without requiring operators to know each vendor's specific configuration format.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems, methods, and storage media useful in a computing platform to automatically generate and deploy access control list (ACL) rules for one or more firewalls in a data center are provided. The computing platform is vendor-agnostic and generates ACL rules in multiple syntaxes depending on the firewall needing updating. The platform traverses a data center mapping structure to identify one or more firewalls to be updated for a destination IP address and source IP address and automatically generates the ACL rule in the syntax for the one or more firewalls identified.