Host OS Mediator for Virtualized Name Resolution Policy Consistency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Software components executing in virtualized environments often receive inconsistent network addresses when using name resolution services, leading to network security issues due to a lack of enforced name resolution policy consistency.
Innovation Solution
Intercepting name resolution requests in a virtualized environment and forwarding them to the host OS for processing, ensuring that the same name resolution policy is applied to both virtualized and direct host components by utilizing a user process to make API calls to the host's name resolution API, which consults the host's name resolution policy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If name resolution requests from virtualized components are handled independently by the guest OS, then the virtualized environment maintains operational independence, but name resolution policy consistency and network security are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the host OS acts as a mediator between virtualized components and name resolution services. Name resolution requests from virtualized components are intercepted and forwarded to the host OS, which applies consistent name resolution policies before returning results. This maintains operational independence while ensuring policy consistency.
2Reliability
If name resolution requests are intercepted and forwarded to the host OS, then name resolution policy consistency is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The host OS is designed to handle multiple functions: it continues to manage host components while also serving as the name resolution authority for virtualized components. By making the host OS universal and multi-functional, the patent avoids adding separate dedicated name resolution infrastructure, thereby limiting the increase in system complexity.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the host OS processes all name resolution requests from virtualized components, then network security is improved through enforced policy, but processing overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the name resolution processing function from the virtualized environment and consolidates it in the host OS. By taking out this specific function from multiple virtualized instances and centralizing it in the host, the system reduces redundant processing while maintaining security policy enforcement, thereby limiting the increase in processing overhead.
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies are disclosed for providing name resolution services to components executing in a virtualized environment. A name resolution request generated by a component executing within a virtualized environment is intercepted and forwarded from the virtualized environment to a host operating system (“OS”). A user process is then executed that requests that the host OS resolve a name specified by the intercepted name resolution request. Once the user process has received a response to the name resolution request made to the host OS, a response to the original name resolution request made by the component executing within the virtualized environment can be generated based on the response received by the user process. The response to the original name resolution request can then be provided to the component executing in the virtualized environment that requested name resolution.