Name Resolution System Using User-Friendly Handles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for sharing documents in distributed networks require third-party services, are insecure, and rely on user-unfriendly IP addresses or public keys, making it difficult for users to access documents without knowing the machine location or IP address.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that uses user-friendly handles, such as email addresses, to identify machine locations, allowing access to documents without needing to know the IP address or public key, by intercepting requests and replacing handles with machine locations, enabling secure and efficient document sharing within a network.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If DNS is used for name resolution, then users can access machines using domain names instead of IP addresses, but it requires third-party DNS servers and is not secure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a name resolution service that acts as an intermediary between users and the DNS system. This service stores mappings between user-friendly names and machine locations locally, allowing resolution without querying external DNS servers, thereby eliminating the security vulnerability of conventional DNS while maintaining ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the name resolution functionality from the centralized DNS system and implements it locally within the secure network environment. By taking out the resolution logic from the untrusted external DNS infrastructure, the system maintains user-friendly name access while eliminating dependency on third-party DNS servers
2Reliability
If IP addresses are used for machine location identification, then machines can be uniquely identified on the network, but users cannot easily remember or use these numeric addresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a copy or alias of the machine's identity in the form of a user-friendly name that maps to the actual machine location. Instead of requiring users to directly use the IP address, the system maintains a local mapping table that copies the association between human-readable names and machine locations, making access easy while preserving the unique identification capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the identification system into two parts: the user-facing layer that uses friendly names, and the system layer that uses IP addresses. This segmentation allows each layer to use the most appropriate identification method for its purpose, with the friendly name layer handling user interaction and the IP address layer handling actual network communication
3Reliability
If public key cryptography is used for secure data exchange, then users can securely communicate over unsecure networks, but public keys are difficult to memorize and share
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces name resolution as an intermediary layer between the user and the public key infrastructure. Instead of requiring users to directly handle public keys, the system resolves user-friendly names to the appropriate cryptographic identifiers, simplifying key management while maintaining the security benefits of public key cryptography
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a copy or alias of the public key in the form of a user-friendly name. This name serves as a convenient reference that maps to the actual public key or cryptographic identifier, making it easy for users to share and remember security credentials without compromising the cryptographic security
Data Source
AI summary
In accordance with various aspects, the present invention relates to accessing and publishing documents between two computer systems or nodes that are connected together in a network environment. The system and method for name resolution stores an identity information document containing a user-friendly handle signifying identity, such as an email address, and a machine location, such as an IP address, for the publishing computer system where the documents are stored. Next, the system and method intercepts an initial request for access to documents when the initial request includes a user-friendly handle and replaces the user-friendly handle with the machine location, so that network users may easily access these documents through knowledge only of the user-friendly handle.