Centralized Network Connection Management System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network connection management technologies are inefficient in confirming and managing complete and correct allowed connections between multiple endpoints, often leading to mismatched configurations due to their single-endpoint based approach, which can result in security risks and operational issues.
Innovation Solution
A system that manages network connections by storing a list of expected connections using a markup language like YAML, allowing for validation and notification of discrepancies, and enabling the management of permissions and configurations across multiple endpoints to ensure accurate and secure communication settings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If single-endpoint based connection management is used, then configuration simplicity is maintained, but configuration accuracy and security are compromised due to mismatched settings between endpoints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges connection management from multiple endpoints into a single centralized management system. The management system consolidates connection configurations from both endpoints, performs unified validation to ensure matching settings, and enforces consistent security policies across all connections. This eliminates the mismatched configuration problem while maintaining operational simplicity through centralization.
Solution Approach 2:
The management system acts as an intermediary between the two endpoints, receiving connection configuration data from both sides, validating that they match, and coordinating the establishment of allowed connections. This intermediary role ensures configuration accuracy without requiring complex peer-to-peer synchronization between endpoints.
2Reliability
If comprehensive connection validation is implemented, then security is improved, but monitoring and management overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The management system performs connection validation in advance before allowing connections to be established. By pre-validating connection configurations, checking endpoint compatibility, and enforcing security policies beforehand, the system ensures security without requiring continuous monitoring during operation. This preliminary validation approach eliminates the need for ongoing time-consuming checks.
Solution Approach 2:
The management system implements automated feedback mechanisms that continuously monitor connection states and configurations. When changes are detected or validation failures occur, the system automatically notifies relevant parties and enforces corrective actions. This automated feedback loop maintains high security with minimal manual monitoring intervention.
Data Source
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AI summary
The disclosure relates generally to methods, systems, and apparatuses for managing network connections. A system for managing network connections includes a storage component, a decoding component, a rule manager component, and a notification component. The storage component is configured to store a list of expected connections for a plurality of networked machines, wherein each connection in the list of expected connections defines a start point and an end point for the connection. The decoding component is configured to decode messages from the plurality of networked machines indicating one or more connections for a corresponding machine. The rule manager component is configured to identify an unexpected presence or absence of a connection on at least one of the plurality of network machines based on the list of expected connections. The notification component is configured to provide a notification or indication of the unexpected presence or absence.