Operator Station PKI Initialization for Role-Based Certificate Requests
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Solution Overview
Problem
The management of certificates for operator station servers in technical systems is inefficient, leading to unnecessary certificate installations, laborious renewal processes, and potential errors, which can impair system availability and security.
Innovation Solution
A method that initializes operator station servers by establishing connections between engineering and operator station servers, transmitting validation certificates, and configuring certification services to request only required certificates based on the server's role, ensuring efficient certificate management and secure communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all certificates are manually installed on operator station servers during installation and lifecycle, then certificate coverage is comprehensive, but device complexity and time consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The operator station server automatically determines its own role and requests only the certificates it needs from the certification authority, eliminating manual intervention. The server self-configures its certificate requirements based on its functional role in the technical system.
Solution Approach 2:
The certificate management system transitions from a static manual installation process to a dynamic automated process where the operator station server adapts its certificate requests based on its determined role and lifecycle stage, receiving only necessary certificates at appropriate times.
2Reliability
If standard mechanisms monitor all stored certificates for expiry, then certificate security is maintained, but productivity decreases due to unnecessary renewal processes
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of monitoring and renewing all certificates universally, the system applies partial action by monitoring only the specific certificates that are actually required and valid for the operator station server's current role, avoiding unnecessary renewal processes for irrelevant certificates.
Solution Approach 2:
The certification service receives feedback about the operator station server's role and actively manages certificate lifecycles based on this information, triggering renewal processes only when necessary for the actual operational requirements rather than following a blanket monitoring approach.
3Reliability
If dedicated certificates are issued for each communication protocol and partner, then security is improved, but the quantity of certificates increases and management becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The operator station server automatically determines which dedicated certificates are needed for its specific communication requirements based on its role, and requests only those specific certificates from the certification authority, avoiding accumulation of unnecessary certificates.
4Adaptability or versatility
If manual certificate installation and renewal processes are used, then flexibility in certificate selection is maintained, but time consumption and potential for errors increase
Solution Approach 1:
The operator station server autonomously determines its certificate requirements based on its role and automatically requests the necessary certificates from the certification authority, eliminating manual selection processes while maintaining appropriate flexibility for different operational scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary determination of certificate requirements based on the operator station server's role before the actual certificate issuance, ensuring that only necessary certificates are requested and installed, thereby preventing time-consuming manual selection and installation processes.
Data Source
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AI summary
An operator station server (15, 16) of a technical facility is proposed, on which a certification service (37, 38) is implemented. The certification service (37, 38) is configured and intended to receive configuration information, dependent on a role of the operator station server (15, 16) in the technical facility, from an engineering station server (14) and/or from a registration service (19) of the technical facility. This configuration information includes details of which certificates the certification service (37, 38) of the operator station server (15, 16) must request from a certification authority (20, 23) of the technical facility.