OS-Level Cable Locking Controller for Data Center Security
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Solution Overview
Problem
In modern cloud service providers and data centers, managing the connections of numerous cables to computers is time-consuming and prone to malfunctions due to incorrect handling, necessitating a secure and efficient system for locking and unlocking cables to ensure proper operation and prevent failures.
Innovation Solution
A system with locking elements and controllers that authenticate users and perform OS-level control to manage the locking of cables, allowing authorized access while preventing unauthorized actions, using a common interface to coordinate multiple independent controllers and ensure secure and efficient cable management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual cable management is used in data centers, then ease of operation is maintained, but reliability deteriorates due to incorrect handling and malfunctions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical cable handling with an automated locking system that uses electronic controllers and locking elements to secure cables. The system substitutes human-operated mechanical connections with automated electro-mechanical locking mechanisms controlled by software, eliminating incorrect manual handling while maintaining operational efficiency through centralized control interfaces.
2Reliability
If locking elements are added to secure cables, then reliability improves, but device complexity worsens due to additional controllers and interface requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal locking system where a single common interface can control multiple locking elements across different cable connections. The system uses standardized locking mechanisms and a unified control interface that can manage various cable types (power, data, communication) through the same architecture, reducing overall system complexity despite adding security functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a common interface as an intermediary layer between the control system and multiple locking elements. This mediator abstracts the complexity of individual locking mechanisms, providing a standardized method to control all locks through a single interface, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture while maintaining reliable cable security.
3Reliability
If user authentication is implemented, then reliability improves by preventing unauthorized access, but ease of operation deteriorates due to additional authentication steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service authentication where users can independently verify and authenticate themselves through the system interface without requiring manual intervention from administrators. The authentication process is automated and integrated into the existing user workflows, allowing authorized personnel to unlock cables through self-service authentication while maintaining security protocols.
Data Source
AI summary
A system is provided and includes a securable resource, a locking element configured to assume a locked condition in which the securable resource is locked and an unlocked condition in which the securable resource is unlocked, a first controller, which is receptive of an instruction to authorize users to unlock the securable resource, and a common interface to which the first controller and additional controllers, which are independent from the first controller and one another, are tied. The first controller is configured to authenticate the users and to perform operating system (OS) level control of the locking element in accordance with the instruction to authorize users and an authentication of the users by the common interface.