Remote Security Configuration for Distributed Software Agents

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current systems face challenges in efficiently managing inter-core relationships and security configurations across distributed applications, particularly in aggregating and transmitting data between cores and evaluating security policies in a dynamic network environment.

Innovation Solution

The method involves signaling applications across multiple cores, aggregating information, and transmitting relevant data while associating mobile agents with security policies to evaluate and manage security configurations dynamically.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If security configurations are managed centrally in current systems, then security policy enforcement is consistent, but system complexity and communication overhead between cores increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity policy enforcement consistencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments security configuration management by associating each mobile agent with its own security policy locally. Instead of centralized management, security policies are distributed to individual agents, allowing each agent to autonomously evaluate incoming messages against its assigned policy. This segmentation reduces inter-core communication overhead while maintaining consistent security enforcement through standardized policy evaluation mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Adaptability or versatility

If security policies are evaluated dynamically for each message, then security adaptability improves, but processing time and computational resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesecurity adaptabilityVSAvoidmessage processing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-associated security policies with mobile agents before message evaluation. Each agent receives and stores its security policy in advance, so when a message arrives, the agent can immediately evaluate it against the pre-loaded policy without requiring real-time policy retrieval or complex dynamic analysis. This preliminary preparation reduces processing time while maintaining dynamic adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Productivity

If inter-core data aggregation is performed frequently, then data management efficiency improves, but network traffic and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata management efficiencyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements periodic action by having mobile agents transmit aggregated information to their home core at regular intervals or upon specific triggers, rather than continuously or with every data change. This periodic transmission approach maintains data management efficiency by ensuring cores receive updated information while reducing network traffic and energy consumption compared to continuous real-time synchronization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS7752255B2Configuring software agent security remotely
Publication Date: 2010.07.06 MEC MANAGEMENT LLC
  • US7752255B2 patent drawing
  • US7752255B2 patent drawing
  • US7752255B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A device, method, computer program product, and network subsystem are described for receiving information from a remote agent locally and responding to the information from the remote agent by deciding whether to signal a change of a security configuration of the remote agent.