Run Command Service for Virtual Machine Permission Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Companies face challenges in managing and administering large numbers of virtual machine instances due to difficulties in issuing changes and running commands across multiple servers, especially with limited IT staff, and in enforcing fine-grained control over user permissions.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows administrators to delegate customized administrative tasks through a 'run command service' which enables users to execute predefined or custom command documents on multiple virtual machine instances, with fine-grained permission control and auditing capabilities, eliminating the need for individual connections to each server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If administrators manually connect to each virtual machine instance to issue commands, then fine-grained control over user permissions is maintained, but administrative time and operational complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a run command service as an intermediary component that mediates between users and virtual machine instances. This service receives commands from users, validates permissions against defined policies, and executes commands on target instances without requiring administrators to manually connect to each machine. The intermediary approach maintains security control while dramatically reducing administrative overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The run command service provides universal functionality for executing commands across multiple virtual machine instances through a single interface. It handles permission validation, command routing, and execution coordination centrally, allowing administrators to manage fleets of instances uniformly rather than individually connecting to each system.
2Reliability
If fine-grained permission control is implemented for each user operation, then security is improved, but system complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary permission validation through policies defined in the run command service before commands are executed on virtual machine instances. Users must have appropriate permissions defined in advance through policy configurations, which are checked by the service prior to command execution. This preliminary action ensures security requirements are met without adding complexity to the actual command execution process.
3Manufacturing precision
If administrators issue commands to multiple virtual machine instances individually, then precise control over each instance is maintained, but productivity and scalability are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The run command service acts as an intermediary that receives commands targeting multiple virtual machine instances simultaneously, validates permissions for each target, and coordinates execution across the fleet. This maintains precise control over which users can execute which commands on which instances while enabling batch operations that dramatically improve productivity compared to individual instance management.
Data Source
AI summary
A selection of a document that includes a command and a parameter is received, and a user is caused to be associated with a policy that grants permission to execute the document. A request is received, from a requestor, to execute the document, the request including a parameter value, and the requestor is determined to be the user associated with the policy. The user is validated to have access to a resource indicated by the parameter value, and the command is caused to be executed against the resource.