Secret Management in Container Orchestration Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
In container-orchestration systems, during upgrades, the real and updated values of secrets, especially certificates, are lost, leading to runtime errors and security issues due to the replacement with dummy values, causing increased certificate management complexity and service unavailability.
Innovation Solution
A method for creating and managing secrets in container-orchestration systems that involves creating a secret description to identify characteristics, populating data fields based on this description, and maintaining secret values without overwriting existing data fields during upgrades, ensuring correct secret information is accessed and updated efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If secrets are declared in configuration database with default or initial values, then secrets can be created and populated during runtime, but during upgrade the real values are lost and replaced with predetermined dummy values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the secret management into two distinct parts: the secret object (which stores the actual sensitive data) and the configuration database (which only contains the secret's metadata and description). This segmentation prevents the configuration database from overwriting the actual secret values during upgrades, as the secret object is treated as a separate entity that persists independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary actions by creating the secret object with a unique identifier and description before the upgrade process begins. This preliminary creation establishes the secret's identity in advance, allowing the system to recognize and preserve it during subsequent upgrade operations rather than recreating it with dummy values.
2Reliability
If controller writes correct secret values after each upgrade, then secret accuracy is maintained, but service unavailability time increases and certificate management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by making the secret object immutable after creation - it automatically preserves its values without requiring external intervention from the controller during upgrades. The secret management system itself handles the preservation automatically, eliminating the need for manual rewriting operations and reducing service unavailability time.
Solution Approach 2:
By pre-creating the secret object with proper identification attributes before upgrades, the system establishes a persistent identity that automatically survives upgrade processes. This preliminary setup eliminates the need for post-upgrade value rewriting, as the secret's identity allows it to be automatically recognized and preserved.
3Reliability
If certificates are reissued during upgrade, then new certificates are available, but the number of valid certificates in PKI database increases causing confusion and resource consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies discarding and recovering by maintaining a single valid certificate instance through the upgrade process. Instead of creating new certificates during upgrades, the system preserves the existing certificate object, effectively discarding the notion of recreation and recovering the original certificate's identity and values. This prevents accumulation of multiple valid certificates for the same entity.
Solution Approach 2:
By separating the certificate object from the upgrade process, the patent ensures that certificate reissuance is decoupled from upgrade operations. The certificate maintains its own independent lifecycle, preventing automatic recreation during upgrades and thus avoiding multiplication of certificate instances in the PKI database.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the invention can relate to methods for operating a container group and/or a controller in a container-orchestration system for an effective management of a secret of the container-orchestration system. In one instance, the method comprises the steps of: creating the secret description for identifying one or more characteristics of the secret, creating the secret without data fields, instructing the controller to populate one or more of the data fields of the secret based on the secret description, accessing the secret. Further embodiments relate to a container group, a controller and a container-orchestration system.