Unified Access Control Management Server for Distributed Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Managing access control lists across distributed computer systems is complex due to differing user access control lists, naming conventions, and access rights among sub-systems, leading to difficulties in user authentication and access management.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a management server with a user access list manager module that receives and validates user login requests, obtains and loads user access lists from a database server, creates user identifications, and grants access rights to application systems, utilizing a namespace method to unify access control across multiple sub-systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If every sub-system has its own user access control list, then each sub-system can independently manage access rights, but the management and maintenance complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the access control lists from multiple sub-systems into a single unified access control list managed by a central management server. This consolidation allows different sub-systems to maintain independent access control policies while simplifying overall management through a centralized structure that handles authentication and authorization uniformly across all sub-systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The management server acts as an intermediary between users and multiple sub-systems. It receives login requests from clients, validates credentials against the unified access control list, and facilitates access to appropriate sub-systems. This intermediary approach eliminates the need for users to directly interact with multiple different access control mechanisms while preserving sub-system independence.
2Reliability
If users need to remember larger user name and password and select proper access control list to access corresponding sub-system, then access control can be maintained, but user operation convenience deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The unified access control list serves multiple sub-systems with different access control requirements through a single common structure. Users authenticate once against this universal list, and the management server determines appropriate access rights based on the user's credentials and the target sub-system's requirements. This eliminates the need for users to remember multiple different credential sets while maintaining secure, system-specific access control.
3Device complexity
If a unified access control list is implemented across all sub-systems, then management complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain different access rights for different sub-systems may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
While maintaining a unified access control list structure, the system allows different access rights to be defined for different sub-systems. The management server stores sub-system-specific access control information within the unified list structure, enabling customized access rights for each sub-system while preserving the overall unified structure that simplifies management.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for managing access control list of computer systems includes the steps of receiving a user account login request of accessing an application system; validating the user account login request; obtaining a user access list of the user account from the database server if the user account login request is valid; loading the user access list of the user account in the management server temporarily, and creating a user identification; granting access rights to the user account to the application system according to the access list of the user account. A related system is also disclosed.