Universal Instance Metadata Service for Cross-Cloud Credential Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cloud computing platforms operate as closed ecosystems, requiring different credentials for software to access functions across various platforms, which complicates the conveyance of credentials and seamless access to cloud services.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilize a universal instance metadata service (UIMS) to route network calls from a workload in a first cloud platform to a second cloud platform, providing valid credentials for accessing cloud services across multiple platforms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If different credentials are used for each cloud platform, then access to cloud services is enabled, but system complexity increases and seamless access across platforms is hindered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a credential translation service as an intermediary component that sits between the application and multiple cloud platform credential systems. This service receives credential requests, translates them into the appropriate platform-specific credentials, and returns the translated credentials to the application. This mediator approach allows the system to support multiple cloud platforms without requiring the application to directly manage different credential types for each platform, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a universal credential interface that provides a single, standardized method for applications to request credentials regardless of the target cloud platform. This universal interface abstracts away the platform-specific details and provides a multi-functional entry point that can serve multiple cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, etc.) through a single API, eliminating the need for separate credential management code for each platform.
2Reliability
If cloud platforms operate as closed ecosystems, then platform-specific security is maintained, but cross-platform workload deployment becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The credential translation service acts as a security-preserving intermediary that maintains platform-specific security boundaries while enabling cross-platform deployment. The service communicates with each cloud platform's native credential system through official APIs, ensuring that each platform's security model is respected and maintained. Meanwhile, the service translates between these different security models, allowing workloads to deploy across platforms without compromising the reliability of platform-specific security mechanisms.
3Adaptability or versatility
If software is modified to accommodate different credentials, then access to multiple cloud platforms is enabled, but software maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts credential translation functionality from the application code and places it in a separate, dedicated credential translation service. This extraction removes the complexity of handling multiple credential systems from the application, allowing the application to remain simple and easy to maintain. The credential translation logic is isolated in the external service, which can be updated, maintained, and improved independently without affecting the application codebase.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing the credential translation service as an intermediary layer between the application and cloud platforms, the patent creates a stable interface that the application can rely on. The application interacts only with the standardized credential translation API, which handles all platform-specific variations. This intermediary approach ensures that changes in cloud platform credential systems do not require modifications to the application, significantly reducing software maintenance complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A system for cross cloud workload identity virtualization including a program having instructions to route a first network call from a workload in a first cloud computing environment addressed to a first cloud computing environment instance metadata service (IMS) having destination data with an IP address of 169.254.169.254 to a universal IMS (UIMS) different from the first cloud computing environment IMS, route a second network call from the workload addressed to a destination other than the first cloud computing environment IMS to the destination indicated by the second network call, respond to the first network call with credentials valid for accessing a cloud service provided in a second cloud computing environment. The workload can access the cloud service from the first cloud computing environment, and access the cloud service from a third cloud computing environment different from the first cloud computing environment.