Method and an apparatus for automatic creation of secure connections between segmented resource farms in a utility computing environment

• US 20070094370A1
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Graves, David, Day, Philip
• Granted Patent: US 7,840,902 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/20 for managing network security; network security policies in general filtering policies H04L63/0227

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for automatic creation of secure connections between segmented resource farms in a utility computing environment. According to one embodiment, farms are automatically created using visual representations of the farms as a specification. A shared subnet is created as the basis of a secure connection, visual representations of one or more farms are associated with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

Claims

1. A method of automatic creation of secure connections between segmented resource farms in a utility computing environment, the method comprising:

automatically creating farms using visual representations of the farms as a specification;

creating a shared subnet as the basis of a secure connection; and

associating visual representations of one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the associating of visual representations of the one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms further comprises:

using visual representations of ends of a tunnel to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using visual representations of farms that are stored in a repository to enable the farms to be automatically created.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using subdivisions of another farm to enable the farms to be automatically created.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using a mirror image of another farm to enable a particular farm to be automatically created.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the automatically creating of the farms using the visual representations of the farms as a specification further comprises using visual representations of farms that were created by a development tool to enable the farms to be automatically created; and

the creating of the shared subnet as the basis of the secure connection further comprises using visual representations of ends of the secure connection that were created by the development tool to enable the creation of the secure connection, wherein the same shared subnet name is associated with all of the ends of the secure connection.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

associating one or more access lists with the secure connection; and

determining whether the secure connection can be established based on the one or more access lists.

8. An apparatus for automatic creation of secure connections between segmented resource farms in a utility computing environment, the apparatus comprising:

a farm creator for automatically creating farms using visual representations of the farms as a specification;

a connection creator for creating a shared subnet as the basis of a secure connection; and

a connection associator for associating visual representations of one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection associator associates all of the ends of a visual representation of the secure connection that have the same subnet.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection creator uses visual representations of farms that are stored in a repository to enable the farms to be automatically created.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the connection creator uses subdivisions of another farm to enable the farms to be automatically created.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, the connection creator uses a mirror image of another farm to enable a particular farm to be automatically created.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein:

the connection creator uses visual representations of farms that were created by a development tool to automatically create the farms to be automatically created; and

the connection associator uses visual representations of ends of the secure connection that were created by the development tool to create the secure connection, wherein the same shared subnet name is associated with all of the ends of the secure connection.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

the connection creator enables the association of one or more access lists with the secure connection; and

the connection creator enables the determination of whether the secure connection can be established based on the one or more access lists.

15. A computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein for causing a computer system to perform a method of automatic creation of secure connections between segmented resource farms in a utility computing environment, the method comprising:

automatically creating farms using visual representations of the farms as a specification;

creating a shared subnet as the basis of a secure connection; and

associating visual representations of one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

16. The computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the associating of visual representations of the one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms further comprises:

using visual representations of ends of a tunnel to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.

17. The computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using visual representations of farms that are stored in a repository to enable the farms to be automatically created.

18. The computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using subdivisions of another farm to enable the farms to be automatically created.

19. The computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein the automatically creating of farms using the visual representations of the farms as the specification further comprises:

using a mirror image of another farm to enable a particular farm to be automatically created.

20. The computer-usable medium of claim 15, wherein the computer-readable program code embodied therein causes a computer system to perform the method, and wherein:

the automatically creating of the farms using the visual representations of the farms as a specification further comprises using visual representations of farms that were created by a development tool to enable the farms to be automatically created; and

the creating of the shared subnet as the basis of the secure connection further comprises using visual representations of ends of the secure connection that were created by the development tool to enable the creation of the secure connection, wherein the same shared subnet name is associated with all of the ends of the secure connection.

21. A data center comprising:

a plurality of information technology (IT) resources and connections coupled with said plurality of IT resources;

with each of said plurality of IT resources represented in a machine-readable map;

automatically creating farms using visual representations of the farms as a specification;

creating a shared subnet as the basis of a secure connection; and

associating visual representations of one or more farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the one or more farms.