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

• US 7,840,902 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2005
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Day, Philip John, Graves, David Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Lo; Weilun
• Assistant Examiner(s): WONG, WILLIAM
• Application Number:
  US11/260,511
• Publication Number:
  US 20070094370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 715734-747, 715/733, 715751-759, 715/750, 709220-226
• US Class Current: 715/741
• 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 designed by respective administrators as a specification, wherein each of the farms comprises information technology resources;

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

associating the visual representations of the farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the farms; and

associating one or more access lists with the visual representations of the farms,

wherein the respective administrators that designed the visual representations of the farms authorize that the secure connection can be established between the farms while not authorizing other farms, which are designed by other administrators, to connect through the secure connection by specifying the one or more access lists,

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

wherein 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.

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

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

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the automatically creating of the 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 the 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 the 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 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:

determining whether the secure connection can be established based on the one or more access lists, wherein the secure connection is established as a part of creating the farms that the secure connection connects.

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

a processor for executing instructions;

a computer readable storage medium including the instructions that the processor executes, wherein the instructions implement;

a farm creator configured for automatically creating farms using visual representations of the farms designed by respective administrators as a specification, wherein each of the farms comprises information technology resources;

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

a connection associator configured for associating the visual representations of the farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the farms,

wherein the connection creator is further configured for enabling association of one or more access lists with the secure connection, wherein the one or more access lists are specified by the respective administrators that designed the visual representations of the farms to authorize that the secure connection can be established between the farms while not authorizing other farms, which are designed by other administrators, to connect through the secure connection,

wherein the connection creator is further configured for enabling determination of whether the secure connection can be established based on the one or more access lists,

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

wherein the connection associator uses visual representations of ends of the secure connection that were created by the development tool to create the secure connection.

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, wherein 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 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 associator configured for determining whether the secure connection can be associated with the shared subnet based on the one or more access lists, wherein the secure connection is associated with the shared subnet as a part of creating the farms that the secure connection connects.

15. A computer readable storage medium having computer-readable program code stored thereon, which when executed by a computer system performs 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 designed by respective administrators as a specification, wherein each of the farms comprises information technology resources;

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

associating the visual representations of the farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the farms; and

associating one or more access lists with the visual representations of the farms,

wherein the respective administrators that designed the visual representations of the farms authorize that the secure connection can be established between the farms while not authorizing other farms, which are designed by other administrators, to connect through the secure connection by specifying the one or more access lists,

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

wherein 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.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the associating of the visual representations of the farms with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the farms further comprises:

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

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the automatically creating of the 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 readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the automatically creating of the 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 readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the automatically creating of the 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 readable storage medium of claim 15, 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 the plurality of IT resources, with each of the plurality of IT resources represented in a machine-readable map, wherein at least one of the IT resources includes hardware;

a plurality of farms that were automatically created using visual representations of the farms designed by respective administrators as a specification for the creation of the farms, wherein each of the farms comprises IT resources; and

a shared subnet that was created to provide a basis of a secure connection between the farms,

wherein visual representations of the farms were associated with the shared subnet to form the secure connection between the farms,

wherein one or more access lists are associated with the visual representations of the farms,

wherein the respective administrators that designed the visual representations of the farms authorize that the secure connection can be established between the farms while not authorizing other farms designed by other administrators to connect through the secure connection by specifying the one or more access lists,

wherein the one or more access lists, which are associated with the farms, are used to determine which administrators can access the farms,

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

wherein 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.