Authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine

• US 9,286,459 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2014
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Original Assignee: GlobalFoundries, Inc.
• Inventors: Jenkin, Peter M., Hogg, Anthony B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nalven, Andrew
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUPRECHT, CHRISTOPHER S
• Application Number:
  US14/326,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20150082409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 615 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/128 involving web programs, i.e. using technology especially used in internet, generally interacting with a web browser, e.g. hypertext markup language [HTML], applets, java
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/33 using certificates
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/335 for accessing specific resources, e.g. using Kerberos tickets
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/575 Secure boot
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4401 Bootstrapping security arrangements therefor G06F21/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4406 Loading of operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/441 Multiboot arrangements, i.e. selecting an operating system to be loaded
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4416 Network booting; Remote initial program loading [RIPL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/442 Shutdown
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3228 One-time or temporary data, i.e. information which is sent for every authentication or authorization, e.g. one-time-password, one-time-token or one-time-key
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3263 involving certificates, e.g. public key certificate [PKC] or attribute certificate [AC]; Public key infrastructure [PKI] arrangements network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using certificates in a packet data network H04L63/0823
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]

Abstract

Proposed is a concept for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine. First and second authentication tokens are generated at a client system and communication to a server system providing the virtual machine. The validity of the first and second authentication tokens is verified at the server system. If the validity of the first authentication token is verified, the operating system is shut-down. Then, if the validity of the second authentication token is verified, the operating system is re-started.

Claims

1. A method for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine (VM), the method comprising:

defining, at a client system, a first profile and a first key for a first user and a second profile and a second key for a second user, the first profile and first key for the first user and the second profile and the second key for the second user also being defined on a server system;

receiving, at the client system from the first user, a request for an initial program load (IPL) of an operating system hosted by the VM, the VM being provided by a server system;

generating, at the client system, a first authentication token for the second user and a shut-down instruction for shutting down the operating system, the first authentication token being generated based on the second key of the second user the second user currently having access to the operation system;

communicating, by the client system, the first authentication token and the shut-down instruction to the server system, the first authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the second key prior to execution of the shut-down instruction on the server system to shut-down the operating system;

confirming, at the client system, the shut-down of the operating system;

in response to the confirming, generating, at the client system, a second authentication token for the first user and an IPL instruction for restarting the operating system, the second authentication token being generated based on the first key of the first user; and

communicating, by the client system, the second authentication token and the IPL instruction to the server system, the second authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the first key prior to execution of the IPL instruction on the server system to re-start the operating system.

2. The method of claim 1, the confirming, at the client system, of the shut-down of the operating system comprising monitoring the operating system to determine when the operating system is completely shut-down.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the shut-down instruction further comprises at least one of:

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the IPL instruction further comprises at least one of:

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the first authentication token; and

the second authentication token is generated based on at least one of;

the request for the IPL of the operating system; and

authentication information provided by the client system or a user of the client system.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the first authentication token; and

the second authentication token comprises a one-time use pass key adapted to be rendered invalid when its validity has been checked.

7. A computer program product for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine (VM), the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith, the computer-readable program code being executable by a processor of a client system to perform a method, the method comprising:

defining a first profile and a first key for a first user and a second profile and a second key for a second user, the first profile and first key for the first user and the second profile and the second key for the second user also being defined on a server system;

receiving, from the first user, a request for an initial program load (IPL) of an operating system hosted by the VM, the VM being provided by a server system;

generating a first authentication token for the second user and a shut-down instruction for shutting down the operating system, the first authentication token being generated based on the second key of the second user and the second user currently having access to the operating system;

communicating the first authentication token and the shut-down instruction to the server system, the first authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the second key prior to execution of the shut-down instruction on the server system to shut-down the operating system;

confirming the shut-down of the operating system;

in response to the confirming, generating a second authentication token for the first user and a IPL instruction for restarting the operating system, the second authentication token being generated based on the first key of the first user; and

communicating the second authentication token and the IPL instruction to the server system, the second authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the first key prior to execution of the IPL instruction on the server system to re-start the operating system.

8. A computer system comprising:

a computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code embodied therewith; and

at least one processor accessing the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and executing the computer-readable program code to perform a method for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine (VM), the method comprising;

defining a first profile and a first key for a first user and a second profile and a second key for a second user, the first profile and the first key for the first user and the second profile and the second key for the second user also being defined on a server system;

receiving, from the first user, a request for an initial program load (IPL) of an operating system hosted by the VM, the VM being provided by a server system;

generating a first authentication token for the second user and a shut-down instruction for shutting down the operating system, the first authentication token being generated based on the second key of the second user and the second user currently having access to the operating system;

communicating the first authentication token and the shut-down instruction to the server system, the first authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the second key prior to execution of the shut-down instruction on the server system to shut-down the operating system;

confirming the shut-down of the operating system;

in response to the confirming, generating a second authentication token for the first user and an IPL instruction for restarting the operating system, the second authentication token being generated based on the first key of the first user; and

communicating the second authentication token and the IPL instruction to the server system, the second authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the first key prior to execution of the IPL instruction on the server system to re-start the operating system.

9. A client system for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine (VM) of a server system, the client system comprising:

a processor comprising;

an initial program load (IPL) server defining a first profile and a first key for a first user and a second profile and a second key for a second user, the first profile and first key for the first user and the second profile and the second key for the second user also being defined on a server system; and

an IPL request unit receiving, from the first user, a request for an IPL of an operating system hosted by the VM; and

, generating a first authentication token for the second user and a shut-down instruction for shutting down the operating system, the first authentication token being generated based on the second key of the second user and the second user currently having access to the operating system; and

a communication interface communicating the first authentication token and the shut-down instruction to the server system, the first authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the second key prior to execution of the shut-down instruction on the server system to shut-down the operating system,

the IPL request unit further confirming the shut-down of the operating system and, in response to the confirming, generating a second authentication token for the first user and an IPL instruction for restarting the operating system, the second authentication token being generated based on the first key of the first user, and

the communication interface further communicating the second authentication token and the IPL instruction to the server system, the second authentication token being verifiable by the server system using the first key prior to execution of the IPL instruction on the server system to restart the operating system.

10. The client system of claim 9, the IPL request unit confirming the shut-down of the operating system by monitoring the operating system to determine when the operating system is completely shut-down.

11. The client system of claim 9, wherein at least one of:

the shut-down instruction; and

the IPL instruction further comprises at least one of;

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system.

12. The client system of claim 9, wherein the IPL request unit generates at least one of:

the first authentication token; and

the second authentication token is based on at least one of;

the request for the IPL of the operating system; and

authentication information provided by the client system or a user of the client system.

13. A server system for providing authorized remote access to an operating system hosted by a virtual machine (VM) of the server system, the server system comprising:

a processer defining a first profile and a first key for a first user and a second profile and a second key for a second user, the first profile and the first key to the first user and the second profile and the second key for the second user also being defined on a client system; and

a communication interface receiving, from the client system, a first authentication token for the second user and a shut-down instruction for shutting down the operating system, the first authentication token being generated by the client system based on the second key of the second user and the second user currently having access to the operating system,

the processor further comprising a verification unit verifying that the first authentication token is valid based on the second key,

the processor further executing the shut-down instruction on the server system to shutdown the operating system when the verification unit verifies that the first authentication token is valid,

the communication interface further receiving, from the client system, a second authentication token for the first user and a IPL instruction for restarting the operating system, the second authentication token being generated by the client system based on the first key of the first user following confirmation of the shut-down of the operating system,

the verification unit further verifying that the second authentication token is valid based on the first key, and

the processor further executing the IPL instruction to re-start the operating system when the verification unit verifies that the second authentication token is valid.

14. The server system of claim 13,

wherein the shut-down instruction further comprises at least one of:

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system; and

wherein the verification unit verifying that the first authentication token is valid based on at least one of an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system.

15. The server system of claim 13,

wherein the IPL instruction further comprises at least one of:

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system; and

wherein the verification unit verifying that the second authentication token is valid based on at least one of;

an identification of a user of the client system; and

an identification of the operating system.