Apparatus for importing and exporting partially encrypted configuration data

• US 6,292,790 B1
• Filed: 10/20/1997
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: David K. Poole, James E. Krahn, Jody L. Terrill
• Original Assignee: David K. Poole, James E. Krahn, Jody L. Terrill
• Inventors: Poole, David K., Terrill, Jody L., Krahn, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dixon, Thomas A.
• Application Number:
  US08/953,539
• Time in Patent Office: 1,429 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/50, 707/204, 707/10, 395/703, 395/51, 395/701, 380/4, 380/25, 380/3, 713/151, 713/155, 700/79
• US Class Current: 705/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself

Abstract

An apparatus for importing and exporting computer based configuration data to and from text based files in which part of the data is encrypted for confidentiality. The apparatus allows the resulting text file to be selectively edited prior to an import, providing for flexibility on behalf of system administrators without compromising the security of encrypted data.

Claims

1. A configuration export apparatus for enabling a system administrator having a data password to export configuration data to a persistent configuration text file, the configuration export apparatus comprising:

an encryption apparatus configured to derive an encryption key from the data password;

a save configuration control apparatus configured to select an export operation;

a configuration variable table having at least one configuration variable set, each configuration variable set having at least one configuration variable, each configuration variable having;

a memory identifier,

a memory value,

a textual identifier, and

a textual value,

each configuration variable being denoted as either a private variable or a public variable;

a server configuration export apparatus in operative communication with the encryption apparatus and the configuration variable table, the server configuration export apparatus being configured to derive the textual value of each configuration variable from the memory value of the public configuration variable;

wherein the encryption apparatus is further configured to encrypt the textual value of each configuration variable denoted as a private variable using the encryption key; and

a client configuration export apparatus in operative communication with the save configuration control apparatus and the server configuration control apparatus, the client configuration export apparatus being configured to receive the data password and a file name of the persistent configuration text file, hash the data password into a textual hashed digest, write the textual hashed digest to the persistent configuration text file, and for each configuration variable in the configuration variable table, receive the textual identifier and the textual value from the server configuration export apparatus, write the textual identifier and the textual value to the persistent configuration text file, and textually associate the memory identifier and the textual value in the persistent configuration text file.

2. A configuration import apparatus for enabling a system administrator having a data password to import configuration data from a persistent configuration text file, the persistent configuration text file having a textual hashed digest and at least one textual configuration variable, each textual configuration variable being denoted as public or private and having a textual identifier and a textual value, the configuration import apparatus comprising:

a restore configuration control apparatus being configured to select an import operation, authenticate the data password, and selectively retrieve the private and/or public textual configuration variables from the persistent configuration test file;

a decryption apparatus in operative communication with the restore configuration control apparatus, the decryption apparatus being configured to derive a decryption key from the data password and to decrypt the textual value of each private textual configuration variable retrieved by the restore configuration control apparatus using the decryption key;

a configuration variable table having at least one configuration variable set, each configuration variable set having at least one configuration variable, each configuration variable having;

a memory identifier,

memory value,

a textual identifier, and

a textual value,

each configuration variable being denoted as either a private variable or a public variable;

a server configuration import apparatus in operative communication with the restore configuration control apparatus, the decryption apparatus, and the configuration variable table, the server configuration import apparatus being configured, for each textual configuration variable retrieved by the restore configuration control apparatus, to derive the memory value from the textual value of the textual configuration variable, and to update the corresponding public and private configuration variables in the configuration variable table if the data password is authentic or to update only the public configuration variables if the data password is not authentic.

3. A configuration import/export apparatus for enabling a system administrator having a data password to import and export configuration data to and from a persistent configuration text file having a textual hashed digest and at least one textual configuration variable, each textual configuration variable further comprising a textual identifier and a textual value, the configuration import/export apparatus comprising:

a save/restore configuration control apparatus configured to select either an import or an export operation, and during an import operation to authenticate the data password and selectively retrieve the private and/or public textual configuration variables from the persistent configuration test file;

a memory configuration table having at least one configuration variable set, each configuration variable set having at least configuration variable, each configuration variable having;

memory identifier,

a memory value,

a textual identifier, and

a textual value,

each configuration variable being denoted as either a private variable or a public variable;

an encryption/decryption apparatus being configured to derive an encryption/decryption key from the data password, and to selectively encrypt the textual value of each private configuration variable during an export operation or decrypt the textual value during an import operation;

a server configuration import/export apparatus in operative communication with the encryption/decryption apparatus, the save/restore configuration control apparatus, and the configuration variable table, the server configuration import/export apparatus being configured, for each public and/or private configuration variable, to selectively derive the textual value from the memory value of the configuration variable, during an export operation or to derive the memory value from the textual value of the configuration variable and update the corresponding values of the configuration variable table during an import operation; and

a client configuration import/export apparatus in operative communication with the save/restore configuration control apparatus and the server configuration control apparatus, the client configuration import/export apparatus being configured, during an export operation, to selectively receive the data password and a file name of the persistent configuration text file, hash the data password into a textual hashed digest, write the textual hashed digest to the persistent configuration text file, and for each configuration variable in the configuration variable table, receives the textual identifier and the textual value from the server configuration import/export apparatus, write the textual identifier and the textual value to the persistent configuration text file, and textually associate the memory identifier and the textual value in the persistent configuration text file.

4. The configuration import/export apparatus of claim 3, further comprising a server, wherein the server contains the server configuration import/export apparatus and the encryption/decryption apparatus.

5. The configuration import/export apparatus of claim 4, wherein the server is a virtual private network server.

6. The configuration import/export apparatus of claim 5 wherein the encryption/decryption apparatus utilizes a DES algorithm.

7. A configuration export apparatus for enabling a system administrator having a data password to export configuration data from a configuration variable table data to a persistent configuration text file, the configuration export apparatus comprising:

a save configuration control apparatus configured to initiate an export operation and poll the system administrator for the data password;

a server configuration export apparatus in operative communication with the save configuration control apparatus, the server configuration export apparatus configured to selectively retrieve each configuration variable from the configuration variable table;

an encryption device in operative communication with the server configuration export apparatus, the encryption device configured to selectively encrypt each private configuration variable retrieved by the server configuration export apparatus; and

a client configuration export apparatus in operative communication with the server configuration export apparatus and the save configuration control apparatus, the client configuration control apparatus configured to encrypt the data password, to selectively receive each configuration variable from the server configuration export apparatus, and to write the encrypted data password and each configuration variable to the persistent configuration text file.

8. A configuration import apparatus for enabling a system administrator having a data password to import configuration data from a persistent configuration text file to a configuration variable table, the persistent configuration text file having an encrypted data password and at least one configuration variable being denoted as public or private, the configuration import apparatus comprising:

restore configuration control apparatus configured to poll the system administrator for the name of the persistent configuration text file and the data password, to authenticate the data password against the encrypted data password in the persistent configuration text file and to selectively retrieve each configuration variable from the persistent configuration text file;

a decryption apparatus in operative communication with the restore configuration control apparatus, the decryption apparatus configured to selectively decrypt the private configuration variable if the data password is authentic; and

a server configuration import apparatus in operative communication with the decryption apparatus and the restore configuration control apparatus, the server configuration control apparatus configured to selectively update the configuration variable table with each public and decrypted private configuration variable retrieved from the persistent configuration text file if the data password is authentic or to selectively update the configuration variable table with only each public configuration variable retrieved from the persistent configuration text file if the data password is not authentic.