Method, apparatus, and computer program product for dynamic security based grid routing
Inventors
Seaman, James W. • Charboneau, Elizabeth M.
Assignees
Andrei Iancu Under Secretary Of Commerce For Intellectual Property And Director Of United States Patent And Trademark Office And Successors Thereto • Ashley Moody Florida Office Of Attorney General And Successors Thereto • Heuer Joan D • Jeanette Nunez Lieutenant Governor Of Florida And Successors Thereto • Laurel M Lee Florida Secretary Of State And Successors Thereto • Steven Mnuchin United States Secretary Of Treasury And Successors Thereto • Bureau of the Fiscal Service
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Publication Number
US-9531580-B1
Publication Date
2016-12-27
Expiration Date
2026-12-06
Abstract
A method of routing data that is part of a grid job including steps of: receiving a data packet at a routing device; determining whether the data packet is identified as part of a grid job; and routing the data packet that is identified as part of a grid job through the Internet to an external node.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a method, apparatus, and computer program product for dynamic security based routing in grid enabled computing environments. Specifically, it routes data that is part of a grid job by receiving data packets at a routing device, determining whether these packets are part of a grid job, and routing them through the Internet to external nodes, including nodes outside the originating computer environment.
The problem being solved arises from limitations in conventional static routing methods and grid processing. Existing routing restricts communication within bounded grid clusters and does not permit dynamic routing of packets without specific destination addresses, thereby limiting the utilization of shared external resources for grid jobs. Moreover, security concerns prevent processing of sensitive data outside secure environments, while true grid computing requires free flow of grid job packets beyond internal clusters, which conventional routers and firewalls block.
Claims Coverage
The patent contains two independent claims focused on methods and systems for routing data packets related to grid jobs across separate computer environments using a security-aware routing device.
Dynamic routing of grid job packets without destination addresses
A routing device receives data packets identified via header information as part of a grid job and routes them through the Internet to nodes in a second computer environment. These data packets, termed grid-routing agents, do not include destination addresses and are routed using a broadcast protocol that allows traversal through a firewall based on an assigned security level.
Assignment and use of security levels for grid-routing agents
Grid-routing agents are programmed with security levels based on the degree of security assigned to data and the complexity of processing, including the acceptable degree of data corruption. Routing through the firewall is performed according to these assigned security levels to ensure data security and processing integrity.
Dispatching and management of grid-router agents between computer environments
When initiating grid job execution, grid-router agents are dispatched from a first computer environment through a firewall to a second environment based on job requirements such as parallelism and security. The firewall routes agents identified as part of the grid job through to the external network. Information from these agents regarding available resources is received and recorded in a tracking table to manage job execution.
System components configured for secure routing and tracking
The system includes units configured to receive data packets, determine grid job identification via headers, route packets through the Internet based on security levels, and record information about remote resources. The firewall component integrates security checks to permit packets without destination addresses that are part of grid jobs to pass through securely.
The independent claims collectively cover innovative techniques for securely routing grid job data packets lacking destination addresses across different computer environments by applying security-level-based routing through firewalls, dispatching specialized routing agents, and tracking resource availability to enable dynamic and secure execution of distributed grid jobs.
Stated Advantages
Enables utilization of external processing resources beyond internal grid clusters, facilitating true grid computing across the Internet.
Maintains the security, confidentiality, and reliability of data by assigning and enforcing security levels during routing and processing.
Allows dynamic discovery and utilization of processing resources by dispatching grid-routing agents that identify suitable external nodes.
Improves processing efficiency and parallelism by managing and scheduling grid jobs across both local and external resources according to security and resource requirements.
Enables routing of data packets without requiring destination addresses by modifying routing protocols to support grid job traffic through firewalls.
Documented Applications
Processing large complex jobs by partitioning them into smaller tasks distributed across multiple processors over a network such as the Internet.
Analyzing sensitive and secure data, including financial data, by routing and processing within secure parameters in a grid computing environment.
Increasing computing resource parallelism by including external and unbounded resources beyond enterprise or corporate grid clusters.
Utilizing underutilized computing resources over networks to achieve processing power comparable to supercomputers without purchasing expensive hardware.
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