Using SAML and XACML for Complex Resource Provisioning in Grid Based Applications

This paper presents ongoing research and current results on the development of flexible access control infrastructure for complex resource provisioning (CRP) in Grid-based applications. The paper proposes a general CRP model and specifies major requirements to the Authorisation (AuthZ) service infrastructure to support multidomain CRP, focusing on two main issues – policy expression for complex resource models and AuthZ session support. The paper provides suggestions about using XACML and its profiles to describe access control policies to complex resources and briefly describes proposed XML based AuthZ ticket format to support extended AuthZ session context. Additionally, the paper discusses what specific functionality can be added to the gLite Java Authorisation Framework (gJAF), to handle dynamic security context including AuthZ session support. The paper is based on experiences gained from major Grid based and Grid oriented projects such as EGEE

Deliverable JRA1.1: Evaluation of current network control and management planes for multi-domain network infrastructure

This deliverable includes a compilation and evaluation of available control and management architectures and protocols applicable to a multilayer infrastructure in a multi-domain Virtual Network environment.The scope of this deliverable is mainly focused on the virtualisation of the resources within a network and at processing nodes. The virtualization of the FEDERICA infrastructure allows the provisioning of its available resources to users by means of FEDERICA slices. A slice is seen by the user as a real physical network under his/her domain, however it maps to a logical partition (a virtual instance) of the physical FEDERICA resources. A slice is built to exhibit to the highest degree all the principles applicable to a physical network (isolation, reproducibility, manageability, ...). Currently, there are no standard definitions available for network virtualization or its associated architectures. Therefore, this deliverable proposes the Virtual Network layer architecture and evaluates a set of Management- and Control Planes that can be used for the partitioning and virtualization of the FEDERICA network resources. This evaluation has been performed taking into account an initial set of FEDERICA requirements; a possible extension of the selected tools will be evaluated in future deliverables. The studies described in this deliverable define the virtual architecture of the FEDERICA infrastructure. During this activity, the need has been recognised to establish a new set of basic definitions (taxonomy) for the building blocks that compose the so-called slice, i.e. the virtual network instantiation (which is virtual with regard to the abstracted view made of the building blocks of the FEDERICA infrastructure) and its architectural plane representation. These definitions will be established as a common nomenclature for the FEDERICA project. Other important aspects when defining a new architecture are the user requirements. It is crucial that the resulting architecture fits the demands that users may have. Since this deliverable has been produced at the same time as the contact process with users, made by the project activities related to the Use Case definitions, JRA1 has proposed a set of basic Use Cases to be considered as starting point for its internal studies. When researchers want to experiment with their developments, they need not only network resources on their slices, but also a slice of the processing resources. These processing slice resources are understood as virtual machine instances that users can use to make them behave as software routers or end nodes, on which to download the software protocols or applications they have produced and want to assess in a realistic environment. Hence, this deliverable also studies the APIs of several virtual machine management software products in order to identify which best suits FEDERICA’s needs.Postprint (published version

Dynamic deployment of web services on the internet or grid

PhD ThesisThis thesis focuses on the area of dynamic Web Service deployment for grid and Internet applications. It presents a new Dynamic Service Oriented Architecture (DynaSOAr) that enables the deployment of Web Services at run-time in response to consumer requests. The service-oriented approach to grid and Internet computing is centred on two parties: the service provider and the service consumer. This thesis investigates the introduction of mobility into this service-oriented approach allowing for better use of resources and improved quality of service. To this end, it examines the role of the service provider and makes the case for a clear separation of its concerns into two distinct roles: that of a Web Service Provider, whose responsibility is to receive and direct consumer requests and supply service implementations, and a Host Provider, whose role is to deploy services and process consumers' requests on available resources. This separation of concerns breaks the implicit bond between a published Web Service endpoint (network address) and the resource upon which the service is deployed. It also allows the architecture to respond dynamically to changes in service demand and the quality of service requirements. Clearly defined interfaces for each role are presented, which form the infrastructure of DynaSOAr. The approach taken is wholly based on Web Services. The dynamic deployment of service code between separate roles, potentially running in different administrative domains, raises a number of security issues which are addressed. A DynaSOAr service invocation involves three parties: the requesting Consumer, a Web Service Provider and a Host Provider; this tripartite relationship requires a security model that allows the concerns of each party to be enforced for a given invocation. This thesis, therefore, presents a Tripartite Security Model and an architecture that allows the representation, propagation and enforcement of three separate sets of constraints. A prototype implementation of DynaSOAr is used to evaluate the claims made, and the results show that a significant benefit in terms of round-trip execution time for data-intensive applications is achieved. Additional benefits in terms of parallel deployments to satisfy multiple concurrent requests are also shown

Security Services Lifecycle Management in On-Demand Infrastructure Services Provisioning

require high-performance and complicated network and computer infrastructure to support distributed collaborating groups of researchers and applications that should be provisioned on-demand. The effective use and management of the dynamically provisioned services can be achieved by using the Service Delivery Framework (SDF) proposed by TeleManagement Forum that provides a good basis for defining the whole services life cycle management and supporting infrastructure services. The paper discusses conceptual issues, basic requirements and practical suggestions for provisioning consistent security services as a part of the general e-Science infrastructure provisioning, in particular Grid and Cloud based. The proposed Security Services Lifecycle Management (SSLM) model extends the existing frameworks with additional stages such as “Reservation Session Binding ” and “Registration and Synchronisation ” that specifically target such security issues as the provisioned resources restoration, upgrade or migration and provide a mechanism for remote executing environment and data protection by binding them to the session context. The paper provides a short overview of the existing standards and technologies and refers to the on-going projects and experience in developing dynamic distributed security services