U.S. patent application number 14/503056 was filed with the patent office on 2015-12-10 for remediation of known defects and vulnerabilities in cloud application packages.
The applicant listed for this patent is International Business Machines Corporation. Invention is credited to Alberto Giammaria, Christopher Andrew Peters, Thomas Spatzier.
Application Number | 20150355895 14/503056 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 54542855 |
Filed Date | 2015-12-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150355895 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Giammaria; Alberto ; et
al. |
December 10, 2015 |
REMEDIATION OF KNOWN DEFECTS AND VULNERABILITIES IN CLOUD
APPLICATION PACKAGES
Abstract
A method for applying remediation policy to a cloud application
package having a set of components is described. The method is
initiated in response to discovery of a new vulnerability. It
begins by comparing information from a deployment description
against a data set of known problems associated with the one or
more of the components. The deployment description represents the
set of components and their interrelationships. For each of the one
or more components, one or more known problems that satisfy a given
severity and/or complexity criteria are identified. Thereafter, and
with respect to at least one of the components for which one known
problem satisfying the given criteria has been identified, the
remediation policy (e.g., an update, a replacement, a patch, an
additional installable) is applied to attempt to rectify the known
problem. After applying the policy, the old version of the package
is replaced with the new version.
Inventors: |
Giammaria; Alberto; (Austin,
TX) ; Peters; Christopher Andrew; (Round Rock,
TX) ; Spatzier; Thomas; (Sindelfingen, DE) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
International Business Machines Corporation |
Armonk |
NY |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
54542855 |
Appl. No.: |
14/503056 |
Filed: |
September 30, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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14300364 |
Jun 10, 2014 |
|
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14503056 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
717/169 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/1095 20130101;
G06F 21/577 20130101; H04L 63/1441 20130101; H04L 67/10 20130101;
G06F 11/3688 20130101; H04L 29/08 20130101; H04L 63/00 20130101;
G06F 8/65 20130101; G06F 8/71 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 9/445 20060101
G06F009/445; H04L 29/08 20060101 H04L029/08 |
Claims
1. A method for applying a remediation policy to a cloud
application package having a set of components, the cloud
application package being associated with a catalog of cloud
application packages, comprising: in response to discovery of a new
defect or vulnerability, comparing information from a deployment
description against a data set of known problems associated with
the one or more of the components, the deployment description
representing the set of components and their interrelationships;
for each of the one or more components, identifying one or more
known problems that satisfy a given criteria; with respect to at
least one of the components for which at least one known problem
satisfying the given criteria has been identified, applying the
remediation policy to attempt to rectify the known problem; and
after applying the remediation policy, replacing an old version of
the cloud application package in the catalog of cloud application
packages with a new version; wherein at least one of the comparing,
identifying, applying and replacing operations are carried out in
software executing in a hardware element.
2. The method as described in claim 1 further including:
determining a current availability of the replacement policy; and
removing the cloud application package from the catalog of cloud
application packages when it is determined that the replacement
policy is not currently available.
3. The method as described in claim 1, wherein the given criteria
is one of: a complexity criteria, a severity criteria, and a
combination of the complexity and severity criteria.
4. The method as described in claim 1 further including: providing
information identifying a listing of known problems ordered
according to the given criteria; and receiving data identifying a
selection of the one known problems to which the remediation policy
is to be applied.
5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the remediation
policy is selected from one of: an update, a replacement, a patch,
and an additional installable.
6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the deployment
description is a TOSCA (Topology and Orchestration Specification
for Cloud Applications)-compliant document.
7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein the operations are
carried out automatically and autonomously.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Technical Field
[0002] This disclosure relates generally to deploying applications
in a "cloud" compute environment.
[0003] 2. Background of the Related Art
[0004] An emerging information technology (IT) delivery model is
cloud computing, by which shared resources, software and
information are provided over the Internet to computers and other
devices on-demand. Cloud computing can significantly reduce IT
costs and complexities while improving workload optimization and
service delivery. With this approach, an application instance can
be hosted and made available from Internet-based resources that are
accessible through a conventional Web browser over HTTP. An example
application might be one that provides a common set of messaging
functions, such as email, calendaring, contact management, and
instant messaging. A user would then access the service directly
over the Internet. Using this service, an enterprise would place
its email, calendar and/or collaboration infrastructure in the
cloud, and an end user would use an appropriate client to access
his or her email, or perform a calendar operation.
[0005] Cloud compute resources are typically housed in large server
farms that run network applications, typically using a virtualized
architecture wherein applications run inside virtual servers, or
so-called "virtual machines" (VMs), that are mapped onto physical
servers in a data center facility. The virtual machines typically
run on top of a hypervisor, which is a control program that
allocates physical resources to the virtual machines.
[0006] It is known in the art to provide appliance-based or
platform-based solutions to facilitate rapid adoption and
deployment of cloud-based offerings. Typically, a cloud-based
offering is deployed as a cloud application package. One such
appliance that may be used for this purpose is IBM.RTM. Workload
Deployer, which is based on the IBM DataPower.RTM. 7199/9005
product family. Typically, the appliance is positioned directly
between the business workloads that many organizations use and the
underlying cloud infrastructure and platform components.
Alternatively, cloud application packages may be deployed using
platform-as-a-service (PAS) infrastructure, such as the IBM.RTM.
SmartCloud.RTM. Orchestrator open cloud management platform. A
management platform of this type typically comprises several layers
including an infrastructure services layer for provisioning,
configuring and managing storage, compute and network resources, a
platform services layer, and an orchestration services layer to
provide business process management. The platform services layer
includes virtual machine image lifecycle management capabilities
and pattern services, wherein a "pattern" provides deployment and
management instructions for the business service. A pattern
preferably is an XML-based definition of an infrastructure
configuration required to provision and managed the various
resources (e.g., compute, networking, storage, OS, middleware, and
the like) for a specific application (or application-type)
workload.
[0007] Software is never 100% safe, as new defects and
vulnerabilities are discovered every day. Cloud application
packages are no different; indeed, often just a few days after an
application package has been published into the cloud, it may
already contain new vulnerabilities. While current deployment
solutions provide numerous advantages, there remains a need to
address the problem of deploying applications that can be exploited
by later-discovered or post-deployment vulnerabilities or other
defects.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0008] According to this disclosure, a cloud deployment system
(e.g., an appliance, a cloud management platform, or other such
mechanism) is enhanced by providing for identification and
remediation of defects and vulnerabilities in cloud application
packages, preferably as such application packages are being
deployed in the cloud environment. The approach enables known
defects or vulnerabilities in cloud application packages to be
addressed (e.g., by removal, updating, patching) proactively and in
an automated manner prior to or upon deployment. With this
approach, administrators can be more confident that the cloud
application they are about to deploy does not contain known
vulnerabilities for which a patch already exists.
[0009] According to one embodiment, a method for applying a
remediation policy to a cloud application having a set of
components is described. An objective is for an enterprise to have
a catalog of cloud applications packages clean of any known
vulnerability. In this embodiment, the method is initiated in
response to a discovery of a new vulnerability. It begins by
comparing information from a deployment description against a data
set of known problems associated with the one or more of the
components. The deployment description represents the set of
components and their interrelationships. A representative
deployment description is a TOSCA (Topology and Orchestration
Specification for Cloud Applications)-compliant document. Then, for
each of the one or more components, one or more known problems that
satisfy a given criteria are then identified. The given criteria
may be one of: complexity criteria, severity criteria, and a
combination of the complexity and severity criteria. Thereafter,
and with respect to at least one of the components for which at
least one known problem satisfying the given criteria has been
identified, the remediation policy is applied to attempt to rectify
the known problem. The remediation policy typically is one of: an
update, a replacement, a patch, an additional installable, or the
like. If the remediation policy is not available, the cloud
application package may be removed from the catalog, e.g., until a
fix is developed. After applying the remediation policy, the old
version of the package is replaced with the new version.
Preferably, one or all of these operations are carried out
automatically and autonomously from a cloud deployment appliance or
cloud management platform.
[0010] The foregoing has outlined some of the more pertinent
features of the disclosed subject matter. These features should be
construed to be merely illustrative. Many other beneficial results
can be attained by applying the disclosed subject matter in a
different manner or by modifying the invention as will be
described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] For a more complete understanding of the present invention
and the advantages thereof, reference is now made to the following
descriptions taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings,
in which:
[0012] FIG. 1 depicts an exemplary block diagram of a distributed
data processing environment in which exemplary aspects of the
illustrative embodiments may be implemented;
[0013] FIG. 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a data processing
system in which exemplary aspects of the illustrative embodiments
may be implemented;
[0014] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary cloud computing architecture
in which the disclosed subject matter may be implemented;
[0015] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary operating environment in
which a network-based appliance may be used to facilitate
deployment of one or more cloud-based offerings;
[0016] FIG. 5 illustrative representative functional components of
the network-based appliance;
[0017] FIG. 6 illustrates a representative cloud management
platform in which the techniques of this disclosure may be
implemented;
[0018] FIG. 7 is a process flow describing the basic remediation
technique of this disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 8 illustrates a representative cloud application
package; and
[0020] FIG. 9 illustrates a portion of an XML-based TOSCA
deployment description document;
[0021] FIG. 10 illustrates a further portion of the TOSCA document
shown in FIG. 9;
[0022] FIG. 11 illustrates a high level representation of a
problems database for use in the remediation technique of this
disclosure;
[0023] FIG. 12 is a representative known problem list for the cloud
application package shown in FIG. 8;
[0024] FIG. 13 is a process flow illustrating a first type of fix
operation that may be implemented upon discovering a problem with
the cloud application package;
[0025] FIG. 14 is a process flow illustrating a second type of fix
operation that may be implemented upon discovering a problem with
the cloud application package; and
[0026] FIG. 15 is a process flow illustrating a third type of fix
operation that may be implemented upon discovering a problem with
the cloud application package.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT
[0027] With reference now to the drawings and in particular with
reference to FIGS. 1-2, exemplary diagrams of data processing
environments are provided in which illustrative embodiments of the
disclosure may be implemented. It should be appreciated that FIGS.
1-2 are only exemplary and are not intended to assert or imply any
limitation with regard to the environments in which aspects or
embodiments of the disclosed subject matter may be implemented.
Many modifications to the depicted environments may be made without
departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Client-Server Technologies
[0028] With reference now to the drawings, FIG. 1 depicts a
pictorial representation of an exemplary distributed data
processing system in which aspects of the illustrative embodiments
may be implemented. Distributed data processing system 100 may
include a network of computers in which aspects of the illustrative
embodiments may be implemented. The distributed data processing
system 100 contains at least one network 102, which is the medium
used to provide communication links between various devices and
computers connected together within distributed data processing
system 100. The network 102 may include connections, such as wire,
wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.
[0029] In the depicted example, server 104 and server 106 are
connected to network 102 along with storage unit 108. In addition,
clients 110, 112, and 114 are also connected to network 102. These
clients 110, 112, and 114 may be, for example, personal computers,
network computers, or the like. In the depicted example, server 104
provides data, such as boot files, operating system images, and
applications to the clients 110, 112, and 114. Clients 110, 112,
and 114 are clients to server 104 in the depicted example.
Distributed data processing system 100 may include additional
servers, clients, and other devices not shown.
[0030] In the depicted example, distributed data processing system
100 is the Internet with network 102 representing a worldwide
collection of networks and gateways that use the Transmission
Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) suite of protocols to
communicate with one another. At the heart of the Internet is a
backbone of high-speed data communication lines between major nodes
or host computers, consisting of thousands of commercial,
governmental, educational and other computer systems that route
data and messages. Of course, the distributed data processing
system 100 may also be implemented to include a number of different
types of networks, such as for example, an intranet, a local area
network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), or the like. As stated
above, FIG. 1 is intended as an example, not as an architectural
limitation for different embodiments of the disclosed subject
matter, and therefore, the particular elements shown in FIG. 1
should not be considered limiting with regard to the environments
in which the illustrative embodiments of the present invention may
be implemented.
[0031] With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of an
exemplary data processing system is shown in which aspects of the
illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Data processing system
200 is an example of a computer, such as client 110 in FIG. 1, in
which computer usable code or instructions implementing the
processes for illustrative embodiments of the disclosure may be
located.
[0032] With reference now to FIG. 2, a block diagram of a data
processing system is shown in which illustrative embodiments may be
implemented. Data processing system 200 is an example of a
computer, such as server 104 or client 110 in FIG. 1, in which
computer-usable program code or instructions implementing the
processes may be located for the illustrative embodiments. In this
illustrative example, data processing system 200 includes
communications fabric 202, which provides communications between
processor unit 204, memory 206, persistent storage 208,
communications unit 210, input/output (I/O) unit 212, and display
214.
[0033] Processor unit 204 serves to execute instructions for
software that may be loaded into memory 206. Processor unit 204 may
be a set of one or more processors or may be a multi-processor
core, depending on the particular implementation. Further,
processor unit 204 may be implemented using one or more
heterogeneous processor systems in which a main processor is
present with secondary processors on a single chip. As another
illustrative example, processor unit 204 may be a symmetric
multi-processor (SMP) system containing multiple processors of the
same type.
[0034] Memory 206 and persistent storage 208 are examples of
storage devices. A storage device is any piece of hardware that is
capable of storing information either on a temporary basis and/or a
permanent basis. Memory 206, in these examples, may be, for
example, a random access memory or any other suitable volatile or
non-volatile storage device. Persistent storage 208 may take
various forms depending on the particular implementation. For
example, persistent storage 208 may contain one or more components
or devices. For example, persistent storage 208 may be a hard
drive, a flash memory, a rewritable optical disk, a rewritable
magnetic tape, or some combination of the above. The media used by
persistent storage 208 also may be removable. For example, a
removable hard drive may be used for persistent storage 208.
[0035] Communications unit 210, in these examples, provides for
communications with other data processing systems or devices. In
these examples, communications unit 210 is a network interface
card. Communications unit 210 may provide communications through
the use of either or both physical and wireless communications
links.
[0036] Input/output unit 212 allows for input and output of data
with other devices that may be connected to data processing system
200. For example, input/output unit 212 may provide a connection
for user input through a keyboard and mouse. Further, input/output
unit 212 may send output to a printer. Display 214 provides a
mechanism to display information to a user.
[0037] Instructions for the operating system and applications or
programs are located on persistent storage 208. These instructions
may be loaded into memory 206 for execution by processor unit 204.
The processes of the different embodiments may be performed by
processor unit 204 using computer implemented instructions, which
may be located in a memory, such as memory 206. These instructions
are referred to as program code, computer-usable program code, or
computer-readable program code that may be read and executed by a
processor in processor unit 204. The program code in the different
embodiments may be embodied on different physical or tangible
computer-readable media, such as memory 206 or persistent storage
208.
[0038] Program code 216 is located in a functional form on
computer-readable media 218 that is selectively removable and may
be loaded onto or transferred to data processing system 200 for
execution by processor unit 204. Program code 216 and
computer-readable media 218 form computer program product 220 in
these examples. In one example, computer-readable media 218 may be
in a tangible form, such as, for example, an optical or magnetic
disc that is inserted or placed into a drive or other device that
is part of persistent storage 208 for transfer onto a storage
device, such as a hard drive that is part of persistent storage
208. In a tangible form, computer-readable media 218 also may take
the form of a persistent storage, such as a hard drive, a thumb
drive, or a flash memory that is connected to data processing
system 200. The tangible form of computer-readable media 218 is
also referred to as computer-recordable storage media. In some
instances, computer-recordable media 218 may not be removable.
[0039] Alternatively, program code 216 may be transferred to data
processing system 200 from computer-readable media 218 through a
communications link to communications unit 210 and/or through a
connection to input/output unit 212. The communications link and/or
the connection may be physical or wireless in the illustrative
examples. The computer-readable media also may take the form of
non-tangible media, such as communications links or wireless
transmissions containing the program code. The different components
illustrated for data processing system 200 are not meant to provide
architectural limitations to the manner in which different
embodiments may be implemented. The different illustrative
embodiments may be implemented in a data processing system
including components in addition to or in place of those
illustrated for data processing system 200. Other components shown
in FIG. 2 can be varied from the illustrative examples shown. As
one example, a storage device in data processing system 200 is any
hardware apparatus that may store data. Memory 206, persistent
storage 208, and computer-readable media 218 are examples of
storage devices in a tangible form.
[0040] In another example, a bus system may be used to implement
communications fabric 202 and may be comprised of one or more
buses, such as a system bus or an input/output bus. Of course, the
bus system may be implemented using any suitable type of
architecture that provides for a transfer of data between different
components or devices attached to the bus system. Additionally, a
communications unit may include one or more devices used to
transmit and receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter.
Further, a memory may be, for example, memory 206 or a cache such
as found in an interface and memory controller hub that may be
present in communications fabric 202.
[0041] Computer program code for carrying out operations of the
present invention may be written in any combination of one or more
programming languages, including an object-oriented programming
language such as Java.TM., Smalltalk, C++, C#, Objective-C, or the
like, and conventional procedural programming languages. The
program code may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on
the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on
the user's computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on
the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote
computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type
of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area
network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external
computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet
Service Provider).
[0042] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the
hardware in FIGS. 1-2 may vary depending on the implementation.
Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash
memory, equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk drives and
the like, may be used in addition to or in place of the hardware
depicted in FIGS. 1-2. Also, the processes of the illustrative
embodiments may be applied to a multiprocessor data processing
system, other than the SMP system mentioned previously, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed subject
matter.
[0043] As will be seen, the techniques described herein may operate
in conjunction within the standard client-server paradigm such as
illustrated in FIG. 1 in which client machines communicate with an
Internet-accessible Web-based portal executing on a set of one or
more machines. End users operate Internet-connectable devices
(e.g., desktop computers, notebook computers, Internet-enabled
mobile devices, or the like) that are capable of accessing and
interacting with the portal. Typically, each client or server
machine is a data processing system such as illustrated in FIG. 2
comprising hardware and software, and these entities communicate
with one another over a network, such as the Internet, an intranet,
an extranet, a private network, or any other communications medium
or link. A data processing system typically includes one or more
processors, an operating system, one or more applications, and one
or more utilities. The applications on the data processing system
provide native support for Web services including, without
limitation, support for HTTP, SOAP, XML, WSDL, UDDI, and WSFL,
among others. Information regarding SOAP, WSDL, UDDI and WSFL is
available from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is
responsible for developing and maintaining these standards; further
information regarding HTTP and XML is available from Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF). Familiarity with these standards is
presumed.
Cloud Computing Model
[0044] Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling
convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of
configurable computing resources (e.g. networks, network bandwidth,
servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual
machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and
released with minimal management effort or interaction with a
provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five
characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four
deployment models, all as more particularly described and defined
in "Draft NIST Working Definition of Cloud Computing" by Peter Mell
and Tim Grance, dated Oct. 7, 2009.
[0045] In particular, the following are typical
Characteristics:
[0046] On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally
provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network
storage, as needed automatically without requiring human
interaction with the service's provider.
[0047] Broad network access: capabilities are available over a
network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use
by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile
phones, laptops, and PDAs).
[0048] Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are
pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with
different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and
reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location
independence in that the consumer generally has no control or
knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may
be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g.,
country, state, or datacenter).
[0049] Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and
elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly
scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the
consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear
to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any
time.
[0050] Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and
optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some
level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g.,
storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource
usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing
transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized
service.
[0051] The Service Models typically are as follows:
[0052] Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud
infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client
devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser
(e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers,
operating systems, storage, or even individual application
capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific
application configuration settings.
[0053] Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the
consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure
consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming
languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does
not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including
networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control
over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting
environment configurations.
[0054] Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided
to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and
other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to
deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating
systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control
the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating
systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited
control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
[0055] The Deployment Models typically are as follows:
[0056] Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely
for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a
third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0057] Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by
several organizations and supports a specific community that has
shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and
compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations
or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
[0058] Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to
the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an
organization selling cloud services.
[0059] Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of
two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain
unique entities but are bound together by standardized or
proprietary technology that enables data and application
portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between
clouds).
[0060] A cloud computing environment is service-oriented with a
focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic
interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an
infrastructure comprising a network of interconnected nodes. A
representative cloud computing node is as illustrated in FIG. 2
above. In particular, in a cloud computing node there is a computer
system/server, which is operational with numerous other general
purpose or special purpose computing system environments or
configurations. Examples of well-known computing systems,
environments, and/or configurations that may be suitable for use
with computer system/server include, but are not limited to,
personal computer systems, server computer systems, thin clients,
thick clients, hand-held or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems,
microprocessor-based systems, set top boxes, programmable consumer
electronics, network PCs, minicomputer systems, mainframe computer
systems, and distributed cloud computing environments that include
any of the above systems or devices, and the like. Computer
system/server may be described in the general context of computer
system-executable instructions, such as program modules, being
executed by a computer system. Generally, program modules may
include routines, programs, objects, components, logic, data
structures, and so on that perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. Computer system/server may be
practiced in distributed cloud computing environments where tasks
are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through
a communications network. In a distributed cloud computing
environment, program modules may be located in both local and
remote computer system storage media including memory storage
devices.
[0061] Referring now to FIG. 3, by way of additional background, a
set of functional abstraction layers provided by a cloud computing
environment is shown. It should be understood in advance that the
components, layers, and functions shown in FIG. 3 are intended to
be illustrative only and embodiments of the invention are not
limited thereto. As depicted, the following layers and
corresponding functions are provided:
[0062] Hardware and software layer 300 includes hardware and
software components. Examples of hardware components include
mainframes, in one example IBM.RTM. zSeries.RTM. systems; RISC
(Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers, in
one example IBM pSeries.RTM. systems; IBM xSeries.RTM. systems; IBM
BladeCenter.RTM. systems; storage devices; networks and networking
components. Examples of software components include network
application server software, in one example IBM WebSphere.RTM.
application server software; and database software, in one example
IBM DB2.RTM. database software. (IBM, zSeries, pSeries, xSeries,
BladeCenter, WebSphere, and DB2 are trademarks of International
Business Machines Corporation registered in many jurisdictions
worldwide)
[0063] Virtualization layer 302 provides an abstraction layer from
which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided:
virtual servers; virtual storage; virtual networks, including
virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating
systems; and virtual clients.
[0064] In one example, management layer 304 may provide the
functions described below. Resource provisioning provides dynamic
procurement of computing resources and other resources that are
utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment.
Metering and Pricing provide cost tracking as resources are
utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or
invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these
resources may comprise application software licenses. Security
provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as
well as protection for data and other resources. User portal
provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers
and system administrators. Service level management provides cloud
computing resource allocation and management such that required
service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and
fulfillment provides pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud
computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated
in accordance with an SLA.
[0065] Workloads layer 306 provides examples of functionality for
which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of
workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer
include: mapping and navigation; software development and lifecycle
management; virtual classroom education delivery; data analytics
processing; transaction processing; and others (e.g.,
enterprise-specific functions in a private cloud).
[0066] It is understood in advance that although this disclosure
includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation
of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud
computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention
are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type
of computing environment now known or later developed.
[0067] Thus, a representative cloud computing environment has a set
of high level functional components that include a front end
identity manager, a business support services (BSS) function
component, an operational support services (OSS) function
component, and the compute cloud component. The identity manager is
responsible for interfacing with requesting clients to provide
identity management, and this component may be implemented with one
or more known systems, such as the Tivoli Federated Identity
Manager (TFIM) that is available from IBM Corporation, of Armonk,
N.Y. In appropriate circumstances TFIM may be used to provide
federated single sign-on (F-SSO) to other cloud components. The
business support services component provides certain administrative
functions, such as billing support. The operational support
services component is used to provide provisioning and management
of the other cloud components, such as virtual machine (VM)
instances. The cloud component represents the main computational
resources, which are typically a plurality of virtual machine
instances that are used to execute a target application that is
being made available for access via the cloud. One or more
databases are used to store directory, log, and other working data.
All of these components (included the front end identity manager)
are located "within" the cloud, but this is not a requirement. In
an alternative embodiment, the identity manager may be operated
externally to the cloud. The service provider also may be operated
externally to the cloud.
Cloud Deployment Technologies
[0068] It is known to provide an appliance-based solution to
facilitate rapid adoption and deployment of both Infrastructure and
Platform as Service offerings. As described above, one such
appliance is IBM Workload Deployer (IWD), and this appliance also
may be used to manage a shared, multi-tenant environment, where
isolation and security are of utmost importance. The secure nature
of the physical appliance (sometimes referred to herein as a box)
typically is provided by a self-disabling switch, which is
triggered if the appliance cover is removed. This physical security
enables the appliance to serve as a secure vault for credentials,
which can be tied to virtual images throughout their entire
lifecycle (in storage, being dispensed, running in the cloud, or
being removed from the cloud). IBM Workload Deployer also contains
a storage driver that streamlines the storage of image
customizations. It also serves as a dedicated store for both
pre-loaded and customized middleware virtual images and patterns.
The appliance also includes advanced compression and storage
techniques that enable a large number of these virtual images (each
of which may be sizeable) to be stored.
[0069] In operation, the appliance can provision standard and
customized middleware virtual images and patterns that can be
securely deployed and managed within private or on-premise cloud
computing environments. These virtual images can help organizations
to develop, test, and deploy business applications easily and
quickly, thus ending the manual, repetitive, and error prone
processes that are often associated with creating these complex
environments. Upon completion, resources are returned to the shared
resource pool automatically for future use and are logged for
internal charge-back purposes. The appliance also manages
individual user and group access to resources, providing IT
managers with the control needed to optimize efficiency at a
fine-grain level.
[0070] Typically, the appliance includes hardware and firmware
cryptographic support to encrypt all the data on hard disk. This
data includes, without limitation, event log data. No users,
including administrative users, can access any data on physical
disk. In particular, the operating system (e.g., Linux) locks down
the root account and does not provide a command shell, and the user
does not have file system access. When an administrator performs a
backup of the appliance, the backup image is encrypted to protect
the confidentiality of the data. When restoring an encrypted image,
a decryption key thus is needed to decrypt the backup image to
enable the data to be restored to the appliance.
[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, a representative operating environment
includes the physical appliance 400, which interfaces to the cloud
402. The appliance may be implemented using a data processing
system such as described above with respect to FIG. 2. Preferably,
the appliance 400 includes a Web 2.0-based user interface (UI), a
command line interface (CLI), and REST-based application
programming interfaces (APIs). The appliance provides a management
function that enables the rapid deployment of cloud-based
solutions. To that end, the appliance provides storage for (i) data
404 used to manage user and group access to resources, (ii) for
pre-loaded and/or customizable middleware virtual images 406, and
(iii) for configurable patterns and script packages 408. Patterns
are logical descriptions of both the physical and virtual assets
that comprise a particular solution. As will be described in more
detail below, preferably patterns are structured according to the
TOSCA specification. The management function and interfaces provide
a template-based approach to construction that permits the rapid
creation and modification of an otherwise complex set of hardware
and software components. In particular, the use of patterns allows
an organization to construct an individual element or integrated
solution one time, and then to dispense the final product on
demand. Typically, there are two types of patterns: virtual system
patterns provide the most flexibility and customization options of
the two types. It consists of an operating system and, potentially,
additional software solutions, such as WebSphere.RTM. Application
Server. Virtual application patterns are optimized and are
constructed typically for the purpose of supporting a singular
workload.
[0072] As also seen in FIG. 4, the on-premise or private cloud
environment 402 on which the middleware application runs typically
constitutes hypervisors, networking infrastructure, and storage
devices that are allocated to the appliance. A representative
environment may be implemented in the manner described above with
respect to FIG. 3.
[0073] FIG. 5 illustrates how the appliance can be used to build a
custom private cloud. At step 1, the hardware, hypervisors and
networking for the cloud are identified. At step 2, the user
selects and customizes the virtual images. At step 3, the user adds
one or more script packages as needed to customize the deployed
middleware environment. At step 4, pre-installed or customized
patterns are used to describe the middleware topology to be
deployed. Patterns can be built from virtual images, e.g. using a
drag-and-drop interface. At step 5, the virtual systems are
deployed to the cloud.
[0074] The references herein to IBM Workload Deployer are exemplary
and should not be taken to limit the disclosed technique, which may
be implemented on any appliance (or, more generally, machine)
having the general characteristics and operating functionality that
has been described. Specific references to IWD should be construed
to include both the above-identified product, as well as other
technologies that implement the functionality referenced above.
TOSCA
[0075] The Oasis Topology and Orchestration Specification for Cloud
Applications (TOSCA) is a specification designed to enhance the
portability of cloud applications and services. It enables the
interoperable description of application and infrastructure cloud
services, the relationships between parts of the service, and the
operational behavior of these services (e.g., deploy, patch,
shutdown), independent of the supplier creating the service and any
particular cloud provider or hosting technology. Among other
benefits, TOSCA enables portable deployment to any compliant cloud,
and facilitates smooth migration of existing applications to the
cloud. Using TOSCA, cloud applications can be modeled, shared,
deployed and managed, seamlessly, amongst products and cloud
platforms, from multiple vendors.
[0076] A TOSCA document is a descriptor that describes all
application components to be deployed to the cloud and their
interrelationships. In the descriptor, each application component
typically is uniquely identified by an identifier composed of a
name, version, architecture, as well as a vendor of the component.
This identifier is useful as a search key with respect to a
database of information; as will be described below, one such
database is a database of known defects and/or vulnerabilities for
that specific application component.
[0077] FIG. 6 illustrates a cloud management platform that
implements TOSCA-compliant solutions. In one embodiment, the cloud
management platform is the IBM.RTM. SmartCloud.RTM. Orchestrator
open cloud management platform, which leverages additional
standards technologies such as OpenStack, and OSLC (Open Service
for Lifecycle Collaboration). As illustrated in FIG. 6, a
management platform of this type comprises three main functional
layers: an infrastructure services layer 600, which is preferably
based on OpenStack, for provisioning, configuring and managing
storage, compute and network resources 606, a platform services
layer 602, which includes virtual machine image lifecycle
management capabilities and pattern services, wherein a "pattern"
provides deployment and management instructions for the business
service. A pattern preferably is an XML-based definition of an
infrastructure configuration required to provision and managed the
various resources (e.g., compute, networking, storage, OS,
middleware, and the like) for a specific application (or
application-type) workload. The orchestration services layer 604
provides a business process management solution. Preferably, TOSCA
is supported in both the platform services layer 602 and the
orchestration services layer 604. In this way, TOSCA standardizes
pattern definitions so that the described workload is portable
between any clouds that adhere to the TOSCA standard. The platform
preferably also supports OSLC for continuous delivery across
heterogeneous deployment environments. OSLC enables customers to
develop and seamlessly deploy software components for change
management, automation, monitoring, and the like.
[0078] Of course, the above-described cloud management environment
is not intended to be limiting, as the techniques herein may be
implemented in other (open, closed, or hybrid) environments, and/or
using other deployment technologies (whether open or proprietary,
or mixed).
Remediation of Known Defects and Vulnerabilities in Cloud
Application Packages
[0079] With the above as background, the subject matter of this
disclosure is now described. Without limitation, the subject matter
may be implemented within or in association with a cloud deployment
appliance (FIG. 4) or platform (FIG. 6) as has been described, or
using any other type of deployment systems, products, devices,
programs or processes.
[0080] As used herein, a typical cloud application package
comprises a set of components. A particular application component
may have associated therewith a "defect" and/or "vulnerability." A
component "defect" (or "bug") is an error, flaw, failure or that
causes the component to produce an incorrect or unexpected result,
or to behave in unintended ways. A defect may be systemic, or based
on some condition (e.g. a data corruption). The defect may be
latent or patent. "Vulnerability" (sometimes referred to as a
"security vulnerability") typically refers to some weakness
associated with the component that might be exploited by one or
more threats and that can to reduce the component's operational
efficiency or other value. The techniques herein assume the
existence of a database (or other information source) of known
defects and/or vulnerabilities for each of the one or more
application components that comprise a cloud application package.
This database may be part of the management solution, or the
solution may access such a database (or other data source)
maintained by some other entity. Preferably, the database comprises
information about known software components. Each software
component is assumed to have zero or more known "problems," wherein
a "problem" preferably is characterized by a "severity" and a
"complexity." While the notion of "severity" applies to both
defects and vulnerabilities, complexity is more pertinent to
vulnerabilities. Certain vulnerabilities are easier to exploit than
others, and complexity is an important factor to consider in
determining the scope of a particular threat. Thus, for example, a
high severity vulnerability that is very complex to exploit might
require less immediate attention than a lower severity
vulnerability that can be exploited more easily. A given problem
(whether a defect or a vulnerability) may thus have some defined or
ascertainable trade-off between severity and complexity. A
particular problem identified in the database is assumed to have
zero or more associated fixes. As will be described in more detail
below, typically fixes may be available in various types, such as
full new versions, as updates that can be slip-streamed over an old
installable, as patches, or the like. More generally, a fix may be
considered to be a type of remediation policy (or just a policy) by
which some correction action is taken with respect to or in
association with the component. The action may be one of: an
update, a replacement, a patch, the providing of a service pack,
combinations thereof, and the like.
[0081] The techniques herein may be implemented as a management
solution, service, product, appliance, device, process, program,
execution thread, or the like. Typically, the techniques are
implemented in software, as one or more computer programs executed
in hardware processing elements, in association with data stored in
one or more data sources, such as a problems database. Some or all
of the processing steps described may be automated and operate
autonomously in association with other systems. The automation may
be full- or partial, and the operations (in whole or in part) may
be synchronous or asynchronous, demand-based, or otherwise.
[0082] Preferably, an enterprise has a catalog of cloud
applications packages that are clean (i.e., free) of any known
vulnerability. In one embodiment, the method described herein is
initiated in response to a discovery of a new defect or
vulnerability in a cloud application in the catalog, although this
is not necessarily a limitation. Once the defect or vulnerability
is addressed by the technique described, the old version of the
package is replaced with the new (corrected) version. In the event
a remediation policy to address the defect or vulnerability is not
available, the cloud application package may be temporarily removed
from the catalog, e.g. until a fix is developed or otherwise
available.
[0083] Referring to FIG. 7, and according to an alternative
embodiment, a deployment operation for a cloud application package
is initiated, typically in response to a request. This is step 700,
and the operation may be initiated manually, automatically or
programmatically. At step 702, and after the package is parsed or
otherwise processed as necessary to identify its components, the
database is queried (e.g., using a unique identifier) to identify
the known problems for one or more (or all) of the components of
the cloud application package. Using information in the database,
each problem may be ordered/presented by its severity and/or
complexity, or by some factor that takes into consideration both
severity and complexity. This is step 704. The manner by which the
problem information is presented to the user depends on the
implementation. A convenient presentment method is using a
web-based solution wherein the results retrieved from the database
lookup are provided as one or more web pages. The inquiry into the
database preferably also returns an indication whether a fix exists
for the problem. Based on the information provided, and at step
706, the administrator then selects which problem or problems he or
she desires to remediate, preferably prior to deployment (or upon
deployment) of the cloud application package. The operation at step
706 serves to characterize the identified component problem and, as
noted, this characterization may be based on severity, complexity,
some trade-off or combination thereof, or some other factor (e.g.,
cost). Depending on the nature of the problem, the fix may need to
be implemented in advance of any deployment, during deployment, or
following deployment of the original cloud application package
installable(s). To this end, the system (e.g., under the control of
the administrator) then executes an update process. This is step
708. The result is a new or updated (corrected) version of the
cloud application package, which version is then deployed (or
having been deployed, is then instantiated for execution). This
completes the basic processing.
[0084] While the above-described description contemplates cloud
administrator involvement in the problem selection/remediation,
this is not a requirement. The process may also be automated for
all cloud application packages stored in a repository, e.g., based
on administrator-specified thresholds for severity and/or
complexity. In this embodiment, which is a preferred approach, a
given cloud application package being deployed is examined (e.g.,
using its TOSCA identifier) against the database; if the package
includes any component having a known problem whose severity and/or
complexity values exceed a configurable threshold, the cloud
application package is automatically updated using one or more
fixes. The resulting new version of the cloud application package
is then deployed and instantiated in the cloud. All of these
operations may occur via an automated process.
[0085] Referring now to FIG. 8, the techniques herein are described
within the context of an example, but non-limiting scenario. FIG. 8
illustrates a cloud application package 800 for a Customer
Relationship Management (CRM) application. The techniques herein
are not limited to any particular cloud application and/or
components. In this example scenario, the cloud application
comprises a set of components as illustrated, with the various
interrelationships and dependencies noted. The topology of such an
application can be represented in various ways, for example,
preferably using the TOSCA specification notation (or some other
structured data approach). Thus, for example, FIG. 9 illustrates a
portion of an XML TOSCA deployment description document that
includes various tag sets including NodeTemplates that represent
components within the application's overall topology. Each
NodeTemplate points to its type (NodeType) that has a concrete
implementation (NodeTypeImplementation), which in turn finally
points to a software installable to be used for deploying the
respective component of the application. FIG. 10 illustrates the
representative XML for the Apache WebServer component in this
example. As can be seen, the ArtifactReference element points to
the concrete installable to be used, which is contained in the
overall application package in a "files" sub-directory. The overall
application package typically is provisioned as a TOSCA Cloud
Service Archive (CSAR). Each NodeType preferably also provides
manageability operations (e.g., "install") to be invoked by an
orchestration engine to deploy an instance of the component at
runtime. Those operations are implemented by
ImplementationArtifacts in the corresponding NodeTypeImplementation
that finally points to the actual script (or other executable(s))
that implement the operation. Preferably, each component has its
own unique identifier (e.g., SoftwareID, in this example). There
are several possible formats for the software identifier. For
example, the National Vulnerability Database uses identifiers based
on the CPE standard.
[0086] According to this disclosure, the database preferably is
organized as shown in FIG. 11. It includes a data set of software
problems 1100, a data set of software component information 1102, a
data set of software component problems 1104, and a data set of
problem fixes 1106. The data set(s) may be organized hierarchically
or in any conveniently-accessible manner using known database
retrieval systems. As noted above in the discussion of the basic
process flow (FIG. 7), preferably the system queries the database
for any known problems about each component, preferably using the
component descriptor or identifier (e.g., the TOSCA identifier) as
the query key. The result is a list of one zero or more known
problems. This query operation may be carried out for the package
as a whole (with all of the results returned at once), or
iteratively for each individual component (or some of them), with
individual results returned for each component. The nature and
format of the problem information presentation is not limited to
any particular approach.
[0087] FIG. 12 is a representative known problem list for the CRM
cloud application shown in FIG. 9. According to this disclosure and
as described above, the list of problems is presented to the user,
who can then select one or more (or all) of the problem(s) he or
she desires to remediate. For each selected problem, preferably the
information also identifies a fix, such as a patch, a newer version
of the component, or the like. Using the information provided, the
user downloads or otherwise obtains the required software and
remediates the identified problem(s) selected for remediation.
[0088] There may be various fix types for the cloud application
package that has been found to include a defect and/or
vulnerability. In one use case, a full new version is installed. In
another use case, an update that can be slip-streamed over an old
installable file (or files) is implemented. In still another use
case, a patch is installed, preferably at deployment time, after
the primary component is installed. Each of the use cases is now
described in more detail.
[0089] In the first fix type use case, shown in FIG. 13, the
original cloud application package is updated by replacing the
installable inside the package and then updating package metadata
to point to the new installable. In the following description,
TOSCA is used to describe the cloud application and its packaging.
The routine begins at step 1300 by extracting the Cloud Service
Archive (CSAR) to a temporary directory. At step 1302, the routine
finds the NodeType definition and NodeTypeImplementation for the
component to be updated (e.g., Apache WebServer). From the
NodeTypeImplementation, the routine continues at step 1304 by
navigating to the ArtifactTemplate pointing to the installable in
the CSAR, which is now on the filesystem in a temporary directory.
At step 1306, the routine replaces the software installable with
the new version. If necessary, at step 1308 the routine updates the
installable file name in the ArtifactTemplate definition. At step
1310, the routine re-packages the CSAR and uploads it, e.g., to a
definitive software library, as a new version. This completes the
processing.
[0090] In a second fix type use case, which is shown in FIG. 14,
the original cloud application package is updated by slip-streaming
updates, patches or service packs into the current installation
files (installables) inside the package and updating package
metadata to point to the new installable. The routine begins at
step 1400 by extracting the CSAR to a temporary directory. At step
1402, the routine finds the NodeType definition and
NodeTypeImplementation for the component to be updated (e.g.,
Apache WebServer). At step 1404, and from the
NodeTypeImplementation, the routine navigates to the
ArtifactTemplate pointing to the installable in the CSAR (now on
the filesystem in the temporary directory). At step 1406, the
updates, patches or service packs are slip-streamed into the
current installation files. If necessary, at step 1408 the routine
updates the installable file name in the ArtifactTemplate
definition. At step 1410, the routine re-packages the CSAR and
uploads it, e.g., to the definitive software library, as a new
version. This completes the processing.
[0091] In the third fix type use case, which is shown in FIG. 15,
the original cloud application package is extended with additional
installable files (the patches) and optionally with scripts to
install the patches. The routine begins at step 1500 by once again
extracting the Cloud Service Archive (CSAR) to a temporary
directory. At step 1502, the routine finds the NodeType definition
and NodeTypeImplementation for the component to be updated (e.g.,
Apache WebServer). From the NodeTypeImplementation, the routine
continues at step 1504 by defining additional DeploymentArtifact
elements for each patch to be installed. Then, the following
sub-steps are executed: at step 1505a, and for each
DeploymentArtifact, a corresponding ArtifactTemplate is defined to
point to the actual patch file in the CSAR; at step 1505b, the
respective patch file is copied to the proper sub-directory of the
extracted CSAR. The routine then continues at step 1506 to
determine if the patch requires execution of a script to apply the
patch (as opposed to, for example, extracting the archive to a
certain location). If the outcome of the text is positive, the
routine continues to perform the following sub-steps: at step
1507a, the (update) script is copied to the sub-directory of the
extracted CSAR, which sub-directory contains the `normal`
install/configure scripts of the updated component; at step 1507b,
the original script is appended with a directive to execute the
update script at the end of the normal install procedure. Similar
sub-steps are repeated if additional update scripts are required.
The routine then continues at steps 1508 to re-package the CSAR and
upload it, e.g., to the definitive software library, as a new
version. This completes the processing.
[0092] The particular fix may be implemented using tools supplied
by the cloud deployment application or platform, or using other
mechanisms.
[0093] The above-described subject matter provides many advantages.
It enables the cloud application to be deployed safely and with
assurances that the various components therein are proactively
updated or patched with the very latest available fixes. The
approach enables monitoring of cloud application packages (or, more
generally, image templates) for vulnerabilities and providing the
means by which such packages may be kept up-to-date, preferably
based on user-selectable policy. The approach enables known
vulnerabilities or defects to be removed from cloud application
packages proactively and in an automated manner prior to or upon
deployment. With this approach, administrators can be more
confident that the cloud application they are about to deploy does
not contain known vulnerabilities or other defects or problems for
which a patch already exists. The administrator can also use the
database to better understand the relevance of the vulnerabilities
in the cloud application packages and decide whether an update is
required.
[0094] As described, the approach herein may be implemented
manually or in an automated manner, in whole or in part.
[0095] While a preferred operating environment and use case (a
cloud deployment appliance or platform) has been described, the
techniques herein may be used in any other operating environment in
which it is desired to deploy services.
[0096] As has been described, the functionality described above may
be implemented as a standalone approach, e.g., one or more
software-based functions executed by one or more hardware
processors, or it may be available as a managed service (including
as a web service via a SOAP/XML interface). The particular hardware
and software implementation details described herein are merely for
illustrative purposes are not meant to limit the scope of the
described subject matter.
[0097] More generally, computing devices within the context of the
disclosed subject matter are each a data processing system (such as
shown in FIG. 2) comprising hardware and software, and these
entities communicate with one another over a network, such as the
Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a private network, or any other
communications medium or link. The applications on the data
processing system provide native support for Web and other known
services and protocols including, without limitation, support for
HTTP, FTP, SMTP, SOAP, XML, WSDL, UDDI, and WSFL, among others.
Information regarding SOAP, WSDL, UDDI and WSFL is available from
the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is responsible for
developing and maintaining these standards; further information
regarding HTTP, FTP, SMTP and XML is available from Internet
Engineering Task Force (IETF).
[0098] In addition to the cloud-based environment, the techniques
described herein may be implemented in or in conjunction with
various server-side architectures including simple n-tier
architectures, web portals, federated systems, and the like.
[0099] Still more generally, the subject matter described herein
can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely
software embodiment or an embodiment containing both hardware and
software elements. In a preferred embodiment, the trusted platform
module function is implemented in software, which includes but is
not limited to firmware, resident software, microcode, and the
like. Furthermore, the download and delete interfaces and
functionality can take the form of a computer program product
accessible from a computer-usable or computer-readable medium
providing program code for use by or in connection with a computer
or any instruction execution system. For the purposes of this
description, a computer-usable or computer readable medium can be
any apparatus that can contain or store the program for use by or
in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or
device. The medium can be an electronic, magnetic, optical,
electromagnetic, infrared, or a semiconductor system (or apparatus
or device). Examples of a computer-readable medium include a
semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable
computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory
(ROM), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples
of optical disks include compact disk-read only memory (CD-ROM),
compact disk-read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD. The computer-readable
medium is a tangible, non-transitory item.
[0100] The computer program product may be a product having program
instructions (or program code) to implement one or more of the
described functions. Those instructions or code may be stored in a
computer readable storage medium in a data processing system after
being downloaded over a network from a remote data processing
system. Or, those instructions or code may be stored in a computer
readable storage medium in a server data processing system and
adapted to be downloaded over a network to a remote data processing
system for use in a computer readable storage medium within the
remote system.
[0101] In a representative embodiment, the techniques are
implemented in a special purpose computing platform, preferably in
software executed by one or more processors. The software is
maintained in one or more data stores or memories associated with
the one or more processors, and the software may be implemented as
one or more computer programs. Collectively, this special-purpose
hardware and software comprises the functionality described
above.
[0102] In the preferred embodiment, the functionality provided
herein is implemented as an adjunct or extension to an existing
cloud compute deployment management solution.
[0103] While the above describes a particular order of operations
performed by certain embodiments of the invention, it should be
understood that such order is exemplary, as alternative embodiments
may perform the operations in a different order, combine certain
operations, overlap certain operations, or the like. References in
the specification to a given embodiment indicate that the
embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure,
or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include
the particular feature, structure, or characteristic.
[0104] Finally, while given components of the system have been
described separately, one of ordinary skill will appreciate that
some of the functions may be combined or shared in given
instructions, program sequences, code portions, and the like.
[0105] The references herein to the deployment description being a
TOSCA document are not meant to be limiting, as the description may
comprise some other type or format, such as a template, a pattern,
a package, or the like.
[0106] In the above description, a preferred approach is to apply
the remediation policy to a cloud application package (typically
one of a set of cloud application packages in a catalog of such
application packages) in response to discovery of a new problem (a
defect or vulnerability). This is not a requirement, however, as
the technique may be implemented in other contexts, e.g., when a
cloud application package is being deployed for the first time.
* * * * *