Role-based access control for collaborative enterprise in peer-to-peer computing environments

ABSTRACT

In Peer-to-Peer (P2P) computing environments, each participant (peer) acts as both client and content provider. This satisfies the requirement that resources should be increasingly made available by being published to other users from a user's machine. Compared with services performed by the client-server model, P2P-based services have several advantages. However, wide-scale application of P2P computing is constrained by limitations associated with the especially sophisticated control mechanisms needed between peers. To overcome these limitations, we introduce a controlled P2P computing architecture by extending the concept of Web services to the peer-to-peer level through a generic middleware. Specifically, in this paper we tailor our approach to support RBAC. Although our approach supports both brokered and purist P2P models, all of the policy decisions can be made on the peer side, because policy information is transferred from the policy servers to the corresponding peers through metadata that peers can understand. Each peer makes the access control decision based on the enterprise, the community, and the peer policies without asking other components. This approach supports RBAC services for collaborative enterprise in P2P computing environments, not only within one community but also within inter-communities. Furthermore, it also supports peers' autonomous decisions without causing policy conflicts. The broad dissemination of our approach would enable P2P technology to be applicable to more reliable and efficient services, providing controlled communications between peers.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.6 Security and Protection
          Subjects: Access controls

Additional Classification:
  D. Software
  D.4 OPERATING SYSTEMS
      D.4.6 Security and Protection
          Subjects: Information flow controls

General Terms:
Management, Security

Keywords:
peer-to-peer computing, role-based access control, security