Federated PKI Authentication in Computing Grids
Massimiliano Pala, Shreyas Cholia, Scott A. Rea, Sean W. Smith · IGI Global eBooks · 2011
One of the most successful working examples of virtual organizations, computational Grids need authentication mechanisms that inter-operate across domain boundaries. Public Key Infrastructures (PKIs) provide sufficient flexibility to allow resource managers to securely grant access to their systems in such distributed environments. However, as PKIs grow and services are added to enhance both security and usability, users and applications must struggle to discover available resources-particularly when the Certification Authority (CA) is alien to the relying party. This chapter presents a successful story about how to overcome these limitations by deploying the PKI Resource Query Protocol (PRQP) into the grid security architecture. We also discuss the future of Grid authentication by introducing the Public Key System (PKS) and its key features to support federated identities.