SATVPC: Secure-agent-based trustworthy virtual private cloud model in open computing environments

Private clouds and public clouds are turning mutually into the open integrated cloud computing environment, which can aggregate and utilize WAN and LAN networks computing, storage, information and other hardware and software resources sufficiently, but also bring a series of security, reliability and credibility problems. To solve these problems, a novel secure-agent-based trustworthy virtual private cloud model named SATVPC was proposed for the integrated and open cloud computing environment. Through the introduction of secure-agent technology, SATVPC provides an independent, safe and trustworthy computing virtual private platform for multi-tenant systems. In order to meet the needs of the credibility of SATVPC and mandate the trust relationship between each task execution agent and task executor node suitable for their security policies, a new dynamic composite credibility evaluation mechanism was presented, including the credit index computing algorithm and the credibility differentiation strategy. The experimental system shows that SATVPC and the credibility evaluation mechanism can ensure the security of open computing environments with feasibility. Experimental results and performance analysis also show that the credit indexes computing algorithm can evaluate the credibilities of task execution agents and task executor nodes quantitatively, correctly and operationally.