Secure and scalable E-service software delivery

Sammanfattning: Due to the complexity of software and end-user operating environments, software management in general is not an easy task for end-users. In the context of e-service, what end-users buy is the service package. Generally speaking, they should not have to be concerned with how to get the required software and how to make it work properly on their own sites. On the other hand, service providers would not like to have their service-related software managed in a non-professional way, which might cause problems when providing services.E-service software delivery is the starting point in e-service software management. It is the functional foundation for performing further software management tasks, e.g., installation, configuration, activation, and so on. This thesis concentrates on how to deliver e-service software to a large number of geographically distributed end-users. Special emphasis is placed on the issues of efficiency (in terms of total transmission time and consumed resources), scalability (in terms of the number of end-users), and security (in terms of confidentiality and integrity). In the thesis, we propose an agent-based architectural model for e-service software delivery, aiming at automating involved tasks, such as registration, key management, and recipient status report collection. Based on the model, we develop a multicast software delivery system, which provides a secure and scalable solution to distributing software over publicly accessible networks. By supplying end-users with site information examination, the system builds a bridge towards further software management tasks. We also present a novel strategy for scalable multicast session key management in the context of software delivery, which can efficiently handle a dynamic reduction in group membership of up to 50% of the total. An evaluation is provided from the perspective of resource consumption due to security management activities.