A repository system with secure file access for collaborative environments

Abstract

Collaborative computing environments which allow remote execution of applications, need a remote storage facility that supports shared access to the software resources required for computation. In this context, there is also a need to guarantee authorized and secure access to the shared resources. This paper investigates the use of a repository system in collaborative computing environments and discusses techniques to provide privacy, user authentication and access control to the repository using certificates. A protocol based on SSL is developed for query processing. The IceT environment is used as an exemplar for the application of the secure repository system.