Enabling secure communication in a clustered or distributed architecture

Abstract

Techniques for enhancing security in networking environments, whereby a cryptographic node negotiates a set of security parameters (a 'security association') with an end node, on behalf of a routing node (an 'edge router'), and then securely distributes the negotiated security parameters to the edge router and/or to other edge routers in the network. The disclosed negotiation techniques allow the end node to physically move during the negotiation, yet still establish the security association, and the secure distribution enables the end node to move seamlessly through the network yet continue communicating securely. The disclosed techniques may also be used advantageously in other environments, such as clustered server environments, and allow an end node to communicate with multiple routing or server nodes for a variety of reasons (for example, during a hot-swap to a different server during fail-over or as a result of load balancing).