Secure Authorization for RESTful HPC Access with FaaS Support

Abstract

The integration of external services, such as work- flow management systems, with High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems and cloud resources requires flexible interaction methods that go beyond the classical remote interactive shell session. In a previous work, we proposed the architecture and prototypical implementation of an Application Programming Interface (API) which exposes a Representational State Transfer (REST) interface that clients can use to manage their HPC environment, transfer data, as well as submit and track batch jobs. In this article, we expand on this foundation by including a full Function as a Service (FaaS) interface which allows it to be a drop-in replacement for functions with high resource demands. In order to enable automated processes without any manual interaction while maintaining the highest security standards, a fine-grained role-based authorization and authentication system which facilitates the initial setup and increases the user’s control over the jobs that services intend to submit on their behalf is presented. The developed HPCSerA service provides secure means across multiple sites and systems and can be utilized for one-off code execution and repetitive automated tasks, while adhering to the highest security standards.