MySmartGrid Developer Wiki

This page defines the security policy adopted in the mySmartGrid project. Its goal is to ensure that mySmartGrid services achieve the levels of reliability and security expected by its users.

The first section classifies the computer systems used in the project, and explains their purposes. The second section identifies the roles played by team members and describes their respective responsibilities. Finally, the third section elicits general guidelines to be followed by all team members.

The computer systems currently used in the project are classified in the following types.

• S1 - Physical Server - Hosting environment where other machines are deployed as virtual machines.
• S2 - Production Server - Virtual machine where production services run.
• S3 - Support Server - Virtual machine used by Flukso devices to open reverse SSH connections that enable remote support.
• S4 - Development Server - Virtual machine used for software development and testing purposes.

The following list identifies the major roles played by members of the mySmartGrid team, and describes their respective responsibilities.

• Admin1 - Primary system administrator, responsible for maintaining and operating the servers S1, S2, and S3. His attributions are detailed in the following.
  • Software installations, configurations, and updates.
  • User management.
  • Certification management, including:
    • creation, renewal, and revocation of certificates using the mySmartGrid Certification Authority (MSG-CA);
    • request and replacement of certificates signed by external CAs.
  • Deployment of software releases prepared by developers, as described at the Future Arrivals list.
  • Database administration.
  • Drupal framework administration.
  • System backup administration.
  • System monitoring administration.
  • Creation of virtual machines such as S3 and S4.
  • Routinely change passwords (every 6 months, at least).
  • Share passwords exclusively with Admin2 and Leader.

• Admin2 - Secondary system administrator, responsible for assisting Admin1, and assuming his responsibilities, whenever he is either on vacations or unreachable.

• Leader - Project leader, responsible for team coordination and for assuming Admin1 responsibilities when both administrators are unreachable. He is also responsible for reassigning these roles to team members.

• Developer - Responsible for developing and testing software and hardware components. His main attributions are:
  • Preparation of new feature release notes at the Future Arrivals list to enable Admin1 to deploy new software components on S2 and S3.
  • System administration of his own S4 server, including:
    • software installations and updates,
    • user management,
    • the administration of local services such as databases, monitoring, and the Drupal framework.

A single person can play multiple roles, but each role can be played only by one person at a time, with the exception of Developer. The following table shows the current incumbents.

The following list presents guidelines to be followed by all team members, except in special cases determined by the project Leader.

• The computer systems must be exclusively used for activities related with the mySmartGrid project.
• External users should not be given access to any computer systems, except via user accounts on the web portal running on S2.
• All data stored in these systems are confidential, and must not leave the ITWM/MSG network.
• Passwords must be kept in safe locations within the ITWM/MSG network, such as encrypted keystores. They are never to be emailed or copied to external media devices.