Secure Control of Portable Images in a Virtual Computing Utility

A virtual computing utility hosts guest virtual machines on server provider sites. Each VM is an instantiation of some image or virtual appliance, which might be supplied by the VM owner or a third-party image provider. This paper addresses the problem of establishing a secure channel between a VM and an automated controller running on behalf of the VM's authorized owner. A secure channel is an essential toehold for post-install actions by the controller to adapt the VM to its local environment, join it to an application service, and/or monitor and control its execution.