Establishing secure, mutually authenticated communication credentials

1. A method for establishing secure, mutually authenticated communication between trusted servers of a trusted network and an edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, said method comprising:

creating, by the edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, a public key, a private key, and a password associated with the edge server in the perimeter network;

creating a self-signed certificate for secure SSL (secure sockets layer) connection on an edge server using said public key and said password;

transferring securely, from the edge server, the public key, the created password, and configuration information related to the edge server to a distributed directory service administered on at least one trusted server within the trusted network, said transferring securely including transferring the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password to the trusted network;

storing, at the edge server, the created private key associated with said edge server;

creating, by the distributed directory service, an edge configuration object associated with the edge server, said edge configuration object including the created public key, the created password associated with the edge server, and the configuration information related to the edge server;

storing, by the distributed directory service, the created edge configuration object in the distributed directory service;

updating, by the distributed directory service, the public key, the created password, and the configuration information associated with the edge server and stored in the edge configuration object to two or more of the trusted servers on the trusted network adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, thereby identifying the edge server to each of the trusted servers adapted for communicating with the perimeter network as a registered edge server;

encrypting, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the created password associated with only the particular trusted server with the public key associated with the edge server, such that only said edge server can decrypt the encrypted password associated with the trusted server using the private key stored by said edge server; and

sending, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the encrypted password associated with the particular trusted server through the SSL established by the created self-signed certificate to the edge server for authenticating the edge server with respect to each respective trusted server.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising storing a private key associated with the public key on the edge server in the perimeter network.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1 further comprising maintaining the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password in a secure state during said transferring.

4. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said transferring securely further comprises transferring securely a location identifier associated with the edge server.

5. A method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sending an encrypted password comprises sending the encrypted password to a stand-alone directory service administered by the edge server being authenticated.

6. A method as set forth in claim 1 , said configuration information comprising system configuration data detailing the hardware and software configuration of the edge server.

7. A system for establishing secure, mutually authenticated communication between trusted servers of a trusted network and an edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, said system comprising:

a distributed directory service for storing information used to secure communication between the trusted servers of the trusted network and the edge server; and

one or more processors configured to execute computer-executable instructions for:

creating, by the edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, a public key, a private key, and a password associated with the edge server in the perimeter network;

creating a self-signed certificate for secure SSL (secure sockets layer) connection on an edge server using said public key and said password;

transferring securely, from the edge server, the public key, the created password, and configuration information related to the edge server to a distributed directory service administered on at least one trusted server within the trusted network, said transferring securely including transferring the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password to the trusted network;

storing, at the edge server, the created private key associated with said edge server;

creating, by the distributed directory service, an edge configuration object associated with the edge server, said edge configuration object including the created public key, the created password associated with the edge server, and the configuration information related to the edge server;

storing, by the distributed directory service, the created edge configuration object in the distributed directory service;

updating, by the distributed directory service, the public key, the created password, and the configuration information associated with the edge server and stored in the edge configuration object to two or more of the trusted servers on the trusted network adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, thereby identifying the edge server to each of the trusted servers adapted for communicating with the perimeter network as a registered edge server;

encrypting, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the created password associated with only the particular trusted server with the public key associated with the edge server, such that only said edge server can decrypt the encrypted password associated with the trusted server using the private key stored by said edge server; and

sending, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the encrypted password associated with the particular trusted server through the SSL established by the created self-signed certificate to the edge server for authenticating the edge server with respect to each respective trusted server.

8. The system as set forth in claim 7 , said one or more processors being further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for storing a private key associated with the public key on the edge server in the perimeter network.

9. The system as set forth in claim 7 , said one or more processors being further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for maintaining the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password in a secure state during said transferring.

10. The system as set forth in claim 7 , said one or more processors being further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for transferring securely a location identifier associated with the edge server.

11. The system as set forth in claim 7 , said one or more processors being further configured to execute computer-executable instructions for sending the encrypted password to a stand-alone directory service administered by the edge server being authenticated.

12. The system as set forth in claim 7 , said configuration information comprising system configuration data detailing the hardware and software configuration of the edge server.

13. One or more computer-readable memory device having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for establishing secure, mutually authenticated communication between trusted servers of a trusted network and an edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, said computer-executable instructions comprising instructions for:

creating, by the edge server of a perimeter network outside the trusted network, a public key, a private key, and a password associated with the edge server in the perimeter network;

creating a self-signed certificate for secure SSL (secure sockets layer) connection on an edge server using said public key and said password;

transferring securely, from the edge server, the public key, the created password, and configuration information related to the edge server to a distributed directory service administered on at least one trusted server within the trusted network, said transferring securely including transferring the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password to the trusted network;

storing, at the edge server, the created private key associated with said edge server;

creating, by the distributed directory service, an edge configuration object associated with the edge server, said edge configuration object including the created public key, the created password associated with the edge server, and the configuration information related to the edge server;

storing, by the distributed directory service, the created edge configuration object in the distributed directory service;

updating, by the distributed directory service, the public key, the created password, and the configuration information associated with the edge server and stored in the edge configuration object to two or more of the trusted servers on the trusted network adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, thereby identifying the edge server to each of the trusted servers adapted for communicating with the perimeter network as a registered edge server;

encrypting, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the created password associated with only the particular trusted server with the public key associated with the edge server, such that only said edge server can decrypt the encrypted password associated with the trusted server using the private key stored by said edge server; and

sending, by each trusted server adapted for communicating with the perimeter network, the encrypted password associated with the particular trusted server through the secure SSL established by the created self-signed certificate to the edge server for authenticating the edge server with respect to each respective trusted server.

14. The one or more computer-readable memory device as set forth in claim 13 , said computer-executable instructions further comprising instructions for storing a private key associated with the public key on the edge server in the perimeter network.

15. The one or more computer-readable memory device as set forth in claim 13 , said computer-executable instructions further comprising instructions for maintaining the self-signed certificate with the public key and the password in a secure state during said transferring.

16. The one or more computer-readable memory device as set forth in claim 13 , said computer-executable instructions further comprising instructions for transferring securely a location identifier associated with the edge server.

17. The one or more computer-readable memory device as set forth in claim 13 , said computer-executable instructions further comprising instructions for sending the encrypted password to a stand-alone directory service administered by the edge server being authenticated.

18. The one or more computer-readable memory device as set forth in claim 13 , said configuration information comprising system configuration data detailing the hardware and software configuration of the edge server.