Who fits to whom and how good is the communication between different devices? At the PlugFest from 20. to 22. of March, international IT experts join each other at Fraunhofer SIT in Darmstadt, to test new communication possibilities between different devices and software components. The TNC PlugFest has been organised from the working group Trusted Network Connect (TNC) of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG). This events took place outside the USA the first time. The communication between the different devices will be done with protocols of the TNC specification, especially via IF-MAP - an protocol to exchange security-based metadata. Participants of the TNC PlugFest are German companies like NCP engineering GmbH, mikado soft gmbh, and DECOIT GmbH, and international guests from the USA like Boing, Juniper, and Infoblox. Additionally the University of Applied Science of Hanover took part.
IF-MAP is a communication protocol, which shall make the connection between business hard- and software systems easier. Like a type of Facebook for the components of a network: all IF-MAP devices are able to publish security-relevant information and search for new security data. At the PlugFest it will be tested if the theoretical approach works with components of different vendors: communicate device A without problems with software B?, understand device X the plug Y?, and where are problems regarding the communication between the different instances?
The participants of the PlugFest will plug-in there network devices and software components into the testbed of Fraunhofer SIT in Darmstadt directly. This testbed has been especially established for this event. Some companies from the USA will be also remote connected. The remote participants will test various processes and scenarios with their equipment. A special validator of the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) will take part at the PlugFest to control the successful sessions and hand over a certificate of the TCG.
The TCG PlugFest will take place from 20. to 22. March in Darmstadt at the Fraunhofer SIT, Rheinstraße 75. Interest people can get more information from ronald.marx@sit.fraunhofer.de or under www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/certification.
