15 Glossary - samerfarida/mcp-ssh-orchestrator GitHub Wiki

16. Glossary

Purpose: Define key terms, concepts, and acronyms used throughout MCP SSH Orchestrator documentation.

Overview

This glossary provides definitions for technical terms, concepts, and acronyms used in MCP SSH Orchestrator documentation. Terms are organized alphabetically for easy reference.

A

Access Control

  • Definition: Security mechanism that controls who can access what resources and under what conditions
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements policy-based access control for SSH command execution

Agent

  • Definition: An AI system that can perceive its environment and take actions to achieve goals
  • Context: AI agents interact with mcp-ssh-orchestrator through the MCP protocol to execute SSH commands

Alias

  • Definition: A human-readable name for a host in the servers.yml configuration
  • Context: Used to reference hosts instead of IP addresses (e.g., "web1" instead of "10.0.0.11")

Audit Log

  • Definition: A chronological record of events and activities for security oversight
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator provides structured JSON audit logs for every command execution

Authentication

  • Definition: The process of verifying the identity of a user or system
  • Context: SSH authentication using public/private key pairs or passwords

B

Blocklist

  • Definition: A list of items (IPs, commands, hosts) that are explicitly denied access
  • Context: Network blocklists prevent connections to unauthorized IP addresses

C

CIDR

  • Definition: Classless Inter-Domain Routing, a method for allocating IP addresses and routing
  • Context: Used for network filtering (e.g., "10.0.0.0/8" allows all 10.x.x.x addresses)

Command Injection

  • Definition: A security vulnerability where malicious commands are injected into legitimate commands
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator prevents command injection through policy enforcement and input validation

Compliance

  • Definition: Adherence to regulatory or organizational policies and standards
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator provides security features that can assist with internal governance. Certification against external standards is the responsibility of the deploying organization.

Container

  • Definition: A lightweight, portable unit of software that packages code and dependencies
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator is distributed as a Docker container for easy deployment

D

Defense in Depth

  • Definition: A security strategy that implements multiple layers of security controls
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements policy enforcement, network filtering, audit logging, and container security

Docker

  • Definition: A platform for developing, shipping, and running applications in containers
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator uses Docker for packaging and deployment

Dry Run

  • Definition: A test execution that simulates a command without actually executing it
  • Context: The ssh_plan tool performs dry runs to test policy rules before execution

E

Ed25519

  • Definition: A public-key signature algorithm that is fast, secure, and compact
  • Context: Recommended SSH key type for mcp-ssh-orchestrator deployments

Environment Variable

  • Definition: A dynamic value that can affect how processes behave
  • Context: Used for configuration and secret management in mcp-ssh-orchestrator

F

Fleet

  • Definition: A collection of servers or hosts managed as a group
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator manages SSH access to a fleet of servers

Firewall

  • Definition: A network security device that monitors and controls network traffic
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements network filtering similar to firewall rules

G

GitHub Actions

  • Definition: A CI/CD platform that automates software workflows
  • Context: Used for automated testing, building, and deployment of mcp-ssh-orchestrator

GitHub Wiki

  • Definition: A documentation platform for GitHub repositories
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator documentation is maintained in the GitHub wiki

H

Host Key

  • Definition: A cryptographic key used to verify the identity of an SSH server
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator verifies host keys to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks

Hostname

  • Definition: A human-readable name for a network device
  • Context: Used in servers.yml to specify the target host for SSH connections

I

IP Address

  • Definition: A numerical label assigned to each device connected to a network
  • Context: Used to identify target hosts in servers.yml configuration

Incident Response

  • Definition: The process of responding to security incidents and breaches
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator provides audit logs and monitoring for incident response

J

JSON-RPC

  • Definition: A remote procedure call protocol encoded in JSON
  • Context: MCP uses JSON-RPC for communication between clients and servers

K

Key Pair

  • Definition: A set of two cryptographic keys (public and private) used for encryption
  • Context: SSH key pairs are used for authentication in mcp-ssh-orchestrator

Known Hosts

  • Definition: A file containing the public keys of SSH servers
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator uses known_hosts for host key verification

L

LLM

  • Definition: Large Language Model, an AI system trained on vast amounts of text data
  • Context: LLMs interact with mcp-ssh-orchestrator through MCP clients

Load Balancer

  • Definition: A device that distributes network traffic across multiple servers
  • Context: Not currently implemented in MCP SSH Orchestrator. The tool is designed for one container per MCP client, with scaling handled at the client level.

M

MCP

  • Definition: Model Context Protocol, a standardized interface for AI agents to interact with external tools
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements the MCP protocol for AI agent integration

Mermaid

  • Definition: A markdown-like syntax for generating diagrams
  • Context: Used in mcp-ssh-orchestrator documentation for architecture diagrams

Microservices

  • Definition: An architectural approach where applications are built as a collection of loosely coupled services
  • Context: Not applicable—the orchestrator is a single MCP stdio server process.

N

Network Segmentation

  • Definition: The practice of dividing a network into smaller, isolated segments
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator supports network filtering for segmentation

Non-root

  • Definition: Running processes with limited privileges instead of administrator/root privileges
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator containers run as non-root user for security

O

OWASP

  • Definition: Open Web Application Security Project, a nonprofit foundation focused on software security
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator addresses OWASP Top 10 for LLMs security risks

Orchestrator

  • Definition: A system that manages and coordinates multiple components or services
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator orchestrates SSH access across a fleet of servers

P

Policy

  • Definition: A set of rules that govern behavior or access control
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator uses policies to control SSH command execution

Policy Engine

  • Definition: A system that evaluates policies and makes access control decisions
  • Context: The core component of mcp-ssh-orchestrator that enforces security policies

Prompt Injection

  • Definition: A security vulnerability where malicious input manipulates AI system behavior
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator prevents prompt injection through policy enforcement

Privilege Escalation

  • Definition: The act of exploiting a bug or design flaw to gain elevated access
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator prevents privilege escalation through command restrictions

Q

QoS

  • Definition: Quality of Service, the ability to provide different priority levels for different applications
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements QoS through resource limits and rate limiting

R

Rate Limiting

  • Definition: A technique to control the rate of requests or operations
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements rate limiting to prevent abuse

RBAC

  • Definition: Role-Based Access Control, a method of restricting access based on user roles
  • Context: Not implemented. Use policy rules (aliases, tags, commands) to approximate RBAC behavior today.

Read-only

  • Definition: A filesystem or volume that can only be read from, not written to
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator containers use read-only filesystems for security

S

SSH

  • Definition: Secure Shell, a cryptographic network protocol for secure remote access
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator manages SSH access to remote servers

SSH Key

  • Definition: A cryptographic key used for SSH authentication
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator uses SSH keys for secure authentication

Secret

  • Definition: Sensitive information such as passwords, keys, or tokens
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator manages secrets through Docker secrets or environment variables

stdio

  • Definition: Standard input/output, a communication method using standard streams
  • Context: MCP uses stdio transport for communication between clients and servers

T

Tag

  • Definition: A label or identifier used to categorize or group items
  • Context: Hosts in mcp-ssh-orchestrator are tagged for policy grouping (e.g., "production", "web")

TLS

  • Definition: Transport Layer Security, a cryptographic protocol for secure communication
  • Context: Not used directly; the server communicates via stdio and relies on SSH for encrypted transport.

Timeout

  • Definition: A maximum time limit for an operation before it is terminated
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator implements timeouts to prevent hanging commands

U

Uptime

  • Definition: The amount of time a system has been running without interruption
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator monitors uptime and system health

User

  • Definition: An individual or system that interacts with mcp-ssh-orchestrator
  • Context: Users can be human operators or AI agents

V

Vulnerability

  • Definition: A weakness in a system that can be exploited to cause harm
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator addresses common SSH and MCP vulnerabilities

W

Webhook

  • Definition: A way for an application to provide real-time information to other applications
  • Context: Not supported. MCP SSH Orchestrator communicates strictly via MCP stdio streams.

Wiki

  • Definition: A collaborative website that allows users to create and edit content
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator documentation is maintained in the GitHub wiki

X

XSS

  • Definition: Cross-Site Scripting, a security vulnerability where malicious scripts are injected into web pages
  • Context: Out of scope; the orchestrator exposes no web UI and relies on MCP clients for presentation.

Y

YAML

  • Definition: YAML Ain't Markup Language, a human-readable data serialization format
  • Context: MCP SSH Orchestrator configuration files use YAML format

Z

Zero Trust

  • Definition: A security model that assumes no implicit trust and verifies every request
  • Context: Implemented today via deny-by-default policy, known-host enforcement, and network allowlists.

Zone

  • Definition: A logical grouping of network resources
  • Context: Use host tags and policy rules to approximate zones; there is no separate “zone” object in the codebase.

Acronyms

API: Application Programming Interface CI/CD: Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment CLI: Command Line Interface CPU: Central Processing Unit DNS: Domain Name System FTP: File Transfer Protocol HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol HTTPS: HTTP Secure IAM: Identity and Access Management ID: Identifier IP: Internet Protocol JSON: JavaScript Object Notation LDAP: Lightweight Directory Access Protocol MAC: Media Access Control NAT: Network Address Translation OS: Operating System RAM: Random Access Memory REST: Representational State Transfer SDK: Software Development Kit SIEM: Security Information and Event Management SOAR: Security Orchestration, Automation and Response SSH: Secure Shell SSL: Secure Sockets Layer TCP: Transmission Control Protocol UDP: User Datagram Protocol UI: User Interface URL: Uniform Resource Locator UUID: Universally Unique Identifier VPN: Virtual Private Network WAF: Web Application Firewall XML: eXtensible Markup Language

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