Security

When enabling inference services using vLLM-MindSpore Plugin on Ascend, there may be some security-related issues due to the need for certain network ports for necessary functions such as serviceification, node communication, and model execution.

Service Port Configuration

When starting the inference service using vLLM-MindSpore Plugin, relevant IP and port information is required, including:

host: Sets the IP address associated with the vLLM serve (default: 0.0.0.0).
port: Sets the port for vLLM serve (default: 8000).
data-parallel-address: Sets the IP address for DP (default: 127.0.0.1).

Only for multi-node DP.
data-parallel-rpc-port: Sets the port for DP (default: 29550).

Only for multi-node DP.

Inter-Node Communication

All communications between nodes in a multi-node vLLM deployment are insecure by default. This includes:

MindSpore Distributed communications.
Tensor, Data parallel communication.

For security, it should be deployed in a sufficiently secure isolated network environment.

Configuration Options for Inter-Node Communications

Environment Variables:
- VLLM_HOST_IP: Sets the IP address for vLLM processes to communicate on, main scenario is to communicate in MindSpore distributed network.
- VLLM_DP_MASTER_IP: Sets the IP address for data parallel(not for online-serving, default: 127.0.0.1).
- VLLM_DP_MASTER_PORT: Sets the port for data parallel(not for online-serving, default: 0).
Data Parallel Configuration:
- data_parallel_master_ip: Sets the IP address for data parallel(default: 127.0.0.1).
- data_parallel_master_port: Sets the port for data parallel(default: 29500).

Executing Framework Distributed Communication

It should be noted that vLLM-MindSpore Plugin use MindSpore's distributed communication. For detailed security information about MindSpore, please refer to the MindSpore.

Security Recommendations

Network Isolation:
- Deploy vLLM nodes on a dedicated, isolated network.
- Use network segmentation to prevent unauthorized access.
- Implement appropriate firewall rules. Such as:
  - Block all incoming connections except to the TCP port the API server is listening on.
  - Ensure that ports used for internal communication are only accessible from trusted hosts or networks.
  - Never expose these internal ports to the public internet or untrusted networks.
Configuration Best Practices:
- Always configure relevant parameters and avoid using default values, such as setting a specified IP address through VLLM_HOST_IP.
- Configure firewalls to only allow necessary ports between nodes.
Access Control:
- Restrict physical and network access to the deployment environment.
- Implement proper authentication and authorization for management interfaces.
- Follow the principle of least privilege for all system components.