Following is the claim for this invention: -

1> In this invention we have n number of virtual machines connected (we assume reliable connections using protocols like Transmission Control Protocol, etc.) to each other. Out of the cluster of n virtual machines we choose a leader. The leader of cluster of virtual machines receives the public key of all other virtual machines in the cluster. Then the leader virtual machine secretly chooses a key which will be used to encrypt data packets for communication between any of the virtual machines in the cluster and we call such a cluster of virtual machines using the above secretly chosen key for communication in the cluster as Ring Of Trust. The leader virtual machine then sends the secretly chosen key to each of the virtual machines in the cluster by encrypting the data packet containing the secretly chosen key using the recipient virtual machine’s public key. The recipient virtual machine then decrypts the data packet containing the secret key for communication in the cluster using its own private key. Also all virtual machines in the cluster maintain a table consisting of the virtual machine’s Internet Protocol(IP) address as the key and, value as send counter and receive counter for that virtual machine. Each of the virtual machine sending the data packet encrypts it by using the secretly chosen key and the data packet begins with x number of bytes containing the send sequence number for the recipient virtual machine and the rest is data bytes. Just before sending the data packet the sender virtual machine atomically increments the send counter in the table with recipient virtual machine’s Internet Protocol(IP) address as the key. The recipient virtual machine on the other hand checks if the received sequence number from the sender virtual machine is just one more than the receive counter it has in the table with sender virtual machine’s Internet Protocol(IP) address as the key. If the above check is successful the recipient virtual machine accepts the data packet and atomically increments the receive counter in the table with sender virtual machine’s Internet Protocol(IP) address as the key or if the above check fails the recipient virtual machine drops the data packet. In addition to this, the leader virtual machine maintains a table consisting of the virtual machine’s Internet Protocol(IP) address as the key and, value as its properties like virtual machine’s public key and other details, etc. Also a process in the leader virtual machine subscribes to the above table for any notification of changes in the table. For example when a new entry is inserted in the table for a new virtual machine with its public key and other properties, then the leader virtual machine send the secretly chosen key to the new virtual machine in the cluster by encrypting the data packet containing the secretly chosen key using the new virtual machine’s public key. Similarly when a virtual machine leaves the cluster which results in deletion of an entry in the table, then on notification of the same the leader virtual machine may change the secretly chosen key for security purposes. The above novel technique by which secure and encrypted information is exchanged in a ring or cluster of virtual machines is the claim for this invention.