Non-intrusive proxy system and method for applications without proxy support

• US 10,110,646 B2
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Network Coding Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Network Coding Incorporated
• Inventors: ParandehGheibi, Ali, Barry, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Oanh
• Application Number:
  US14/952,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20160080443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709217, 709219, 709223, 709246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/61 for supporting one-way streaming services, e.g. Internet radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system and method is disclosed for enabling a redirection application to use non-proxy-enabled modules for communication with a server through a proxy server, in which a non-proxy-enabled module takes an address or an URL as the input to establish a connection with the server. This system and method does not require administrative access (e.g. super-user, root, and the like), which is useful for mobile devices where obtaining such privileges is typically difficult. In one embodiment, a media application may use a media player provided by an operating system as a module. In this embodiment, the media application is the redirection application and the media player is the module. The non-proxy-enabled modules use addresses or URLs to locate and fetch data.

Claims

1. A method of redirecting traffic through a proxy from a non-proxy-enabled module using a redirection application, the method comprising:

translating an original address (ADD) of a destination server to a new address (ADD′

) using a processor, the new address (ADD′

) pointing to the proxy and containing all information about the original address (ADD);

providing the new address (ADD′

) to the non-proxy-enabled module, the non-proxy-enabled module subsequently making a protocol request, including a data request, connection request, status request, or combination thereof, to the proxy using a standard transport protocol;

after receiving the protocol request at the proxy, extracting the original address (ADD) from the new address (ADD′

) using a processor;

forwarding the protocol request to the destination server indicated by the original address (ADD), using the proxy, wherein the proxy uses a custom protocol that supports persistent connections to communicate with the destination server, and wherein the persistent connections are connections maintained in a persistent state, thereby enabling a connection between the proxy and the destination server to be kept open when there is not a current session, wherein the custom protocol used to communicate between the proxy and destination server is different than the standard transport protocol used to communicate between the proxy and the non-proxy-enabled module;

receiving data at the proxy from the destination server using the custom protocol; and

forwarding the data from the destination server to the non-proxy-enabled module.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the data from the destination server to the non-proxy-enabled module, except for layer 7 protocol messages or commands, wherein the messages or commands may contain addresses (ADD2) pointing towards a resource including a file, a server, or an index/list of files, which the proxy parses and modifies using a processor, wherein the addresses in the modified messages or commands point towards the proxy but contain all the information of the address (ADD2); and

receiving the protocol request at the proxy from the non-proxy-enabled module, and forwarding the protocol request to the destination server, except for layer 7 protocol messages or commands, which proxy parses and modifies using a processor, enabling the addresses in the messages or commands to point towards a corresponding destination server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the messages or commands are a playlist.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the original address (ADD) is a uniform resource locator (URL) or a uniform resource identifier (URI).

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy is integrated with the non-proxy-enabled module as a new module residing on a device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-proxy-enabled module is a media player.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy resides on the same device as the application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy resides on a different machine or a different virtual machine from the redirection application.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy, non-proxy-enabled module, and redirection application are integrated into a new module residing on a device.

10. A system for communicating with a destination server using a redirection application residing on a device and non-proxy-enabled module residing on the device, which take addresses or uniform resource locators (URLs) as input to establish connections, the system comprising:

the device including a hardware processor;

a hyper-proxy that initiates a connection to the destination server;

and a redirection application that translates an original address (ADD) into a new address (ADD′

) using a URL translator, wherein the new address (ADD′

) contains all information about the original address (ADD) but points to the hyper-proxy;

wherein the redirection application transmits the new address (ADD′

) to the non-proxy-enabled module, the non-proxy-enabled module establishing a connection to the hyper proxy using a standard transport protocol;

wherein the hyper-proxy extracts the original address (ADD) from the new address (ADD′

) using a processor, and forwards a request to the destination server indicated by the original address (ADD) using a custom protocol that supports persistent connections; and

wherein data is received at the hyper-proxy from the destination server using the custom protocol, wherein the persistent connections are connections maintained in a persistent state, thereby enabling the connection between the hyper-proxy and the destination server to be kept open when there is not a current session, wherein the custom protocol used to communicate between the hyper-proxy and destination server is different than the standard transport protocol used to communicate between the hyper-proxy and the non-proxy-enabled module, wherein the data is forwarded from the destination server to the non-proxy-enabled module.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy forwards the data received from the server to the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application, except for layer 7 protocol messages or commands, wherein the messages or commands may contain addresses (ADD2) pointing towards a resource including a file, a server, or an index/list of files, which the hyper-proxy parses and modifies using a processor, wherein the addresses contained in the modified messages or commands point towards the hyper-proxy but contain all the information of the address (ADD2), before forwarding the modified messages or commands to the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application,

wherein the hyper-proxy forwards the protocol request received from the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application to the server, except for layer 7 protocol messages or commands, which the hyper-proxy parses and modifies using a processor, enabling the addresses contained in the messages or the commands to point toward a corresponding destination server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the messages or commands are a playlist.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy and the server use a standard transport protocol, and wherein standard transport protocols include TCP and UDP.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy and the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application use a standard transport protocol, and wherein standard transport protocols include TCP and UDP.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy and the server use a custom protocol.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy and the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application use a custom protocol.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the hyper-proxy establishes a connection with an upstream-proxy, instead of directly establishing a connection to the server, wherein the upstream-proxy then establishes a connection to the server and forwards all data from the server to the hyper-proxy.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the hyper-proxy and the upstream-proxy use a standard transport protocol, and wherein standard transport protocols include TCP and UDP.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the hyper-proxy and the upstream-proxy use a custom protocol.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein a custom protocol is used between the hyper-proxy and the upstream-proxy, while a standard protocol is used between the module and the hyper-proxy, and the upstream-proxy and the server.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the upstream-proxy forwards all data from the server to the hyper-proxy, except for the layer 7 protocol messages or commands, which the upstream-proxy parses and modifies before forwarding to the hyper-proxy, and wherein the hyper-proxy does not parse or modify the layer 7 protocol messages or commands before forwarding to the non-proxy-enabled module and/or redirection application.

22. A system for communicating with a server through a proxy using a redirection application to enable non-proxy-enabled media player modules to use a streaming protocol with a playlist, the system comprising:

a device including a hardware processor;

a hyper-proxy that initiates a connection to the server;

a redirection application that translates an original address (ADD) of a playlist into a new address (ADD′

) using a URL translator, and wherein the new address (ADD′

) points to the hyper-proxy and contains all information about the original address (ADD), the new address (ADD′

) including a port number;

wherein the redirection application transmits the new address (ADD′

) to the non-proxy-enabled media player module, and wherein the non-proxy-enabled media player module establishes a connection to the hyper-proxy using a standard transport protocol;

wherein the hyper-proxy extracts the original address (ADD) from the new address (ADD′

) using a processor, and forwards a request to the server indicated by the original address (ADD) using a custom protocol that supports persistent connections;

wherein the hyper-proxy receives the playlist from the server using the custom protocol and modifies addresses in the playlist, which enables the modified addresses to point to the hyper-proxy and contain all the information about the original address, the hyper-proxy providing the modified playlist to the non-proxy-enabled media player module, wherein the persistent connections are connections maintains in a persistent state, thereby enabling a connection between the hyper-proxy and the destination server to be kept open when there is not a current session, and wherein the custom protocol used to communicate between the hyper-proxy and destination server is different than the standard transport protocol used to communicate between the hyper-proxy and the non-proxy-enabled media player module.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the streaming protocol with a playlist is HTTP Live Streaming (HLS).