Systems and methods for establishing a virtual local area network

• US 10,320,951 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hurricane Electric
• Original Assignee: Hurricane Electric
• Inventors: Leber, Mike
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael
• Application Number:
  US13/286,143
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111002A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,780 Days
• Field of Search: 709217, 709223, 709230, 709238, 709245, 709227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

Systems and methods for establishing a virtual local area network are provided herein. According to some embodiments, methods for establishing a virtual local area network include determining at least a first data protocol utilized by a first communications device via a registration server, the first communications device being communicatively coupled with at least a first network via the first data protocol version; determining at least a second data protocol utilized by a second communications device via the registration server, the second communications device being communicatively coupled with at least a second network via the second data protocol version; establishing a network connection between the first communications device and the second communications device; and converting data format of data exchanged between the first and second communications devices when the first data protocol differs from the second data protocol.

Claims

1. A method for establishing a virtual local area network, the method comprising:

establishing, by a multiplexing module of a registration server, a plurality of network connections between a first communications device coupled to a first network and a second communications device coupled to a second network, wherein the first communications device and the second communications device are preconfigured to locate one another upon both the first communications device accessing the first network and the second communications device accessing the second network, wherein the first communications device and the second communications device form a virtual local area network;

inspecting, by the registration server, a first data packet format utilized by the first communications device to determine a first data protocol associated with the first network;

inspecting, by the registration server, a second data packet format utilized by the second communications device to determine a second data protocol associated with the second network;

converting, by the first and second communications devices, a data format of data exchanged between the first and second communications devices based upon the first data protocol and the second data protocol when the first data protocol differs from the second data protocol;

evaluating, by the registration server, the plurality of network connections established between the first communications device and the second communications device to determine a network connection with a lowest latency of each of the plurality of network connections and a network connection with a highest bandwidth of each of the plurality of network connections;

dynamically selecting, by the registration server, a network connection of the plurality of network connections for the first communications device based on the lowest latency and the highest bandwidth of the plurality of network connections relative to one another;

dynamically selecting, by the registration server, a network connection of the plurality of network connections for the second communications device based on the lowest latency and the highest bandwidth of the plurality of network connections relative to one another; and

sending, by an error correction module using the multiplexing module of the registration server, error correction codes in parallel with data being communicated between the first communications device and the second communications device, the sending of the error correction codes being on a different network connection than a network connection used to communicate target data thereby increasing efficiency and reliability of error correction and reducing likelihood that the error correction codes are corrupted or modified during communication.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first data protocol comprises Internet protocol version four (“

IPV4”

) and the second data protocol comprises Internet protocol version six (“

IPV6”

).

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

reevaluating the plurality of the network connections continuously; and

selecting a new network connection if a current network connection has a higher latency and a lower bandwidth than the new network connection.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein converting further comprises at least one of error correcting and encrypting data exchanged between the first and second communications devices.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a size for a maximum transmission unit for at least one of the first data protocol and the second data protocol; and

compressing data exchanged between the first and second communications devices when the data exceeds the size of the maximum transmission unit.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein establishing includes the first communications device automatically determining a network address for the second communications device when the first communications device accesses the first network.

7. A non-transitory computer readable medium having recorded thereon a program, the program when executed performs a method of establishing a virtual local area network, the method comprising:

determining a first data protocol for network addressing for at least a first network utilized by a first communications device, via a multiplexing module of a registration server;

determining a second data protocol for network addressing for at least a second network utilized by a second communications device, via the registration server, wherein the first communications device and the second communications device are preconfigured to locate one another upon both the first communications device accessing the first network and the second communications device accessing the second network;

establishing a plurality of network connections between the first communications device and the second communications device, the first communications device and the second communications device forming a virtual local area network;

converting, by the first and second communications devices, a data format of data exchanged between the first and second communications devices based upon the first data protocol and the second data protocol when the first data protocol differs from the second data protocol; and

utilizing at least one of the plurality of network connections between the first communications device and the second communications device for sending error correction codes in parallel with data being communicated between the first and second communications devices on another one of the plurality of network connection, the sending of the error correction codes being on a different network connection than a network connection used to communicate the data being communicated between the first and second communications devices thereby increasing efficiency and reliability of error correction and reducing likelihood that the error correction codes are corrupted or modified during communication.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, further comprising:

determining a size for a maximum transmission unit for at least one of the first data protocol and the second data protocol; and

compressing data exchanged between the first and second communications devices when the data exceeds the size of the maximum transmission unit.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium according to claim 7, wherein the first communications device further:

evaluates a plurality of network connections available to the first communications device to determine a preferred network of the plurality of network connections with at least one of;

a lowest latency of each of the plurality of network connections; and

a highest bandwidth of each of the plurality of network connections;

selects a network for the first communications device based upon at least one of the lowest latency and the highest bandwidth of the plurality of network connections relative to one another; and

evaluates and selects a network for the second communications device.