Configurable client filtering rules

• US 10,601,669 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2015
• Issued: 03/24/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vmware LLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: VMware, Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gilliard, Christopher, Tsiao, James Chi-shun, Bay, Konstantin Anatolyevich, Li, Yang, Compeau, Aram, Li, Xiangfang
• Primary Examiner(s): Miah, Razu A
• Application Number:
  US14/924,368
• Publication Number:
  US 20170118084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,610 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/40 using virtualisation of network functions or resources, e.g. SDN or NFV entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1063 Application servers providing network services systems providing special services to telephonic subscribers H04M3/42
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

Techniques for processing application data are described. The techniques include transmitting packets of application data to a data management server. The data management server maintains rules that dictate where the packets go as well as what actions are taken in response to the packets. Based on the rules, the data management server transmits the packets to destinations that may perform various actions. The actions performed by destinations may include logging data received from the applications, or performing other actions such as notifying an administrator or other entity of a particular event, or the like. The described architecture decouples functions such as logging, notification, and the like from the applications for which they are performed, which provides benefits such as improved scalability, as well as removing the need for application developers to build such functionality directly into the applications. This reduces application development time and improves the robustness of application functionality.

Claims

1. A method for filtering application data, comprising:

identifying, by a packet management server, a first emitter rule specifying first emitter identifier (emitter ID);

determining that a first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server;

responsive to determining that the first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server, transmitting the first emitter rule to the first packet emitter; and

transmitting the first emitter rule from the packet management server to a second packet emitter having the first emitter ID,

wherein the first emitter rule includes a condition to be evaluated by packet emitters having the first emitter ID as a predicate to emitting packets containing the application data to the packet management server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second emitter rule in configuration data;

determining that the second emitter rule specifies the first emitter ID;

determining that the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter have the first emitter ID; and

responsive to determining that the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter have the first emitter ID, transmitting the second emitter rule to the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, at the first packet emitter, a first packet of data from a first application associated with the first packet emitter;

evaluating the first packet of data based on the condition of the first emitter rule; and

determining whether to transmit the first packet of data to the packet management server or to discard the first packet of data based on the evaluating.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the condition comprises a comparison between a value indicated by the condition and a value included in the first packet of data.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the comparison includes one of equal to, less than, or greater than,

the value indicated by the condition includes a numerical value or an alphabetical value, and

the value included in the first packet of data includes a numerical value or an alphabetical value.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a first packet of data from the first packet emitter;

identifying a first application data processing destination based on the first emitter ID;

transmitting the first packet of data to the first application data processing destination; and

processing the first packet of data according to a first application rule associated with the emitter ID and associated with the first application data processing destination.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first application rule comprises:

an indication that the first application data processing destination is to perform a first action based on the first packet and due to the first packet including the emitter ID that is associated with the first application.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

examining the first application rule to determine that an indication of the first application data processing destination is included within the first rule; and

transmitting the first application rule to the first application data processing destination responsive to examining the first rule to determine that the indication of the first application data processing destination is included in the first rule.

9. A system for filtering application data, comprising:

a computing device including a processor and memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to execute a packet management server,

wherein the packet management server is configured to;

identify a first emitter rule specifying a first emitter identifier (emitter ID),

determine that a first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server,

responsive to determining that the first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server, transmit the first emitter rule to the first packet emitter; and

transmit the first emitter rule to a second packet emitter having the first emitter ID,

wherein the first emitter rule includes a condition to be evaluated by packet emitters having the first emitter ID as a predicate to emitting packets containing the application data to the packet management server.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the packet management server is further configured to:

receive a second emitter rule in configuration data;

determine that the second emitter rule specifies the first emitter ID;

determine that the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter have the first emitter ID; and

responsive to determining that the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter have the first emitter ID, transmit the second emitter rule to the first packet emitter and the second packet emitter.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first packet emitter is configured to:

receive a first packet of data from a first application associated with the first packet emitter;

evaluate the first packet of data based on the condition of the first emitter rule; and

determine whether to transmit the first packet of data to the packet management server or to discard the first packet of data based on the evaluating.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the condition comprises a comparison between a value indicated by the condition and a value included in the first packet of data.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the comparison includes one of equal to, less than, or greater than,

the value indicated by the condition includes a numerical value or an alphabetical value, and

the value included in the first packet of data includes a numerical value or an alphabetical value.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the packet management server is further configured to:

receive a first packet of data from the first packet emitter;

identify a first application data processing destination based on the first emitter ID;

transmit the first packet of data to the first application data processing destination; and

process the first packet of data according to a first application rule associated with the emitter ID and associated with the first application data processing destination.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the first application rule comprises:

an indication that the first application data processing destination is to perform a first action based on the first packet and due to the first packet including the emitter ID that is associated with the first application.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the packet management server is further configured to:

examine the first application rule to determine that an indication of the first application data processing destination is included within the first rule; and

transmit the first application rule to the first application data processing destination responsive to examining the first rule to determine that the indication of the first application data processing destination is included in the first rule.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform a method for filtering application data, the method comprising:

identifying, by a packet management server, a first emitter rule specifying a first emitter identifier (emitter ID);

determining that a first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server;

responsive to determining that the first packet emitter having the first emitter ID is connected to the packet management server, transmitting the first emitter rule to the first packet emitter; and

transmitting the first emitter rule from the packet management server to a second packet emitter having the first emitter ID,

wherein the first emitter rule includes a condition to be evaluated by packet emitters having the first emitter ID as a predicate to emitting packets containing the application data to the packet management server.