Selective spoofer and method of performing selective spoofing

• US 20020133596A1
• Filed: 06/12/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Network Systems LLC (Echostar Corporation)
• Inventors: Border, John, Butehorn, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 7,082,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2854 Wide area networks, e.g. public data networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/046 comprising network management agents or mobile agents therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/06 Management of faults, events, alarms or notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5022 by giving priorities, e.g. assigning classes of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5048 Automatic or semi-automatic definitions, e.g. definition templates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/22 Alternate routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/24 Multipath
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/28 using route fault recovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/30 Routing of multiclass traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/193 at the transport layer, e.g. TCP related
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2408 : for supporting different services, e.g. a differentiated services [DiffServ] type of service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 : Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2491 : Mapping quality of service [QoS] requirements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 : Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 : Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 : Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 : Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 : taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 : Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 : Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 : Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 : Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 : Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 : In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 : Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/169 : Special adaptations of TCP, UDP or IP for interworking of IP based networks with other networks protocols for interworking, protocol conversion H04L69/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 : Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/0273 : adapting protocols for flow control or congestion control to wireless environment, e.g. adapting transmission control protocol [TCP] wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation, e.g. wireless application protocol H04W80/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 : Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for enhancing the performance of a network by performing selective spoofing. Selective spoofing provides the ability to discriminate among different connections, only allocating TCP spoofing resources to those connections for which spoofing will actually improve performance and assigning spoofing parameters based on the specific applications using the connections. The selective spoofing functions described are applicable to a wide variety of communication links, including both slow and fast links, high latency links, and links with low and high error rates. The selective spoofing functions may be implemented either alone or in combination with other performance enhancing features, such as, spoofing the conventional TCP three-way handshake, local data acknowledgement, multiplexing multiple connections across a single connection, data compression/encryption, prioritization, and path selection. The selective spoofing features described are particularly useful for links with high latency and/or high bit error rates.

Claims

1. A network apparatus, connected to other network entities via a first type of connection and other network entities via a second type of connection, comprising:

a spoofing element, which spoofs some of the multiple connections of the first type based on their associated applications.

2. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element only spoofs connections of the first type associated with high throughput applications.

3. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element assigns spoofing resources, including buffer space and control blocks, to the spoofed connections.

4. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element spoofs connections using at least one spoofing rule based on destination address, source address, destination port number, source port number, options, a differentiated services (DS) field or combinations thereof.

5. The network apparatus of claim 4, wherein said spoofing element defines the at least one spoofing rule in a selective spoofing profile.

6. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element assigns at least one spoofing parameter set, including at least one of maximum transmission unit (MTU), maximum segment size (MSS), three-way handshake spoofing, connection priority, maximum advertised window size, response (or retransmission) timeout, number of retransmissions, fast retransmission threshold, keep alive timeout, retry counts, retransmission timeouts, and initial window sizes, or combinations thereof to the spoofed connections based on the type of application.

7. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein said spoofing element selects parameters for a spoofed connection using at least one spoofing rule based on destination address, source address, destination port number, source port number, options, a differentiated services (DS) field or combinations thereof.

8. The network apparatus of claim 7, wherein said spoofing element defines the at least one spoofing rule in a selective spoofing profile.

9. The network apparatus of claim 6, wherein said spoofing element defines the at least one spoofing parameter set in a spoofing parameter profile.

10. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element spoofs some of the multiple connections of the first type based on at least one operator selectable criterion.

11. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said spoofing element selects parameters for spoofing some of the multiple connections of the first type based on at least one operator selectable criterion.

12. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first connection uses a high layer protocol.

13. The network apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first connection uses one of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

14. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second connection is a backbone connection.

15. The network apparatus of claim 14, wherein the backbone connection is via a wireless link.

16. The network apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless link has high latency and high error rate.

17. The network apparatus of claim 15, wherein the wireless link is a satellite link.

18. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network apparatus is a component of a network gateway.

19. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network apparatus is a component of a host.

20. The network apparatus of claim 1 wherein said network apparatus is a component of a hub.

21. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network apparatus is a component of a switch.

22. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network apparatus is a component of a VSAT.

23. The network apparatus of claim 1, wherein said network apparatus is a component of a router.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step only spoofs connections of the first type associated with high throughput applications.

26. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step assigns spoofing resources, including buffer space and control blocks, to the spoofed connections.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step spoofs connections using at least one spoofing rule based on destination address, source address, destination port number, source port number, options, a differentiated services (DS) field or combinations thereof.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said spoofing step defines the at least one spoofing rule in a selective spoofing profile.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step assigns at least one spoofing parameter set, including at least one of maximum transmission unit (MTU), maximum segment size (MSS), three-way handshake spoofing, connection priority, maximum advertised window size, response (or retransmission) timeout, number of retransmissions, fast retransmission threshold, keep alive timeout, retry counts, retransmission timeouts, and initial window sizes, or combinations thereof to the spoofed connections based on the type of application.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said spoofing step selects parameters for a spoofed connection using at least one spoofing rule based on destination address, source address, destination port number, source port number, options, a differentiated services (DS) field or combinations thereof.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein said spoofing step defines the at least one spoofing rule in a selective spoofing profile.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein said spoofing step defines the at least one spoofing parameter set in a spoofing parameter profile.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step spoofs some of the multiple connections of the first type based on at least one operator selectable criterion.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein said spoofing step selects parameters for spoofing some of the multiple connections of the first type based on at least one operator selectable criterion.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein the first connection uses a high layer protocol.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the first connection uses one of the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

37. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a network gateway.

38. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a host.

39. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a hub.

40. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a switch.

41. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a VSAT.

42. The method of claim 24, wherein said method is performed in a router.

24. A method, comprising:

establishing multiple connections of a first type associated with different applications; and

spoofing some of the multiple connections of the first type based on their associated applications.