Firewall providing enhanced network security and user transparency
First Claim
1. A system for providing a software license over a computer network, the system comprising:
- a computer network connection;
an association between user identifiers and IP addresses;
a license server, the license server having at least one webpage and being in communication with the association, the at least one webpage providing a software license to a client over a computer network, the client being in communication with the license server over the computer network connection.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention provides a firewall that achieves maximum network security and maximum user convenience. The firewall employs “envoys” that exhibit the security robustness of prior-art proxies and the transparency and ease-of-use of prior-art packet filters, combining the best of both worlds. No traffic can pass through the firewall unless the firewall has established an envoy for that traffic. Both connection-oriented (e.g., TCP) and connectionless (e.g., UDP-based) services may be handled using envoys. Establishment of an envoy may be subjected to a myriad of tests to “qualify” the user, the requested communication, or both. Therefore, a high level of security may be achieved. The usual added burden of prior-art proxy systems is avoided in such a way as to achieve fall transparency-the user can use standard applications and need not even know of the existence of the firewall. To achieve full transparency, the firewall is configured as two or more sets of virtual hosts. The firewall is, therefore, “multi-homed,” each home being independently configurable. One set of hosts responds to addresses on a first network interface of the firewall. Another set of hosts responds to addresses on a second network interface of the firewall. In one aspect, programmable transparency is achieved by establishing DNS mappings between remote hosts to be accessed through one of the network interfaces and respective virtual hosts on that interface. In another aspect, automatic transparency may be achieved using code for dynamically mapping remote hosts to virtual hosts in accordance with a technique referred to herein as dynamic DNS, or DDNS.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for providing a software license over a computer network, the system comprising:
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a computer network connection;
an association between user identifiers and IP addresses;
a license server, the license server having at least one webpage and being in communication with the association, the at least one webpage providing a software license to a client over a computer network, the client being in communication with the license server over the computer network connection.
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2. A method for delivering content items over a network to a client within a service region, the method comprising:
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storing content items with a plurality of file servers connected to the network and distributed within a service region;
on at least one main server, receiving and processing requests for content items from clients; and
directing clients to file servers to obtain requested content items in response to receiving and processing requests for content items on the at least one main server. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification