Apparatus, method, and computer program product for building virtual networks

• US 20050188002A1
• Filed: 04/20/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/02/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Guanghong Yang
• Original Assignee: Guanghong Yang
• Inventors: Yang, Guanghong
• Application Number:
  US10/907,914
• Publication Number:
  US 20050188002A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Disclosed is a system, method and computer program product for building virtual networks for TCP/IP networking. The system includes a global area network coupled to one or more virtual network hosting servers; and a first computing system coupled to the one or more servers though a first firewall, wherein a virtual network including the first computing system is formed with a second computing system coupled to the one or more servers through a second firewall such that the computing systems communicate with each other through a direct logical connection. The method for forming a virtual network includes a) establishing a physical connection between a first computing system through a first firewall to a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network; b) communicating with a second computing system physically connected to the virtual network hosting server through a second firewall, wherein the communicating step includes communicating through a direct logical connection between the computing systems. The computer program product having a computer readable medium carrying program instructions for forming a virtual network when executed using two or more computing systems each coupled to a global area network through a firewall, the executed program instructions executing a method, the method including a) establishing a physical connection between a first computing system through a first firewall to a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network; b) establishing a physical connection between a second computing system through a second firewall to the virtual network hosting server; and c) establishing a logical connection between the computing systems to form the virtual network.

Claims

1. :

A network system, comprising;

a global area network coupled to one or more virtual network hosting servers;

a first computing system coupled to said one or more servers though a first firewall; and

a second computing system coupled to said one or more servers through a second firewall

wherein a virtual network including said computing systems is formed such that said computing systems communicate with each other through a direct logical connection.

2. :

The network system of claim 1 wherein said virtual network uses a physical layer connection between said one or more servers and each computing system.

3. :

The network system of claim 2 wherein said physical layer is established using an HTTP CONNECT command.

4. :

The network system of claim 1 wherein said physical layer connection includes connections to a virtual network object formed in said server.

5. :

A communication system using a global area network having a virtual network hosting server, comprising;

a plurality of computing systems coupled to the virtual network hosting server using the global area network; and

a plurality of firewalls, one for each computing system, for filtering network communication between a computing system and the global area network

wherein a virtual network including said computing systems is formed such that said computing systems communicate with each other through a direct logical connection.

6. :

A virtual network formation method, the method comprising;

a) establishing a physical connection between a first computing system through a first firewall to a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network;

b) establishing a physical connection between a second computing system through a second firewall to said virtual network hosting server; and

c) establishing a logical connection between said computing systems to form the virtual network.

7. :

The method of claim 6 wherein one of said establishing step a) and establishing step b) include;

d) issuing a TCP connect request from said computing system to said server;

e) responding to said TCP connect request from said server to said computing system;

f) exchanging connection handshake data from said computing system to said server;

g) exchanging connection handshake data from said server to said computing system; and

h) exchanging data between said computing system and said server.

8. :

The method of claim 6 further comprising an HTTP proxy server coupled to said first computing system in front of said first firewall wherein said establishing step a) includes;

d) issuing a proxy connect request from said first computing system to said proxy server;

e) issuing a TCP connect request from said proxy server to said server;

f) responding to said TCP connect request from said server to said proxy server;

h) responding to said TCP connect request from said proxy server to said first computing system;

g) exchanging connection handshake data from said computing system to said server through said proxy server;

g) exchanging connection handshake data from said server to said computing system through said proxy server; and

h) exchanging data between said computing system and said server through said proxy server.

9. :

A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium carrying program instructions for forming a virtual network when executed using two or more computing systems each coupled to a global area network through a firewall, the executed program instructions executing a method, the method comprising;

a) establishing a physical connection between a first computing system through a first firewall to a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network;

b) establishing a physical connection between a second computing system through a second firewall to said virtual network hosting server; and

c) establishing a logical connection between said computing systems to form the virtual network.

10-17. -17. (canceled)

18. :

A network system, comprising;

a global area network coupled to one or more virtual network hosting servers; and

a first computing system coupled to said one or more servers though a first firewall

wherein a virtual network including said first computing system is formed with a second computing system coupled to said one or more servers through a second firewall such that said computing systems communicate with each other through a direct logical connection.

19. :

A method for forming a virtual network, the method comprising;

a) establishing a physical connection between a first computing system through a first firewall to a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network;

b) communicating with a second computing system physically connected to said virtual network hosting server through a second firewall

wherein said communicating step includes communicating through a direct logical connection between said computing systems.

20. :

A method for forming a virtual network, the method comprising;

a) establishing a physical connection between a virtual network hosting server coupled to a global area network and each of a plurality of computing systems separated from said global area network by a plurality of firewalls, each one of said plurality of firewalls associated with a corresponding one of each of said plurality of computing systems; and

b) communicating between each computing system of said plurality of computing systems using a direct logical connection between them to form a virtual network of said plurality of computing systems.

21-27. -27. (canceled)