Method and apparatus for enabling a network device to remotely access a remote device via a network

• US 20070291658A1
• Filed: 06/20/2006
• Published: 12/20/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Instrument Corporation (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Knapik, Matt D., Doblmaier, Thomas J., Seniuk, Stefan A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,273 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are provided for improving or optimizing the frequency at which the keep-alive messages are exchanged between a network device (e.g., network server) and a remote device (e.g., a PC) behind a router or gateway. By improving or optimizing the frequency at which these messages are exchanged, the amount of network bandwidth that is consumed as a result of the exchange of keep-alive messages can be reduced. This allows a network device to remotely access a remote device in a very efficient manner in terms of the number of keep-alive messages that are generated and processed and in terms of bandwidth consumption.

Claims

1. An apparatus employed in a remote device for enabling a network device to remotely access the remote device over a network, the apparatus comprising:

an input/output (I/O) port in communication with a router or gateway device; and

a processor in communication with the I/O port, the processor being configured to perform a Test Time Period algorithm that determines how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages should or must be sent between the remote device and the network device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the processor performs the Test Time Period algorithm, the processor causes a Test Time Period Request Message to be sent via the I/O port through the router or gateway device to a network device, the Test Time Period Request Message including a Test Time Period value that indicates to the network device a Test Time Period that the network device is to wait before responding to the Test Time Period Request Message, and wherein the processor determines whether or not to adjust the Test Time Period value based on whether the processor receives via the I/O port a Test Time Period Response Message from the network device in response to the Test Time Period Request Message.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein if the processor determines that the Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor determines by how much the Test Time Period value is to be adjusted and adjusts the Test Time Period value by the determined amount to obtain an adjusted Test Time Period value.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein if the processor determines that the Test Time Period value is not to be adjusted, the processor uses the Test Time Period value as a Final Time Period value to control how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein if the processor adjusts the Test Time Period value to obtain said adjusted Test Time Period value, the processor causes another Test Time Period Request Message to be sent via the I/O port through the router or gateway device to the network device that includes said adjusted Test Time Period value that indicates to the network device an adjusted Test Time Period that the network device is to wait before responding to the Test Time Period Response Message, wherein the processor determines whether or not to adjust said adjusted Test Time Period value based on whether the processor receives via the I/O port a Test Time Period Response Message from the network device in response to said another Test Time Period Request Message.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein if the processor determines that said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor determines by how much said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted and adjusts the adjusted Test Time Period value by the determined amount.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein if the processor determines that said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor causes one or more additional Test Time Period Request Messages to be sent via the I/O port through the router or gateway device to the network device, and wherein the processor causes said adjusted Test Time Period value to continue to be further adjusted until the processor decides that a current Test Time Period value should not be further adjusted and should be used as a Final Time Period value, wherein the Final Time Period value is used by the network device to control how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the Final Time Period is an Optimum Time Period that is used by the remote device to ensure that keep-alive messages are only sent between the remote device and the network device frequently enough to ensure that one or more ports in the router or gateway device remain open to allow the network device to access the remote device.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the Final Time Period is used by the remote device to ensure that keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device frequently enough to ensure that one or more ports in the router or gateway device remain open to allow the network device to access the remote device and infrequently enough to limit an amount of network bandwidth consumed by sending the keep-alive messages between the remote device and the network device.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the router or gateway device uses a Network Address Translation (NAT) configuration, and wherein the keep-alive messages are NAT keep-alive messages that are sent between the remote device and the network device to keep a NAT port address translation entry alive in the router or gateway device to ensure that the network device is allowed to access the remote device.

11. A method employed in a remote device for enabling a network device to remotely access the remote device over a network, the method comprising:

sending one or more Test Time Period Request Messages from a remote device to a network device, the remote device being communication with the network device via a router or gateway device that connects the remote device to the network;

determining whether one or more Test Time Period Response Messages are received by the remote device from the network device; and

based on the determination of whether one or more Test Time Period Response Messages have been received by the remote device from the network device, determining how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages should or must be sent between the remote device and the network device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is performed by a processor that executes a Test Time Period algorithm, wherein when the processor performs the algorithm the processor causes a Test Time Period Request Message to be sent via an I/O port of the remote device through the router or gateway device to the network device, the Test Time Period Request Message including a Test Time Period value that indicates to the network device a Test Time Period that the network device is to wait before responding to the Test Time Period Request Message, and wherein the processor determines whether or not to adjust the Test Time Period value based on whether the processor receives via the I/O port a Test Time Period Response Message from the network device in response to the Test Time Period Request Message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein if the processor determines that the Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor determines by how much the Test Time Period value is to be adjusted and adjusts the Test Time Period value by the determined amount to obtain an adjusted Test Time Period value.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein if the processor determines that the Test Time Period value is not to be adjusted, the processor uses the Test Time Period value as a Final Time Period value to control how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein if the processor adjusts the Test Time Period value to obtain said adjusted Test Time Period value, the processor causes another Test Time Period Request Message to be sent via the I/O port through the router or gateway device to the network device that includes said adjusted Test Time Period value that indicates to the network device an adjusted Test Time Period that the network device is to wait before responding to the Test Time Period Response Message, wherein the processor determines whether or not to adjust said adjusted Test Time Period value based on whether the processor receives via the I/O port a Test Time Period Response Message from the network device in response to said another Test Time Period Request Message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein if the processor determines that said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor determines by how much said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted and adjusts the adjusted Test Time Period value by the determined amount.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein if the processor determines that said adjusted Test Time Period value is to be adjusted, the processor causes one or more additional Test Time Period Request Messages to be sent via the I/O port through the router or gateway device to the network device, and wherein the processor causes said adjusted Test Time Period value to continue to be further adjusted until the processor decides that a current Test Time Period value should not be further adjusted and should be used as a Final Time Period value, wherein the Final Time Period value is used by the network device to control how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the Final Time Period is an Optimum Time Period that is used by the remote device to ensure that keep-alive messages are only sent between the remote device and the network device frequently enough to ensure that one or more ports in the router or gateway device remain open to allow the network device to access the remote device.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the Final Time Period is used by the remote device to ensure that keep-alive messages are sent between the remote device and the network device frequently enough to ensure that one or more ports in the router or gateway device remain open to allow the network device to access the remote device and infrequently enough to limit an amount of network bandwidth consumed by sending the keep-alive messages between the remote device and the network device.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the router or gateway device uses a Network Address Translation (NAT) configuration, and wherein the keep-alive messages are NAT keep-alive messages that are sent between the remote device and the network device to keep a NAT port address translation entry alive in the router or gateway device to ensure that the network device is allowed to access the remote device.

21. A computer software program for enabling a network device to remotely access a remote device over a network, the program comprising instructions for execution by a processor of the remote device, the program being embodied on a computer-readable medium, the program comprising:

instructions for sending one or more Test Time Period Request Messages from a remote device to a network device, the remote device being communication with the network device via a router or gateway device that connects the remote device to the network; and

instructions for determining whether one or more Test Time Period Response Messages are received by the remote device from the network device; and

instructions for determining, based on the determination made as to whether one or more Test Time Period Response Messages have been received by the remote device from the network device, how frequently or infrequently keep-alive messages should or must be sent between the remote device and the network device.