Method and Apparatus for Managing Communications

• US 20080028055A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 01/31/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
• Original Assignee: Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
• Inventors: Horovitz, Shay, Dolev, Danny
• Granted Patent: US 8,103,749 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/222
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2557 Translation policies or rules

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and an apparatus for managing communications arriving from or to a node connected to a specified portion of a network, the apparatus comprising. Some embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus for managing communications arriving from or to a node connected to a specified portion of a network, including an external link identifier, a pool of addresses and an address replacement module. The external link identifier is configured to identify a message which is configured to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node and at least one other node which is external to the specified portion of the network. The pool of addresses is adapted to implement content insensitive criteria for determining which addresses to include in the pool. The address replacement module is adapted to implement a content insensitive replacement policy for determining whether an address included in the identified message should be replaced, such that if in accordance with the replacement policy it is determined that the address should be replaced, a replacement address is selected from the pool of addresses.

Claims

1. A method of managing communications arriving from or to a node connected to a specified portion of a network, the method comprising:

identifying a message which is configured to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node and at least one other node which is external to the specified portion of the network;

creating a pool of addresses whose inclusion in the pool is insensitive to the addresses'"'"' content; and

determining whether an address included in the identified message should be replaced in accordance with a content insensitive replacement policy, such that if in accordance with the replacement policy it is determined that the address should be replaced, selecting a replacement address from the pool of addresses.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein if in accordance with the replacement rule it is determined that the address should not be replaced, allowing the identified message to continue substantially unchanged.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said creating further comprises creating a pool of internal address including addresses located within the specified portion of the network and a pool of external addresses including addresses located outside the specified portion of the network, and wherein said determining further comprises, selecting the replacement address from the a pool of internal addresses or from a pool of external addresses.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message is a session initiation message.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the session initiation message is selected from the group consisting of:

a registration message vis-à

-vis a super-node;

a registration message vis-à

-vis a tracker;

a message from a tracker in response to a registration message received at the tracker; and

a message arriving from or to the node which is adapted to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node at least one other node.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the session initiation message is a P2P (peer-to-peer) session initiation message.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message is a response to a session initiation message.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the message is a session initiation forwarding message.

9. The method according to claim 4, wherein said identifying is based upon data in a header of the session initiation message.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said identifying is performed without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein said identifying is based upon data in the response to the session initiation message.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said identifying is performed without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein said identifying is based upon data in the session initiation forwarding message.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein said identifying is performed without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy, by default, an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, is to be replaced.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy, an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, is not to be replaced, if the identified message follows in close proximity a previously identified message from the same source as the identified message.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy:

by default, an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, is to be replaced by an address selected from the pool of internal addresses, unless

the identified message and a certain number of previous identified messages from the same source as the identified message were identified within a first time interval from the pervious identified message from the same source, in which case, the address is to be replaced by an address selected from a pool of external addresses, or

if the identified message and a certain number of previous identified messages from the same source as the identified message were identified within a second time interval from the pervious identified message from the same source, in which case, the address should not be replaced.

18. The method according to claim 16, further comprising storing data with respect to identified messages in a hash table.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the data stored in the hash table with respect to identified message is insensitive to the content to be exchanged.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein said creating comprises:

intercepting a message which is adapted to enable requested content to be exchanged between two or more nodes;

determining in accordance with a preferred address criterion whether the intercepted message includes a preferred address; and

adding to the pool of addresses a preferred address found in the intercepted message.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said intercepting and said determining are insensitive to the content of the intercepted message.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said intercepting and said determining are insensitive to the requested content.

45. A computer program comprising computer program code means for performing all the steps of claim 1 when said program is run on a computer.

46. A computer program as claimed in claim 1 embodied on a computer readable medium.

23. A method of managing communications arriving from or to a node connected to a specified portion of a network, the method comprising:

identifying a message which is configured to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node and at least one other node which is external to the specified portion of the network;

creating a pool of internal addresses whose inclusion in the pool is insensitive to the addresses'"'"' content;

determining whether an address included in the identified message should be replaced in accordance with a content insensitive replacement policy, such that if in accordance with the replacement policy, it is determined that the address should be replaced with an address from within the specified portion of the network, selecting a replacement address from the pool of internal addresses.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein if in accordance with the replacement rule it is determined that the address should not be replaced, allowing the message to continue to substantially unchanged.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein said identifying a message which includes an address which is within the specified portion of the network, comprises identifying a session initiation message which includes an address which is within the specified portion of the network.

26. An apparatus for managing communications arriving from or to a node connected to a specified portion of a network, the apparatus comprising:

an external link identifier configured to identify a message which is configured to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node and at least one other node which is external to the specified portion of the network;

a pool of addresses adapted to implement content insensitive criteria for determining which addresses to include in the pool; and

an address replacement module adapted to implement a content insensitive replacement policy for determining whether an address included in the identified message should be replaced, such that if in accordance with the replacement policy it is determined that the address should be replaced, a replacement address is selected from the pool of addresses.

27. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein if in accordance with the replacement rule it is determined that the address should not be replaced, said address replacement module is adapted to allow the identified message to continue substantially unchanged.

28. The apparatus according to claim 27, wherein said pool of internal address comprises a pool of internal address including addresses located within the specified portion of the network and a pool of external addresses including addresses located outside the specified portion of the network, and wherein said address replacement module is adapted to select a replacement address from the a pool of internal addresses or from a pool of external addresses.

29. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the message is a session initiation message.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the session initiation message is selected from the group consisting of:

a registration message vis-à

-vis a super-node;

a registration message vis-à

-vis a tracker;

a message from a tracker in response to a registration message received at the tracker; and

a message arriving from or to the node which is adapted to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node at least one other node.

31. The apparatus according to claim 30, wherein the session initiation message is a P2P (peer-to-peer) session initiation message.

32. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the message is a response to a session initiation message.

33. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the message is a session initiation forwarding message.

34. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein said external link identifier is adapted to read a header of a session initiation message to determine whether the session initiation message is configured to enable requested content to be exchanged between the node and at least one other node which is external to the specified portion of the network.

35. The apparatus according to claim 34, wherein said link identifier is adapted to identify a message without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

36. The apparatus according to claim 32, wherein said external link identifier is adapted to identify a response to a session initiation message based upon data in the response message.

37. The apparatus according to claim 36, wherein said external link identifier is adapted to identify a response to a session initiation message without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

38. The apparatus according to claim 33, wherein said external link identifier is adapted to identify a session initiation forwarding message based upon data in the forwarding message.

39. The apparatus according to claim 38, wherein said external link identifier is adapted to identify a session initiation forwarding message without becoming exposed to the content to be exchanged.

40. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy, by default, the address replacement module is adapted to determine, that an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, should be replaced.

41. The apparatus according to claim 26, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy, the address replacement module is adapted to determine, that an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, should not to be replaced, if the identified message follows in close proximity a previously identified message from the same source as the identified message.

42. The apparatus according to claim 28, wherein in accordance with the replacement policy, the address replacement module is adapted to determine, that an address which is associated with a node located outside the specified portion of the network, should:

by default, be replaced by an address selected from the pool of internal addresses, unless

the identified message and a certain number of previous identified messages from the same source as the identified message were identified within a first time interval from the pervious identified message from the same source, in which case, the address is to be replaced by an address selected from a pool of external addresses, or

if the identified message and a certain number of previous identified messages from the same source as the identified message were identified within a second time interval from the pervious identified message from the same source, in which case, the address should not be replaced.

43. The apparatus according to claim 41, further comprising storing data with respect to identified messages in a hash table.

44. The apparatus according to claim 43, wherein the data stored in the hash table with respect to identified message is insensitive to the content to be exchanged.