METHOD FOR BIDIRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION IN A FIREWALLED ENVIRONMENT

• US 20080115202A1
• Filed: 11/09/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: McKay, Michael S.
• Application Number:
  US11/558,135
• Publication Number:
  US 20080115202A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

A method of bidirectional communication through a firewall includes opening a command channel across the firewall between a gateway manager within a secure network and a gateway service and receiving a resource request via the command channel from the gateway service at the gateway manager. The method further includes determining a resource within the secure network and an agent associated with the resource request, sending a resource access notification from the gateway manager to the determined resource, and receiving a resource communication from the associated resource responsive to the notification. The method further includes tying the associated resource to the agent based on the resource communication.

Claims

1. A method of bidirectional communication through a firewall, the method comprising:

opening a command channel across the firewall between a gateway manager within a secure network and a gateway service;

maintaining the command channel;

receiving a resource request via the command channel from the gateway service at the gateway manager;

determining a resource associated with the resource request, the resource within the secure network;

determining an agent associated with the resource request;

sending a resource access notification from the gateway manager to the determined resource;

receiving a resource communication from the associated resource responsive to the notification; and

tying the associated resource to the gateway service based on the resource communication.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

determining an agent port based on the resource request;

determining a resource port based on the resource communication;

sending the resource port to the agent; and

sending the agent port to the resource.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the communication utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the command channel is opened using at least one proxy.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining the resource associated with the resource request comprises:

determining at least one address of the resource; and

determining availability of the resource.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein tying the associated resource to the gateway service comprises:

tying the associated resource to the agent at the gateway service.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein maintaining the command channel comprises:

maintaining the command channel in the absence of traffic across the command channel for a non-transient time span.

8. A computer readable medium including computer readable code for bidirectional communication through a firewall, the medium comprising:

computer readable code for opening a command channel across the firewall between a gateway manager within a secure network and a gateway service;

computer readable code for maintaining the command channel;

computer readable code for receiving a resource request via the command channel from the gateway service at the gateway manager;

computer readable code for determining a resource associated with the resource request, the resource within the secure network;

computer readable code for determining an agent associated with the resource request;

computer readable code for sending a resource access notification from the gateway manager to the determined resource;

computer readable code for receiving a resource communication from the associated resource responsive to the notification; and

computer readable code for tying the associated resource to the gateway service based on the resource communication.

9. The medium of claim 8 further comprising:

computer readable code for determining an agent port based on the resource request;

computer readable code for determining a resource port based on the resource communication;

computer readable code for sending the resource port to the agent; and

computer readable code for sending the agent port to the resource.

10. The medium of claim 8 wherein the communication utilizes a TCP/IP protocol.

11. The medium of claim 8 wherein the command channel is opened using at least one proxy.

12. The medium of claim 8 wherein computer readable code for determining the resource associated with the resource request comprises:

computer readable code for determining at least one address of the resource; and

computer readable code for determining availability of the resource.

13. The medium of claim 8 wherein computer readable code for tying the associated resource to the gateway service comprises:

computer readable code for tying the associated resource to the agent at the gateway service.

14. The medium of claim 8 wherein computer readable code for maintaining the command channel comprises:

means for maintaining the command channel in the absence of traffic across the command channel for a non-transient time span.

15. A method of bidirectional communication through a firewall, the method comprising:

opening a command channel across the firewall between a gateway manager within a secure network and a gateway service;

maintaining the command channel;

receiving a resource request from an agent at the gateway service, the resource request associated with a resource in the secure network;

sending the resource request via the command channel from the gateway service to the gateway manager;

receiving a resource communication from the gateway manager responsive to the resource request, the resource communication including a tied connection between the gateway manager and the resource; and

tying a communication channel from the agent to the resource communication.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising:

determining an agent port based on the resource request; and

sending the agent port to the resource.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein maintaining the command channel comprises:

maintaining the command channel in the absence of traffic across the command channel for a non-transient time span.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the command channel is opened using at least one proxy.