SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING WITH TOOLS IN A CLOSED, SECURE PRODUCTION NETWORK

• US 20090177789A1
• Filed: 01/08/2008
• Published: 07/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Choudhury, Ziyad A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,930,414 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

A system and method for providing connectivity to a closed, secure production network, and computer program products for executing the same and, more particularly, to a system and method for securely communicating with remote tools. The system comprises a self-configuring server configured to create separate, isolated networks for a vendor specific toolset and query a client for connection information such that the self-configuring server can engage an identified vendor specific toolset on one of the separate isolated networks by mimicking the connection information of the client.

Claims

1. A system comprising a self-configuring server configured to create separate, isolated networks for a vendor specific toolset and query a client for connection information such that the self-configuring server can engage an identified vendor specific toolset on one of the separate isolated networks by mimicking the connection information of the client.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to create a firewall between the client and each of the separate, isolated networks.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the firewall is configured to allow in bound traffic into the identified vendor specific toolset, while prohibiting initiation of outbound communications from the vendor specific toolset.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the separate, isolated networks are subnets of a network.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to:

query the client for at least one of an IP address, host name and directory for connecting with the identified vendor specific toolset; and

authenticate the client.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to query the identified vendor specific toolset for a port that the identified vendor specific toolset is listening on, and to mimic the port exactly.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to isolate vendor specific toolsets while engaging the identified vendor specific toolset, based on an authentication of the client and the connection information.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the connection information are protocols and ports unique to the client to engage the identified vendor specific toolset.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to restrict remote communications with the vendor specific toolset other than through the self-configuring server.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is aware of all the separate, isolated networks and is configured to communicate natively with the vendor specific toolset residing on each of the separate, isolated networks.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to remediate issues related to malware.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the self-configuring server is configured to translate protocol and port information of the client to engage the vendor specific tools on each of the separate, isolated networks.

13. A computer program product for creating network subnets in a production facility for private, non-advertised tools, the computer program product including instructions for causing a computer to implement a method, comprising:

creating isolated subnets based on vendor specific tool(s) in a private non-advertised network;

obtaining authentication, unique protocols and ports, and location information from a client to engage with a specific tool or group of tools residing on one of the isolating subnets; and

providing communications between the client and the specific tool or group of tools in one of the isolated subnets based on at least the unique protocols and ports and the specific tool or group of tools.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising protecting each of the isolated subnets from malware.

15. A method, comprising:

creating isolated network subnets for each tool or toolsets associated with a vendor in a production network;

querying a client for unique protocols and ports, and location information of a tool or toolsets to engage therewith on the isolated network subnets;

receiving the unique protocols and ports and location information and engaging the tool or toolsets associated with the location information and conveying data from the engaged tool or toolset to the client.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising authenticating the client prior to the conveying.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising creating a firewall to protect the tool or toolsets from malware and/or unauthorized users.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining a port which the engaged tool or toolsets is listening on and connecting to the port.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising translating the unique protocols and ports to engage with the tool or toolsets.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising remediating malware issues prior to the engaging of the tool or toolsets.