COMMUNICATION MODULE AND APPLICATION PROGRAM PROVIDED WITH SAME

• US 20100257226A1
• Filed: 05/23/2007
• Published: 10/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freebit
• Original Assignee: Freebit
• Inventors: Niisato, Hirotaka, Ishida, Atsuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,543,706 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/26 Special purpose or proprietary protocols or architectures network applications for proprietary or special purpose networking environments H04L67/12

Abstract

Bidirectional communication is performed by an application employing particular communication protocols without depending on any specific network environment enabled by an OS and the like. There is provided a communication module installed in a client apparatus for connecting an application software program to a virtual network via a server on the Internet. This module interposes between the application software program in a computer and a group of local communication protocol stacks of an operating system installed in the computer; retains a virtual network address for the application software program; performs the tunneling processing on packets from the application software program to the virtual network to thereby pass the processed packets to the server through the local communication protocol stacks; and is provided with Layer 2, 3 and 4 protocol stacks that are independent of a group of local communication protocol stacks.

Claims

1. A communication module installed in a client apparatus on a local network for connecting an application software program installed in said client apparatus to a virtual network via a server on the Internet,

wherein the communication module interposes between said application software program and a group of local communication protocol stacks of an operating system installed in said client apparatus;

retains a virtual network address for said application software program;

performs the tunneling processing on packets from said application software program to the virtual network to thereby pass the processed packets to said server through the local communication protocol stacks; and

wherein the communication module is provided with protocol stacks required for said application software program to communicate via the virtual network, independently of said group of local communication protocol stacks.

2. The communication module of claim 1, wherein

the communication module stores a global address of the server on the Internet;

establishes a tunneling connection between the communication module and the server based on the global address of the server;

captures a request packet from the application software program, capsulates the captured request packet after adding to the packet the virtual network address of the application software program as an originating address to thereby send the capsulated packet to the server via the tunneling connection; and

decapsulates a packet addressed to the communication module itself received through the local communication protocol stacks to pass the decapsulated packet to the application software program.

3. The communication module of claim 1, wherein

the communication module connects to a tunneling mediation server provided on the Internet, and receives the global address of the server from the tunneling mediation server.

4. The communication module of claim 1, wherein

the communication module receives, from the server on the Internet, and retains an IP address for the virtual network for said application software program.

5. The communication module of claim 1, wherein

the communication module receives, from the server on the Internet, and retains MAC and IP addresses for the application software program to connect to the virtual network.

6. The communication module of claim 1, wherein

the communication module is provided as a library program callable from the application software program.

7. The communication module of claim 1, further comprising

an initialization section configured to:

generate all of Layer 2, 3 and 4 protocol stacks when establishing a Layer 2 connection with the server, and

generate only the Layer 3 and 4 protocol stacks, but not the Layer 2 protocol stack when establishing a Layer 3 connection with said server.

8. An application software program executed on a computer for connecting to the Internet to perform predetermined processing, provided with an instruction for calling and incorporating the communication module of claim 1 as a communication interface, wherein the application software program is configured to have an IP address independent of said computer.

9. The application software program of claim 8, wherein

the application software program is a VoIP program for connecting to a virtual network via a server on the Internet.

10. The application software program of claim 8, wherein

the application software program is a proxy for connecting a client apparatus to a virtual network via a server on the Internet.

11. The application software program of claim 8, wherein

the application software program is a VoIP application software program that utilizes a protocol, such as SIP, requiring address management and sharing the address management with IP address management for a tunneling protocol.