ISOLATED MULTI-NETWORK COMPUTER SYSTEM AND APPARATUS

• US 20110145451A1
• Filed: 08/19/2009
• Published: 06/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: High Sec Labs Ltd
• Original Assignee: High Sec Labs Ltd
• Inventors: Vaisband, Oleg, Soffer, Aviv
• Granted Patent: US 8,769,172 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/64
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/00 Interconnection of, or transfer of information or other signals between, memories, input/output devices or central processing units interface circuits for specific input/output devices G06F3/00 ; multiprogram control therefor G06F9/46; multiprocessor systems G06F15/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/105 where the programme performs an input/output emulation function
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/82 Protecting input, output or interconnection devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/84 output devices, e.g. displays or monitors
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/24 Keyboard-Video-Mouse [KVM] switch

Abstract

The present invention presents apparatuses and systems for operating multiple computers from a single console using a secured KVM device, while preventing information leakage between the computers. The system comprises several hosts connected through a secured KVM device to keyboard and mouse and one or more user displays. Secured KVM enables standard bi-directional communication between Secured KVM and user keyboard and mouse and between hosts peripheral ports and Secured KVM. Secured KVM physically enforces unidirectional data flow from attached keyboard and mouse to attached hosts peripheral ports to avoid potential leakages between hosts.

Claims

1-68. -68. (canceled)

69. An Isolated KVM combiner for multi-network computer system comprising:

a keyboard input configured to connect to a keyboard;

a pointing device input configured to connect to a pointing device such as a mouse;

a host controller receiving signals from at least one of said keyboard and pointing device;

at least a first and a second peripheral interfaces, configured to connect to at least a first and second host computers respectively, wherein said at least two host computers are connected to at least two separate networks respectively;

a peripheral switch, selectively directing signals from said host controller to only to the selected one of said at least first and second peripheral interfaces at a time; and

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected between said peripheral switch and said at least a first and second peripheral interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said peripheral switch to said peripheral interfaces.

70. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises at least a first and a second peripheral emulators connected between said at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitry and said and said at least a first and second peripheral interfaces respectively.

71. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 wherein said host controller receives signals from both said keyboard and pointing device.

72. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 wherein said host controller controls said peripheral switch in response to commands received from at least one of said keyboard and pointing device.

73. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises:

at least a first and a second video interfaces configured to connect to video outputs of said at least first and second host computers respectively; and

a video switch selectively directing to a display device video signals only from the selected one of said at least first and a second video interfaces at a time.

74. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 73 and further comprises:

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected to said at least first and a second video interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said at least a first and a second video interfaces to said video switch.

75. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises:

at least a first and a second video interfaces configured to connect to video outputs of said at least first and second host computers respectively;

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected to said at least first and a second video interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said at least a first and a second video interfaces; and

a video processor, receiving unidirectional video data from said at least first and a second video interfaces and transmits combined video signal to a display device.

76. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 75 and further comprises a volatile memory serving as video frame buffer connected to said video processor.

77. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 75 wherein said video processor presents a combined video on said display device in response to commands received from said pointing device.

78. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 75 and further comprises video transmitter acting as a unidirectional flow device enforcing flow of video signal to said display device.

79. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises:

at least a first and a second audio interfaces respectively connected to said at least first and second host computers; and

an audio multiplexer connected to a audio peripheral such as microphone, headset or a speaker and to said at least at least a first and a second audio interfaces.

80. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 wherein at least one of said host computers is a computer module integrated within the Isolated KVM combiner.

81. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises at least one bay into which a host computer may be inserted.

82. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 and further comprises an administrator lock enabling configuration of said Isolated KVM combiner.

83. The Isolated KVM combiner of claim 69 wherein said physical unidirectional forcing circuitry is a circuitry such as a serial link, optical isolator link, electromagnetic isolator link.

84. An Isolated multi-network computer system comprising:

at least a first and a second host computes connected to at least a first and a second networks respectively, each having a video output and a peripheral input ports;

a user display;

a user keyboard;

a user pointing device; and

an Isolated KVM combiner comprising;

a keyboard input connected to said user keyboard;

a pointing device input connected to said user pointing device;

a host controller receiving signals from at least one of said user keyboard and user pointing device;

at least a first and a second peripheral interfaces, connected to said at least a first and second host computers respectively;

a peripheral switch, selectively directing signals from said host controller only to the selected one of said at least first and second peripheral interfaces at a time; and

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected between said peripheral switch and said at least a first and second peripheral interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said peripheral switch to said peripheral interfaces.

85. The Isolated multi-network computer system of claim 84 wherein said Isolated KVM combiner further comprises:

at least a first and a second video interfaces connected to said video outputs of said at least first and second host computers respectively;

a video switch selectively directing to said user display device video signals only from the selected one of said at least first and a second video interfaces at a time; and

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected to said at least first and a second video interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said at least a first and a second video interfaces to said video switch.

86. The Isolated multi-network computer system of claim 85 wherein said host controller controls said video switch and said peripheral switch to select the same host computer in response to command received from at least one of said user keyboard and user pointing device.

87. The Isolated multi-network computer system of claim 84 wherein said Isolated KVM combiner further comprises:

at least a first and a second video interfaces connected to said video outputs of said at least first and second host computers respectively;

at least a first and a second physical unidirectional enforcing circuitries connected to said at least first and a second video interfaces respectively, enforcing data flow only from said at least a first and a second video interfaces; and

a video processor, receiving unidirectional video data from said at least first and a second video interfaces and transmits combined video signal to said user display device.

88. The Isolated multi-network computer of claim 87 wherein said video processor presents a combined video on said display device in response to commands received from said pointing device.

89. The Isolated multi-network computer of claim 87 and further comprises video transmitter acting as a unidirectional flow device enforcing flow of video signal to said display device.

90. The Isolated multi-network computer of claim 84 and further comprises:

at least a first and a second audio interfaces respectively connected to said at least first and second host computers; and

an audio multiplexer connected to a audio peripheral such as microphone, headset or a speaker and to said at least at least a first and a second audio interfaces.

91. The Isolated multi-network computer of claim 84 and further comprises at least one bay into which a host computer may be inserted.

92. A method for combining KVM function in an Isolated multi-network computer system comprising:

connecting peripheral ports of at least a first and a second host computers to at least a first and second peripheral emulator circuitries respectively;

receiving signals from a user keyboard and a user pointing device;

selecting one of said at least a first and second peripheral emulator circuitries to receive said signals from said user keyboard and a user pointing device; and

physically forcing unidirectional signal flow from said at least a first and second peripheral emulator circuitries to said peripheral port of at least a first and a second host computers.

93. The method for combining KVM function in an Isolated multi-network computer system of claim 92 and further comprising:

receiving video output signals from at least a first and a second host computer;

directing at least a portion of said received video signals to a user display; and

physically enforcing a unidirectional video signal flow from said at least a first and second host computers to said user display.