NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS OF APPLICATIONS RUNNING ON DEVICES UTILIZING VIRTUAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS WITH ASYMMETRICAL NETWORK PATHS

• US 20120017006A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dispersive Holdings Incorporated (Dispersive Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dispersive Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Twitchell, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,241,025 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes receiving, at a first device via a virtual network connection, a packet communicated from a second device over a first path, the packet including data appended thereto by one or more devices along the first path, and determining whether the first path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the first device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the packet received by the first device; and receiving, at the second device via a virtual network connection, a packet communicated from the first device over a second path, the packet including data appended thereto by one or more along the second path, and determining whether the second path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the second device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the packet received by the second device.

Claims

1. A method of providing network communications, comprising the steps of:

(a) at a first device,

(i) receiving, via a virtual network connection of the first device, a data packet communicated from a second device using a first routing protocol over a first network path comprising a first plurality of devices, the data packet including a header and a payload, the payload including data appended thereto by one or more devices of the first plurality of devices, and

(ii) determining whether the first network path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the first device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the data packet received by the first device; and

(b) at the second device,

(i) receiving, via a virtual network connection of the second device, a data packet communicated from the first device using a second routing protocol over a second network path comprising a second plurality of devices, the data packet including a header and a payload, the payload including data appended thereto by one or more devices of the second plurality of devices, and

(ii) determining whether the second network path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the second device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the data packet received by the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network path and the second network path are different, whereby data is communicated between the first and second devices over asymmetrical connections.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of said step (a)(ii) is based at least in part on the data appended to the payload of the data packet by the one or more devices of the first plurality of devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determination of said step (b)(ii) is based at least in part on the data appended to the payload of the data packet by the one or more devices of the second plurality of devices.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further includes a step of spawning a virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device whereby the virtual network connection of the first device is provided.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the virtual machine of the first device is spawned in response to a request for a network connection from an application running on the first device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises, in response to determining that the first network path does not satisfy one or more requirements of an application running on the first device, establishing a third virtual network connection for receiving a data packet from the second device over a third network path that is different from the first network path and the second network path.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual network connection of the first device is created in response to a request for network communications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual network connection of the first device is created by a monitor in response to a controller that is configured to intercept messages sent to a network adapter of the first device;

and wherein the virtual network connection of the second device is created by a monitor in response to a controller that is configured to interrupt messages sent to a network adapter of the second device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual network connection of the first device corresponds to a single hardware network interface of the first device;

and wherein the virtual network connection of the second device corresponds to a single hardware network interface of the second device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the virtual network connection of the first device corresponds to a plurality of hardware network interfaces of the first device;

and wherein the virtual network connection of the second device corresponds to a plurality of hardware network interfaces of the second device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes a plurality of processing cores.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the application is a video game.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a personal computer.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a handheld mobile device.

16. A method of facilitating network communications comprising:

(a) detecting, at a first device, a request for a network connection from an application running on the first device;

(b) spawning a first virtual network connection that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device;

(c) selecting a first routing protocol for the first virtual network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the virtualized network capabilities of the first virtual network connection;

(d) detecting, at a second device, a request for a network connection from an application running on the second device;

(e) spawning a second virtual machine for a second network connection that virtualizes network capabilities of the second device;

(f) selecting a second routing protocol for the second network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the virtualized network capabilities of the second virtual machine;

(g) using the virtualized network capabilities of the first virtual network connection, establishing a first connection with the second device over a first network path using the first routing protocol;

(h) using the virtualized network capabilities of the second virtual network connection, establishing a second connection with the first device over a second network path using the second routing protocol;

(i) determining, at the first device, whether the second network path satisfies one or more requirements of the application running on the first device; and

(j) determining, at the second device, whether the first network path satisfies one or more requirements of the application running on the second device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first network path and the second network path are different, whereby data is communicated between the first and second devices over asymmetrical connections.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein another, different network path from the first device to the second device is setup if it is determined in said step (j) that the first network path does not satisfy one or more requirements of the application running on the second device.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein another, different network path from the second device to the first device is setup if it is determined in said step (i) that the second network path does not satisfy one or more requirements of the application running on the first device.

20. A system comprising:

(a) a first device, the first device comprising;

(i) a processor, and

(ii) one or more network adapters providing network capabilities; and

(b) a second device, the second device comprising;

(i) a processor, and

(ii) one or more network adapters providing network capabilities;

(c) wherein the first device further includes one or more computer readable media containing computer executable instructions configured to;

(i) receive, at the first device via a virtual network connection that corresponds to a network adapter of the first device, a second packet communicated from the second device over a second network path comprising a second plurality of other devices, the second packet including a header and a payload, the payload including data appended thereto by one or more devices of the second plurality of devices, and

(ii) determine, at the first device, whether the second network path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the first device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the second packet; and

(c) wherein the second device further includes one or more computer readable media containing computer executable instructions configured to;

(i) receive, at a second device via a virtual network connection that corresponds to a network adapter of the second device, a first packet communicated from a first device over a first network path comprising a first plurality of other devices, the first packet including a header and a payload, the payload including data appended thereto by one or more devices of the first plurality of devices, and

(ii) determine, at the second device, whether the first network path satisfies one or more requirements of an application running on the second device, the determination being based at least in part on information from the first packet.