Method and Device for Transparent Interception of Socket Connections

• US 20120269196A1
• Filed: 07/03/2012
• Published: 10/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Collins Government Systems Canada Inc (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Collins Government Systems Canada Inc (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Jones, Peter Frederico, Jorgenson, Mark Brady, Johnson, Robert William, Bova, William Michael, Hayhoe, Erin Irene
• Granted Patent: US 10,051,092 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

A method and device is provided for managing data transmission on a network. The device includes Transparent Interceptor for transparently intercepting socket connections from first parties to one or more second parties. A signal socket connection is established to each second party. When one or more first parties request a data stream to a second party, the device distributes the data stream obtained from the second party through the single socket connection to one or more first parties. Data processor of the device may operate on data contents from the first or second party. A customized protocol may be used for the data transmission.

Claims

1. A method of managing data transmission on a network with a plurality of first parties communicating with a second party through the network using socket connections, the method comprising the steps of:

transparently intercepting a socket connection originating from each first party to a second party;

transparently establishing an endpoint of a socket connection to each first party; and

generating a single socket connection to the second party to communicate with the second party.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the establishing step includes the step of replacing a destination information of the socket connection to transparently establish the endpoint of the socket connection.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intercepting step includes the step of identifying the socket connection from each first party.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intercepting step includes the step of inspecting a packet from the first party to determine whether the socket connection is to be intercepted.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein the intercepting step includes the step of splitting the socket connection that is to be intercepted and the step of redirecting the packet to implement the replacing step.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the generating step generates a single socket connection to the second party when the socket connection is to be intercepted and the socket connection to the second party has not been open.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of distributing a data stream obtain from the single socket connection from the second party to more than one first party through their socket connections.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the distributing step includes the step of duplicating the incoming data stream obtained through the single socket connection.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein the distributing step further includes the step of transferring the data stream to one first party through its socket connection and simultaneously transferring the duplicated data stream to an additional first party through the corresponding socket connection.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the intercepting step intercepts the socket connection when a broadcast data stream is requested.

11. A method as claimed in claim 10 further comprising the step of obtaining the broadcast data stream through the single socket connection and the step of distributing the broadcast data stream to more than one first party.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of keeping the single socket connection to the second party open.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of processing data contents obtained from the first party through its socket connection.

14. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of processing data contents obtained through the single socket connection from the second party

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein the processing step processes the data contents such that only a particular first party obtains the processed data content.

16. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of modifying a protocol of a stream.

17. A method as claimed in claim 1 further comprising the step of combining data streams from more than one first party to form a single data stream and sending it to the second party.

18. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the network includes more than one second party and the generating step generates a single socket connection to each second party.

19. A method as claimed in claim 18 further comprising the step of combining data streams from more than one first party transferred to each second party to form a single data stream to each second party.

20. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the identifying step further comprises the step of creating a packet identifier when the packet is a first packet of a socket and the socket is to be intercepted.