Web-based administration of IP tunneling on internet firewalls

• US 5,864,666 A
• Filed: 12/23/1996
• Issued: 01/26/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Trend Micro Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Shrader, Theodore Jack London
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel, Jr., Robert W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Baderman, Scott T.
• Application Number:
  US08/773,542
• Time in Patent Office: 764 Days
• Field of Search: 395/187.01, 395/188.01, 395/186, 395/200.59, 395/183.22, 380/23, 380/25
• US Class Current: 726/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0218 Distributed architectures, e.g. distributed firewalls

Abstract

Administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network in a web based interface is disclosed. Tunnels are displayed in graphical depictions as lines connecting icons representing network addresses. User selection of a line, will bring up a selected tunnel definition represented by the first line is displayed in another pane in the interface or a list of filter rules applicable to the tunnel. At this point, an action on the selected tunnel definition may be performed responsive to user input. Queries can be run on a tunnel definition to determine whether any existing tunnel definitions match the entered tunnel definition, or whether there are any filter rules in effect for a given tunnel definition. The results of the query are displayed in a scatter bar in another pane in the user interface, wherein locations of matches are indicated by lines through the scatter bar. A small bar is displayed proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating the position of the displayed list relative to a complete list represented by the scatter bar.

Claims

1. A method for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising the steps of:

presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses, wherein the graphical depiction of tunnels can be selectively altered to show all defined tunnels, show only active tunnels or show only inactive tunnels;

responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line, displaying a selected tunnel definition represented by the first line; and

responsive to user input, from the user, performing an action on the selected tunnel definition.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the lines are drawn in different manners each indicating a property of the respective tunnel.

3. The method as recited in claim 2 wherein the property is a security status enabled for the tunnel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the graphical depiction includes an indicia to indicate the direction from which each tunnel originated.

5. A method for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising the steps of:

presenting a user interface having a first pane in which a tunnel definition can be entered;

responsive to user input, from the user, running a query on an entered tunnel definition to determine whether any existing tunnel definitions match the entered tunnel definition;

displaying results of the query in a scatter bar in another pane in the user interface, wherein locations of matching tunnel definitions are indicated by lines through the scatter bar; and

responsive to user input from the user, performing an action on a selected tunnel definition.

6. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising the steps of:

displaying a list of tunnel definitions in a third pane wherein the matching tunnel definitions are displayed in a different manner than nonmatching tunnel definitions; and

displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of tunnel definitions displayed in the third pane relative to a complete list of tunnel definitions represented by the scatter bar.

7. The method as recited in claim 5 further comprising the step of displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar indicating a concentration of matching tunnel definitions.

8. A method for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising the steps of:

presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses;

responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line, displaying a list of filter rules applicable to a selected tunnel represented by the first line;

displaying a list of filter rules in a scatter bar, wherein location of the filter rules applicable to the selected tunnel are indicated by lines through the scatter bar; and

responsive to user input, from the user, performing an action on a selected filter rule.

9. The method as recited in claim 8

wherein the display of the scatter bar is responsive to a query on the selected tunnel to determine whether any existing filter rules are applicable to the selected tunnel.

10. The method as recited in claim 9 further comprising the steps of:

displaying matching filter rules in a different manner than nonmatching filter rules in the list of filter rules; and

displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of filter rules relative to a complete list of filter rules represented by the scatter bar.

11. A system including processor and memory for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses, wherein the graphical depiction of the tunnels can be selectively altered to show defined tunnels, show only active tunnels or show only inactive tunnels;

means responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line, for displaying a selected tunnel definition represented by the first line; and

means responsive to user input, from the user, for performing an action on the selected tunnel definition.

12. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the lines are drawn in different manners each indicating a property of the respective tunnel.

13. The system as recited in claim 12 wherein the property is a security status enabled for the tunnel.

14. The system as recited in claim 11 wherein the graphical depiction includes an indicia of the direction from which each tunnel originated.

15. A system including processor and memory for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a user interface having a first pane in which a tunnel definition can be entered;

means responsive to user input from a user for running a query on an entered tunnel definition to determine whether any existing tunnel definitions match the entered tunnel definition;

means for displaying results of the query in a scatter bar in another pane in the user interface, wherein locations of matching tunnel definitions are indicated by lines through the scatter bar; and

means responsive to user input from the user for performing an action on a selected tunnel definition.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising the steps of:

means for displaying a list of tunnel definitions in a third pane wherein the matching tunnel definitions are displayed in a different manner than nonmatching tunnel definitions; and

means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of tunnel definitions displayed in the third pane relative to a complete list of tunnel definitions represented by the scatter bar.

17. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar indicating a concentration of matching tunnel definitions.

18. A system including processor and memory for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses;

means responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line for displaying a list of filter rules applicable to a selected tunnel represented by the first line; and

means for displaying a list of filter rules in a scatter bar, wherein location of the filter rules applicable to the selected tunnel are indicated by lines through the scatter bar;

means responsive to user input, from the user, for performing an action on a selected filter rule.

19. The system as recited in claim 18

wherein the display of the scatter bar is responsive to a query on the selected tunnel to determine whether any existing filter rules are applicable to the selected tunnel.

20. The system as recited in claim 19 further comprising:

means for displaying matching filter rules in a different manner than nonmatching filter rules in the list of filter rules; and

means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of filter rules relative to a complete list of filter rules represented by the scatter bar.

21. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses, wherein the graphical depiction of the tunnels can be selectively altered to show defined tunnels, show only active tunnels or show only inactive tunnels;

means responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line for displaying a selected tunnel definition represented by the first line; and

means responsive to user input, from the user, for performing an action on the selected tunnel definition.

22. The product as recited in claim 21 wherein the lines are drawn in different manners each indicating a property of the tunnel.

23. The product as recited in claim 22 wherein the property is a security status enabled for the tunnel.

24. The product as recited in claim 21 wherein the graphical depiction includes an indicia to indicate the direction from which each tunnel originated.

25. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a user interface having a first pane in which a tunnel definition can be entered;

means responsive to user input from a user for running a query on an entered tunnel definition to determine whether any existing tunnel definitions match the entered tunnel definition;

means for displaying results of the query in a scatter bar wherein locations of matching tunnel definitions are indicated by lines through the scatter bar; and

means responsive to user input from the user for performing an action on a selected tunnel definition.

26. The product as recited in claim 25 further comprising:

means for displaying a list of tunnel definitions wherein the matching tunnel definitions are displayed in a different manner than nonmatching tunnel definitions; and

means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of tunnel definitions relative to a complete list of tunnel definitions represented by the scatter bar.

27. The product as recited in claim 25 further comprising means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar indicating a concentration of matching tunnel definitions.

28. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for administering tunneling on a firewall computer between a secure computer network and a nonsecure computer network, comprising:

means for presenting a graphical depiction of tunnels between addresses in the networks as lines connecting icons representing network addresses;

means for responsive to user selection, from a user, of a first line for displaying a list of filter rules applicable to a selected tunnel represented by the first line; and

means for displaying a list of filter rules in a scatter bar, wherein location of the filter rules applicable to the selected tunnel are indicated by lines through the scatter bar;

means responsive to user input, from the user for performing an action on a selected filter rule.

29. The product as recited in claim 28

wherein the display of the scatter bar is responsive to a query on the selected tunnel to determine whether any existing filter rules are applicable to the selected tunnel.

30. The product as recited in claim 29 further comprising:

means for displaying matching filter rules in a different manner than nonmatching filter rules in the list of filter rules; and

means for displaying a small bar proximate to the scatter bar, the small bar indicating a position of the list of filter rules relative to a complete list of filter rules represented by the scatter bar.