Mechanism for delivering a message based upon a source address

• US 6,304,908 B1
• Filed: 07/29/1999
• Issued: 10/16/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Kalajan, Kevin E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang, Jungwon
• Application Number:
  US09/364,273
• Time in Patent Office: 810 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 709/220, 709/224, 709/330, 709/101, 709/227, 709/229, 709/226, 709/223, 709/225, 713/201
• US Class Current: 709/229
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for delivering a message unit to a destination network resource within a transport communications layer includes the steps of configuring a mapping to the destination network resource based upon a source address of the message unit, and sending the message unit to the destination network resource based upon the mapping.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for delivering a message to a network resource without opening said network resource to possible attack by unauthorized third parties, comprising:

receiving a message from a source, said message specifying a source address associated with said source;

determining, based upon said source address, a destination network resource for said message; and

delivering said message to the destination network resource.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said message does not specify said network resource address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said network resource address is not a valid IP address.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the destination network resource comprises:

accessing a set of mapping information, said mapping information specifying an association between said source address and the destination network resource.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said mapping information comprises a mapping table, said mapping table comprising an entry which specifies an association between said source address and said network resource address.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

prior to receiving said message, receiving a request to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

processing said request to update said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein processing said request comprises:

verifying that a sender of said request has proper authorization to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

updating said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource only if the sender of said request has proper authorization.

8. An apparatus for delivering a message to a network resource without opening said network resource to possible attack by unauthorized third parties, comprising:

a mechanism for receiving a message from a source, said message specifying a source address associated with said source;

a mechanism for determining, based upon said source address, a destination network resource for said message; and

a mechanism for delivering said message to the destination network resource.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said message does not specify said network resource address.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein said network resource address is not a valid IP address.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the mechanism for determining the destination network resource comprises:

a mechanism for accessing a set of mapping information, said mapping information specifying an association between said source address and the destination network resource.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said mapping information comprises a mapping table, said mapping table comprising an entry which specifies an association between said source address and said network resource address.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a mechanism for receiving, prior to receiving said message, a request to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

a mechanism for processing said request to update said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the mechanism for processing said request comprises:

a mechanism for verifying that a sender of said request has proper authorization to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

a mechanism for updating said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource only if the sender of said request has proper authorization.

15. A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to deliver a message to a network resource without opening said network resource to possible attack by unauthorized third parties, said computer readable medium comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to receive a message from a source, said message specifying a source address associated with said source;

instructions for causing one or more processors to determine, based upon said source address, a destination network resource for said message; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to deliver said message to the destination network resource.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said message does not specify said network resource address.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein said network resource address is not a valid IP address.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 15, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to determine the destination network resource comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to access a set of mapping information, said mapping information specifying an association between said source address and the destination network resource.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, wherein the destination network resource has a network resource address associated therewith, and wherein said mapping information comprises a mapping table, said mapping table comprising an entry which specifies an association between said source address and said network resource address.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

instructions for causing one or more processors to receive, prior to receiving said message, a request to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to process said request to update said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the instructions for causing one or more processors to process said request comprises:

instructions for causing one or more processors to verify that a sender of said request has proper authorization to associate said source address with the destination network resource; and

instructions for causing one or more processors to update said mapping information to associate said source address with the destination network resource only if the sender of said request has proper authorization.