Autonomously established secure and persistent internet connection and autonomously reestablished without user intervention that connection if it lost

• US 6,671,729 B1
• Filed: 06/15/2000
• Issued: 12/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Davies, Keith, Baranoff, Keith Andrew, Hollows, Robin L., Gordon, Barry
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US09/594,857
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks

Abstract

A communications system autonomously establishes, monitors, and maintains a secure and persistent internet “tunnel” communication path between one or more interconnected computers located at a “central” site and at least one host computer of a plurality of host computers at sites remote from the first site. The system includes a tunnel terminator server at the central site, following a secure tunneling protocol. The tunnel terminator server includes a public port interface coupled to the internet. The tunnel terminator initially establishes a clear communications link clients calling from the internet, and initially identifies and authenticates each of the clients as being “authorized.” For each client so identified and authenticated, the tunnel terminator establishes an encrypted communications link, and provides a new private IP address to each individual client by the link. Each host computer

(a) upon completion of boot-up, autonomously causes the associated modem to dial an ISP at a designated telephone numbers, to thereby initiate an ISP internet connection;

(b) upon establishment of the ISP connection, autonomously invokes, and interacts therewith to establish a secure communications “tunnel” link between the host computer and the tunnel terminator; and

(c) upon establishing the secure communications link, autonomously monitors the state of both the ISP connection and the tunnel, and, if one of the ISP connection and the tunnel is lost, autonomously reestablishes the ISP connection and the tunnel, so that the ISP internet connection and the secure communications link are persistent.

Claims

1. A system for autonomously establishing, monitoring, and maintaining a secure and persistent internet communication path between one or more interconnected computers located at a first site and at least one host computer of a plurality of host computers at sites remote from said first site, said system comprising:

a tunnel terminator server operating pursuant to a secure tunneling protocol, said tunnel terminator server including a private port interface and a public port interface, for initially establishing a clear communications link, by way of said public port interface, with one or more of a plurality of clients calling from the internet, and for initially identifying and authenticating each of said clients as being one of said computers at one of said remote sites, and, for each client so identified and authenticated, establishing an encrypted communications link, and for, when said encrypted communication link is established, providing a new private IP address to each individual client so identified and authenticated;

a connection between said private port interface of said tunnel terminator and said one or more interconnected computers;

each said host computer including a modem coupled to a public switched telephone system, each said host computer further including;

(a) an arrangement for, upon completion of boot-up of said host computer, autonomously causing the associated modem to dial an internet service provider at one or more predetermined telephone numbers, to thereby initiate establishment of an ISP internet connection to said host computer;

(b) an arrangement for, upon successfully establishing said ISP internet connection to said host computer, invoking the tunnel terminator server to thereby begin a dialogue therewith by way of said internet, and for interacting with said tunnel terminator to establish a secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator;

(c) an arrangement for, upon establishing said secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator, monitoring the state of both said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link, and for, if one of said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link is lost, autonomously reestablishing the lost one of said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link, so that said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link are persistent,

thereby establishing and maintaining a secure internet data path between said host computer and said tunnel terminator server without intervention by an operator.

2. A host computer including a modem coupled to a public switched telephone system, said host computer being for use in a system for autonomously establishing, monitoring, and maintaining a secure and persistent internet communication path between one or more interconnected computers located at a first site and at least one host computer of a plurality of host computers at sites remote from said first site, said system including;

(a) a tunnel terminator server operating pursuant to a secure tunneling protocol, said tunnel terminator server including a private port interface and a public port interface, for initially establishing a clear communications link, by way of said public port interface, with one or more of a plurality of clients calling from the internet, and for initially identifying and authenticating each of said clients as being one of said computers at one of said remote sites, and, for each client so identified and authenticated, establishing an encrypted communications link, and for, when said encrypted communication link is established, providing a new private IP address to each individual client so identified and authenticated; and

(b) a connection between said private port interface of said tunnel terminator and said one or more interconnected computers,

each said host computer comprising;

an arrangement for, upon completion of boot-up of said host computer, autonomously causing the associated modem to dial an internet service provider at one or more predetermined telephone numbers, to thereby initiate establishment of an ISP internet connection to said host computer;

an arrangement for, upon successfully establishing said ISP internet connection to said host computer, invoking the tunnel terminator server to thereby begin a dialogue therewith by way of said internet, and for interacting with said tunnel terminator to establish a secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator;

an arrangement for, upon establishing said secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator, monitoring the state of both said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link, and for, if one of said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link is lost, autonomously reestablishing the lost one of said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link, so that said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link are persistent.

3. A method for autonomously establishing, monitoring, and maintaining a secure virtual private network tunnel between a first site and each of a plurality of host computers at sites remote from said first site, where each of said host computers includes a modem coupled to a public switched telephone system, in a system including:

(a) a tunnel terminator server operating pursuant to a secure tunneling protocol, said tunnel terminator server including a private port interface and a public port interface, for initially establishing a clear communications link, by way of said public port interface, with one or more of a plurality of clients calling from the internet, and for initially identifying and authenticating each of said clients as being one of said computers at one of said remote sites, and, for each client so identified and authenticated, establishing an encrypted communications link, and for, when said encrypted communication link is established, providing a new private IP address to each individual client so identified and authenticated; and

(b) a connection between said private port interface of said tunnel terminator and said one or more interconnected computers,

said method comprising the steps, at each said host computer, of;

booting said host computer;

upon completion of booting of said host computer, autonomously (a) causing the associated modem to dial an internet service provider at one or more predetermined telephone numbers, and (b) initiating establishment of an ISP internet connection to said host computer;

upon successfully establishing said ISP internet connection to said host computer, autonomously (a) invoking the tunnel terminator server to thereby begin a dialogue therewith by way of said internet, and (b) interacting with said tunnel terminator to establish a secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator; and

upon establishing said secure communications link between said host computer and said tunnel terminator, autonomously monitoring the state of both said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link;

if said step of autonomously monitoring indicates that said ISP internet connection communications link is lost, autonomously reestablishing said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link; and

if said secure communications link is lost, autonomously reestablishing said secure communications link,

whereby said ISP internet connection and said secure communications link are persistent.