System and method for automatically discovering accessible services on a computer network and providing automatic access thereto

• US 6,839,757 B1
• Filed: 04/28/1999
• Issued: 01/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 2Wire, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: 2Wire, Inc. (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: Romano, Pasquale, Turner, James Randall
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D
• Application Number:
  US09/301,154
• Time in Patent Office: 2,078 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/226, 709/229, 709/203, 709/250, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata

Abstract

A system and method for automatically discovering accessible services on a computer network and providing automatic access thereto. In particular, a gateway server is provided which periodically scans a building network for available network services and publishes links to the available network services over the Internet. Advantageously, a scanning engine of the gateway server periodically attempts to open a connection, or socket, with the port associated with each service to determine the availability of that service. The scanning engine initiates a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the particular network service if the attempt to establish a connection with the port was successful. The scanning engine then creates a list of the identified accessible services. The list of accessible services may be configured as dynamic links on a gateway server web page to allow access to the identified network services from an outside network, via the dynamic links.

Claims

1. A method of detecting available network services on a network, comprising:

identifying a network device coupled to the network, the network device having a port associated with a particular network service;

attempting to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service;

adding the particular network service to a list of currently available network services if the attempt to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service was successful;

publishing a web page comprising a dynamic link to at least one of the network services identified in the list of currently available network services;

initiating a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the particular network service if the attempt to establish a connection with the port was successful; and

using a timer to establish a periodic rate to identify network devices coupled to the network in order to update the list of currently available network services.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, attempting, publishing, and adding are periodically repeated to periodically update the list of available network services.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating a predetermined list of potential available network services from which the currently available network services can be identified.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the dynamic link to access the network service associated with the dynamic link.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

interfacing access to the network service associated with the dynamic link with a proxy application for managing communications with the network service; and

allowing a computer on an external network to access a currently available service if a password is presented to access the currently available service.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

selecting the dynamic link to access the network service associated with the dynamic link;

creating a portal associated with the network service; and

directing communications with the network service through the portal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying, attempting, and adding are performed by a gateway server interposed between a building network and an outside network.

8. The method of detecting available network services on a network according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a network device includes receiving a broadcast from the network device.

9. The method of detecting available network services on a network according to claim 1, wherein the step of identifying a network device includes receiving a multicast from the network device.

10. A method for automatically providing links to accessible services on an inside network, comprising:

scanning each device on the inside network for accessible services;

creating a dynamic link to each detected accessible service;

publishing each dynamic link on an outside network to allow access to each detected accessible service;

initiating a second exchange with the detected accessible service to validate the availability of the detected accessible service if the scanning indicated an accessible service was detected; and

using a timer to establish a periodic rate to scan devices on the inside network for accessible services.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising accessing the accessible service through one of the dynamic links.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

redirecting a request for a selected network service to a portal associated with the selected network service; and

transmitting communications with the selected network service via the portal.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

redirecting a request for a selected network service to a proxy application associated with the selected network service;

managing communications with the selected network service with the proxy application.

14. A method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network, comprising:

providing a gateway server interposed between a building network and an outside network;

coupling at least one network device to the building network, the network device having at least one port associated with a network service;

periodically attempting to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port associated with the network service by using a timer;

adding a reference to the network service to a list of available network services if the attempt to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port associated with the network service was successful;

initiating a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the detected network service if the attempt to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port was successful; and

publishing a dynamic link to at least one of the network services identified in the list of available network services.

15. The method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network according to claim 14, further comprising publishing the list of available network services on a gateway server web page.

16. The method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network according to claim 14, further comprising:

creating a separate dynamic link for each available network service identified in the list of available network services; and

publishing the dynamic link on a gateway server web page.

17. The method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network according to claim 14, further comprising:

creating a separate dynamic link for each available network service identified in the list of available network services;

publishing the dynamic link on a gateway server web page;

selecting one of the dynamic links on the gateway server web page from a client computer on the outside network; and

redirecting connection from the client computer on the outside network to the available network service associated with the selected dynamic link.

18. The method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network according to claim 14, further comprising:

creating a separate dynamic link for each available network service identified in the list of available network services;

publishing the dynamic link on a gateway server web page;

selecting one of the dynamic links on the gateway server web page from a client computer on the outside network; and

proxying connection from the client computer on the outside network to the available network service associated with the selected dynamic link.

19. The method for automatically detecting available network services on an inside network according to claim 14, further comprising:

creating a separate dynamic link for each available network service identified in the list of available network services;

publishing the dynamic link on a gateway server web page;

selecting one of the dynamic links on the gateway server web page from a client computer on the outside network; and

routing connection from the client computer on the outside network to the available network service associated with the selected dynamic link.

20. A system for detecting network services on an inside network wherein the inside network is coupled to a client computer on an outside network, comprising:

a gateway server interposed between the inside network and the outside network;

the gateway server including a scanning engine for periodically attempting to open a socket with an inside network device port that is associated with a particular network service to determine whether the particular network service is available on the associated inside network device;

a timer to establish a periodic scan rate for the scanning engine, wherein the scanning engine initiates a second exchange with the detected available service to validate the availability of the particular network service; and

a web server to publish a web page comprising a dynamic link to at least one of the available network services to the outside network.

21. The system for detecting network services on an inside network according to claim 20, wherein the gateway server requires a password for a device on the external network to access one or more of the detected available network service.

22. The system for detecting network services on an inside network according to claim 20, wherein the gateway server further comprises:

a proxy application for managing communications between the network service and the outside network client computer.

23. The system for detecting network services on an inside network according to claim 20, wherein the gateway server further comprises:

the gateway server being configured to redirect connection from the outside network client computer to a specific network service on the inside network upon selection of a specific dynamic link associated with the specific network service by the outside network client computer.

24. A system for detecting available network services on a network, comprising:

means for identifying a network device coupled to the network, the network device having a port associated with a particular network service;

means for attempting to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service;

means for adding the particular network service to a list of currently available network services if the attempt to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service was successful;

means for publishing a web page comprising a dynamic link to at least one of the network services identified in the list of currently available network services;

means for initiating a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the particular network service if the attempt to establish a connection with the port was successful; and

means for using a timer to establish a periodic rate to identify network devices coupled to the network in order to update the list of currently available network services.

25. A system for automatically providing links to accessible services on an inside network, comprising:

means for scanning each device on the inside network for accessible services;

means for creating a dynamic link to each detected accessible service;

means for publishing each dynamic link on an outside network to allow access to each detected accessible service;

means for initiating a second exchange with the detected accessible service to validate the availability of the detected accessible service if the scanning indicated an accessible service was detected; and

means for using a timer to establish a periodic rate to scan devices on the inside network for accessible services.

26. A system for automatically detecting available network services on a building network, comprising:

means for providing a gateway server interposed between a building network and an outside network;

means for coupling at least one network device to the building network, the network device having at least one port associated with a network service;

means for periodically attempting to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port associated with the network service;

means for adding a reference to the network service to a list of available network services if the attempt to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port associated with the network service was successful;

means for initiating a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the detected network service if the attempt to establish a connection between the gateway server and the port was successful; and

means for publishing a dynamic link to at least one of the network services identified in the list of available network services.

27. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for instructing a computer to detect available network services on a network by performing the steps of:

identifying a network device coupled to the network, the network device having a port associated with a particular network service;

attempting to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service;

adding the particular network service to a list of currently available network services if the attempt to establish a connection with the port associated with the particular network service was successful;

publishing a web page comprising a dynamic link to at least one of the network services identified in the list of currently available network services;

initiating a second exchange with the port to validate the availability of the particular network service if the attempt to establish a connection with the port was successful; and

using a timer to establish a periodic rate to identify network devices coupled to the network in order to update the list of currently available network services.

28. A computer readable medium comprising program instructions for instructing a computer to automatically provide links to accessible services on an inside network by performing the steps of:

scanning each device on the inside network for accessible services;

creating a dynamic link to each detected accessible service;

publishing each dynamic link on an outside network to allow access to each detected accessible service;

initiating a second exchange with the detected accessible service to validate the availability of the detected accessible service if the scanning indicated an accessible service was detected; and

using a timer to establish a periodic rate to scan devices on the inside network for accessible services.