System adds additional new routes and default routes to a routing table to allow concurrent access to two different network connections

• US 6,957,274 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Issued: 10/18/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ball, Nicholas P., Trace, Rob M., Rule, Donald H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Application Number:
  US09/681,922
• Publication Number:
  US 20030046397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 709/238, 709/239, 709/242, 709/230, 709/245, 709/244, 709/240, 370/389, 370/395.52, 370/395.31, 370/401, 370/351, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2872 Termination of subscriber connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables

Abstract

Concurrent access to a first networking connection, such as an Internet connection, and a second networking connection, such as a virtual private networking (VPN) connection, is disclosed. The first connection is established, adding first default routes to a routing table. The first routes are associated with the first connection and have priority. The second connection is established, adding second default routes to the routing table. The second routes are associated with the second connection, and have priority over the first routes. Specific routes associated with the second connection are added from a preset routing file to the routing table. The second routes are removed, regaining priority for the first routes. Data packets intended for the second connection are routed according to the specific routes added to the routing table from the preset table. Other data packets are routed to the first connection according to the first routes.

Claims

1. A method for achieving concurrent access to both a first networking connection and a second networking connection comprising:

establishing the first networking connection, and causing one or more first default routes to be added to a routing table, the one or more first default routes associated with the first networking connection and having priority within the routing table;

establishing the second networking connection; and

,

accessing a preset routing file having one or more routes associated with the second networking connection, and adding the one or more routes associated with the second networking connection from the preset routing file to the routing table,

wherein establishing the second networking connection causes one or more second default routes to be added to the routing table, the one or more second default routes associated with the second networking connection and having priority within the routing table over the first default routes.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising removing the one or more second default routes from the routing table, and causing the one or more first default routes to regain priority within the routing table, such that the second networking connection is accessible through the one or more routes added to the routing table from the preset routing file, and the first networking connection is accessible through the one or more first default routes having regained priority within the routing table.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more first default routes has a metric of one when added to the routing table, such that the metric of each of the one or more first default routes is increased by one when the one or more second default routes are added to the routing table and is decreased by one when the one or more second default routes are removed from the routing table.

4. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon for execution by a processor to perform a method for achieving concurrent access to both a first networking connection and a second networking connection comprising:

establishing the first networking connection, and causing one or more first default routes to be added to a routing table, the one or more first default routes associated with the first networking connection and having priority within the routing table;

establishing the second networking connection, and causing one or more second default routes to be added to the routing table, the one or more second default routes associated with the second networking connection and having priority within the routing table over the first default routes;

accessing a preset routing file having one or more routes associated with the second networking connection, and adding the one or more routes associated with the second networking connection from the preset routing file to the routing table; and

,

removing the one or more second default routes from the routing table, and causing the one or more first default routes to regain priority within the routing table, such that the second networking connection is accessible through the one or more routes added to the routing table from the preset routing file, and the first networking connection is accessible through the one or more first default routes having regained priority within the routing table.

5. The medium of claim 4, wherein the first networking connection is an insecure networking connection.

6. The medium of claim 4, wherein the first networking connection is an Internet connection.

7. The medium of claim 4, wherein the first networking connection is one of a persistent and a dial-up networking connection.

8. The medium of claim 4, wherein the second networking connection is a secure networking connection.

9. The medium of claim 4, wherein the second networking connection is a virtual private networking (VPN) connection.

10. The medium of claim 4, wherein the second networking connection is one of a tunneling and a dial-up networking connection.

11. The medium of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more first default routes has a metric of one when added to the routing table, such that the metric of each of the one or more first default routes is increased by one when the one or more second default routes are added to the routing table and is decreased by one when the one or more second default routes are removed from the routing table.

12. The medium of claim 4, wherein each of the one or more second default routes has a metric of one when added to the routing table, such that each of the one or more second default routes is removed from the routing table by decrementing the metric by one, to zero.

13. The medium of claim 4, wherein the preset routing file is stored locally at a client performing the method.

14. The medium of claim 4, wherein the preset routing file is stored remotely at a server accessible through the second networking connection.

15. The medium of claim 4, wherein accessing the preset routing file causes one of a table access success and a table access failure, such that causing the table access failure results in aborting the method without adding the one or more routes associated with the second networking connection and without removing the one or more second default routes from the routing table, such that only the second networking connection, and not the first networking connection, is accessible.

16. The medium of claim 4, wherein establishing the second networking connection also results in a connection event, such that accessing the preset routing file, adding the one or more routes associated with the second networking connection, and removing the one or more second default routes from the routing table are post-connection event actions.