Method and apparatus for classifying remote procedure call transport traffic

• US 7,047,536 B1
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Lavian, Tal I., Duncan, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Van H.
• Application Number:
  US09/752,112
• Time in Patent Office: 1,964 Days
• Field of Search: 709/328, 709/330, 709/226, 709227-229, 709217-219, 709/234, 709/235, 370/231, 370/235, 719330-331, 719/310, 719/328
• US Class Current: 719/330
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/542 Intercept
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

A data communication network for DiffServ communications has a software library added to clients connected to a data communication network having a DiffServ-enabled edge router. When an application running on a client system wishes to make a remote procedure call to a remote server system on another network, it makes its usual call for RPC invocation using the software library. This RPC call is intercepted by a protocol layer interposed between the application layer and the underlying RPC transport code. The protocol layer detects when an RPC call is being made and can determine the identity of the calling procedure as well. The library makes a side channel communication to the edge router to provide this information to the edge router or alternative service decider, which then makes use of this data when performing DiffServ classification for packets transmitted during the course of the call.

Claims

1. A method for classifying a remote procedure call from a client system in a first network that initiates connections to a remote server in a second network via a classifying edge router using a client and underlying remote procedure call transport code, the method comprising:

detecting when a connection for the remote procedure call is created;

using a side channel to communicate flow information associated with the detected connection to the classifying edge router, the flow information including a port number associated with the communication, the flow information provided to enable the classifying edge router to assign a quality of service classifier to the remote procedure call for appropriately prioritized transfer to the second network; and

incorporating the flow information into a differentiated services classification subsystem of the classifying edge router by associating the equality of service level to the detected connection; and

wherein the detecting comprises;

providing an Application Programming Interface (API) to calling applications;

detecting when the applications call the API; and

executing a remote procedure routine based on a call by an application, the remote procedure routine including forwarding the flow information to the classifying edge router via the side channel; and

wherein;

the executing comprises accessing a remote procedure call API; and

the API provided to the calling applications includes functionality duplicative of remote procedure call API functionality.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the executing comprises accessing a remote procedure call API; and

the API provided to the calling applications presents an interface duplicative of the remote procedure call API to the calling applications.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining flow information from an application call to the API; and

providing the flow information to the classifying edge router via the side channel.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the flow information includes a five-tuple including sender and receiver Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, sender and receiver MAC and IP port numbers, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) protocol type for the connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the side channel is implemented as Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script from the client to the classifying edge router.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the flow information includes a five-tuple including sender and receiver Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, sender and receiver MAC and IP port numbers, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) protocol type for the connection.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein incorporating includes:

using the flow information to determine a differentiated services classification for the connection; and

marking traffic delivered to the connection by the classifying router based on the classification.

8. The method claim 1, further comprising:

detecting the identify of the client making the remote procedure call, the flow information further containing this detected identify.

9. An apparatus for classifying a remote procedure call from a client system in a first network that initiates connections to a remote server in a second network via a classifying edge router using a client and underlying remote procedure call transport code, the apparatus comprising:

a module configured to detect when a connection for the remote procedure call is created;

a module configured to use a side channel to communicate flow information associated with the detected connection to the classifying edge router, wherein the flow information includes a port number associated with the remote procedure call, the flow information provided to enable the classifying edge router to assign a quality of service classifier to the remote procedure call for appropriately prioritized transfer to the second network; and

a module configured to incorporate the flow information into a differentiated services classification subsystem of the classifying edge router by associating the equality of service level to the detected connection; and

wherein the detecting module is further configured to;

provide an Application Programming Interface (API) to calling applications;

detect when the applications call the API; and

execute a remote procedure routine based on a call by an application, the remote procedure routine including forwarding the flow information to the classifying edge router via the side channel; and

wherein;

the detecting module is further configured to access a remote procedure call API; and

the API provided to the calling applications includes functionality duplicative of remote procedure call API functionality.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the detecting module is further configured to access a remote procedure call API;

and the API provided to the calling applications presents an interface duplicative of the remote procedure call API to the calling applications.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the side channel module is further configured to:

obtain flow information from an application call to the API; and

provide the flow information to the classifying edge router via the side channel.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the flow information includes a five-tuple including sender and receiver Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, sender and receiver MAC and IP port numbers, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) protocol type for the connection.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the side channel is implemented as a Common Gateway Interface (CGI) script from the client to the classifying edge router.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the flow information includes a five-tuple including sender and receiver Media Access Control (MAC) and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, sender and receiver MAC and IP port numbers, and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) protocol type for the connection.

15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the incorporating module is further configured to:

use the flow information to determine a differentiated services classification for the connection; and

mark traffic delivered to the connection by the classifying edge router based on the classification.

16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the side channel module is further configured to detect the identity of the client making the remote procedure call, the flow information further containing this detected identity.