Architecture for efficient utilization and optimum performance of a network

• US 7,126,955 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2003
• Issued: 10/24/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: F5 Networks, Inc. (F5 Incorporated)
• Inventors: Nabhan, Tarek, Helmy, Youssri
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hyun, Soon D.
• Application Number:
  US10/354,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20040146053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,364 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/392, 370/393, 370/401, 370/465, 370/466, 370/469, 370/471, 709/247
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An architecture for optimizing network communications that utilizes a device positioned at two edges of a constrained Wide Area Network (WAN) link. The device intercepts outgoing network packets and reroutes them to a proxy application. The proxy application uses persistent connections with a network accelerator device at the other end of the persistent connection. The proxy applications transmit the intercepted data after compressing it using a dictionary-based compression algorithm. Packet mangling may involve spoofing the connection request at each end node; a proxy-to-proxy communication protocol specifies a way to forward an original address, port, and original transport protocol information end to end. The packet mangling and proxy-to-proxy communication protocol assure network transparency.

Claims

1. A method for handling packet traffic in a data network comprising the steps of:

routing outgoing packet traffic at a network layer to a proxy application running on a local network accelerator associated with a node which is a source of the packet traffic;

receiving, at the proxy application, intercepted packet traffic;

compressing data contained in the intercepted packet traffic via a dictionary based compression algorithm to produce compressed packet traffic, wherein compression occurs on data in the packet traffic that is expressed in at least at one of a fifth or a sixth layer above a transport layer (fourth layer) in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, and wherein inter-packet boundaries for the compressed data are determined at the transport layer; and

transmitting compressed packet traffic to a remote network accelerator associated with a node which is a destination of the packet traffic via a persistent connection maintained with the remote network accelerator.

2. A method as in claim 1 wherein a proxy to proxy protocol is employed to specify at least an original transport protocol identifier, original address, and original ports of the nodes.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the dictionary based compression algorithm is an LZ77 algorithm.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein a Huffman coding algorithm is applied to the data in the packets.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein a dictionary associated with an existing end-to-end connection is utilized to service a new connection request.

6. A data network routing device comprising:

a router, connected to receive incoming packets at a network layer from a source node, the router examining the incoming packets to determine if they are addressed to a destination node which is not local to the router, and if so, routing them to a socket interface;

a proxy application, connected to receive incoming packets from the socket interface, the proxy application associated with the router, and the proxy application, acting as a proxy for the source node, also establishing a connection on behalf of the source node, the connection capable of carrying packets to the destination node; and

a data compressor, located within the proxy application, for compressing data contained in the packets prior to their transmission by the proxy application, wherein compression occurs on data in the packets that is expressed in at least one of a fifth or a sixth layer above a transport layer (fourth layer) in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, and wherein inter-packet boundaries for the compressed data are determined at the transport layer.

7. A device as in claim 6 additionally wherein the proxy application additionally receives packets from a network connection addressed to a destination node which is local to the router;

and additionally comprising a data decompressor, for decompressing packets so received; and

wherein the router also forwards decompressed packets to the destination node.

8. A device as in claim 6 wherein the network connection is a persistent connection established with another data network routing device having a proxy application.

9. A device as in claim 8 wherein a proxy to proxy protocol is used to pass original source node and distinction node information between the two proxy applications.

10. A device as in claim 8 wherein a proxy to proxy protocol specifies an original protocol type for the packets.

11. A device as in claim 6 wherein the connection is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection even if the source node and distinction node are using a different protocol.

12. A method for enabling communication between a source node and a destination node, comprising:

employing a first proxy node to forward a stream of packets between the source node and the destination node at the network layer, wherein the stream is expressed in at least one of a fifth and a sixth layer above a transport layer (fourth layer) in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, and wherein inter-packet boundaries for compressing the stream are determined at the transport layer;

employing a compression dictionary to compress the stream of packets for which the inter-packet boundries are determined for the compressed stream;

communicating the compressed stream to a second proxy node over a persistent connection associated with the stream between the source node and destination node;

employing the second proxy node to decompress the compressed stream; and

proxying the decompressed stream of packets to the destination node.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising employing a proxy to proxy protocol to enable communication of the decompressed stream to the destination node, wherein the proxy to proxy protocol includes information regarding at least one of the persistent connection, an original transport protocol identifier, an original address of the source node, an original address of the destination node, an original port of the source node, or an original port of the destination node.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein employing the compression dictionary includes employing at least one of:

an LZ77 algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm that is operative on a result of the LZ77 algorithm;

or

an algorithm that utilizes a result of a Huffman coding algorithm that is applied to the result of the LZ77 algorithm.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the compression dictionary employed for compression is one of a plurality of compression dictionaries, and wherein the one of the plurality of compression dictionaries is the same for the compressed stream that is communicated over the same type of persistent connection.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the stream of packets from the source node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the decompressed stream provided to the destination node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein proxying the decompressed stream to the destination node further comprises:

mangling the decompressed stream;

spoofing the decompressed stream; and

forwarding the decompressed stream to the destination node.

19. A system for enabling communication between a source node and a destination node, comprising:

a first network accelerator operative to perform the actions, including;

forwarding a stream of packets between the source node and the destination node at the network layer, wherein the stream is expressed in at least one of a fifth and a sixth layer above a transport layer (fourth layer) in the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, and wherein inter-packet boundaries for compressing the stream are determined at the transport layer;

employing a compression dictionary to compress the stream of packets for which the inter-packet boundries are determined for the compressed stream;

communicating the compressed stream to a second network accelerator over a persistent connection associated with the stream between the source node and destination node; and

a second network accelerator operative to perform actions, including;

decompressing the compressed stream; and

proxying the decompressed stream of packets to the destination node.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising:

a first network that is coupled to the source node and the first network accelerator; and

a second network that is coupled to the destination node and the second network accelerator, wherein the first network and the second network are coupled to each other over a private wide area network.

21. The system of claim 19, further comprising a proxy to proxy protocol that enables communication of the decompressed stream to the destination node, wherein the proxy to proxy protocol includes information regarding at least one of the persistent connection, an original transport protocol identifier, an original address of the source node, an original address of the destination node, an original port of the source node, or an original port of the destination node.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein employing the compression dictionary includes employing at least one of:

an LZ77 algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm that is operative on a result of the LZ77 algorithm;

or

an algorithm that utilizes a result of a Huffman coding algorithm that is applied to the result of the LZ77 algorithm.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the compression dictionary employed for compression is one of a plurality of compression dictionaries, and wherein the one of the plurality of compression dictionaries is the same for the compressed stream that is communicated over the same type of persistent connection.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the stream of packets from the source node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the decompressed stream provided to the destination node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein proxying the decompressed stream to the destination node further comprises:

mangling the decompressed stream;

spoofing the decompressed stream; and

forwarding the decompressed stream to the destination node.

27. A network device for proxying network traffic comprising:

a router that forwards a stream of packets between the source node and the destination node at the network layer, wherein the stream is expressed in at least one of a fifth and a sixth layer above a transport layer (fourth layer) of the Open System Interconnection (OSI) model, and wherein inter-packet boundaries for compressing the stream are determined at the transport layer;

a compression dictionary is employed to compress the stream of packets for which the inter-packet boundries are determined for the compressed stream; and

a proxy application for communicating the compressed stream to another network device over a persistent connection associated with the stream between the source node and destination node, wherein the other network device enables the decompression of the compressed stream, and proxying of the decompressed stream of packets to the destination node.

28. The network device of claim 27, wherein the proxy application enables a proxy to proxy protocol for communication of the decompressed stream to the destination node, wherein the proxy to proxy protocol includes information regarding at least one of the persistent connection, an original transport protocol identifier, an original address of the source node, an original address of the destination node, an original port of the source node, or an original port of the destination node.

29. The network device of claim 27, wherein the compression dictionary includes is operative to employ at least one of:

an LZ77 algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm;

a Huffman coding algorithm that is operative on a result of the LZ77 algorithm;

or

an algorithm that utilizes a result of a Huffman coding algorithm that is applied to the result of the LZ77 algorithm.

30. The network device of claim 27, wherein the compression dictionary employed for compression is one of a plurality of compression dictionaries, and wherein the one of the plurality of compression dictionaries is the same for the compressed stream that is communicated over the same type of persistent connection.

31. The network device of claim 27, wherein the stream of packets from the source node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.

32. The network device of claim 27, wherein the decompressed stream provided to the destination node employs at least one of a TCP or UDP protocol at the transportation layer.