Method and apparatus for a client connection manager

• US 7,152,111 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2002
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Inventors: Allred, Curtis M., Schwartz, Elliot
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bruckart, Benjamin R
• Application Number:
  US10/222,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20040044771A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,587 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/200, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/225, 709/231, 709/250, 370/351, 370/395.2
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0823 Errors, e.g. transmission errors
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0209 Architectural arrangements, e.g. perimeter networks or demilitarized zones
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a connection manager have been disclosed. By providing for persistent connections with clients, the connection manager allows for servers to communicate with clients, which would otherwise be inaccessible.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing client connections, comprising:

a first circuitry having a first Set Of Links (SOL), a second SOL, control outputs, first control inputs, and second control inputs, the first SOL coupled to receive first clients connection requests, and the first control inputs coupled to receive first control commands;

a third circuitry having a first SOL, a second SOL, control outputs, first control inputs, and second control inputs, the second SOL coupled to receive third clients connection requests, the first control inputs coupled to receive the first circuitry control outputs without going through an intermediary, and the second control inputs coupled to receive third control commands;

a second circuitry having a first SOL, a second SOL, first control inputs, and second control inputs, the first SOL coupled to receive the first circuitry second SOL, the second SOL coupled to receive the third circuitry first SOL, the first control inputs coupled to receive the first circuitry control outputs, and the second control inputs coupled to receive the third circuitry control outputs.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first and third control commands are the same.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first clients connection requests and the third clients connection requests are the same.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the second circuitry establishes connections between its first SOL and second SOL based upon the second circuitry first and/or second control inputs.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the second circuitry first and/or second control inputs are based upon communications received over the first circuitry first SOL and/or the third circuitry first SOL.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first control inputs cause the first circuitry to establish connections based on first clients connection requests.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the third control inputs cause the third circuitry to establish connections based on third clients connection requests.