Method and system for dynamic application layer gateways

• US 7,743,089 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2003
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Putzolu, David M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Burgess; Barbara N
• Application Number:
  US10/739,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133776A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,377 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/238, 709/239, 713/152, 713/153, 713/154
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4868 with creation or replication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/048 mobile agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/101 Access control lists [ACL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

A method and system are disclosed for providing functionality on a network. A mobile agent moves from a first node to a target node and, at the target node, performs as an application layer gateway.

Claims

1. A method for providing functionality on a network, the network comprising nodes, the method comprising:

an agent moving from a first device to a target device; and

at the target device, the agent performing application layer gateway functionalitlity,

wherein a proactive environment on the target device checks an access control list of the agent to determine resources at the target device the agent can access.

2. The method of claim 1 where the agent acts as a web cache.

3. The method of claim 1 where the agent acts as a media transcoder.

4. The method of claim 1 where the agent acts as a firewall.

5. The method of claim 1 where the agent may automatically move to a second target device and act as an application layer gateway.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the agent, before performing application layer gateway functionality, installing a software module to aid in performing such functionality.

7. The method of claim 1 where the agent may automatically uninstall itself.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

passing a service object to the mobile agent.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a work sheet in the agent is used to provide the functionality.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

instantiating a service object.

10. A network comprising:

a plurality of nodes;

a plurality of links connecting the nodes; and

a mobile agent residing on a node of the network, where the mobile agent is able to function as an application layer gateway by accepting traffic sent to the target device addressed to a client device, performing at least one of filtering the traffic or modifying the traffic, and sending the traffic to the client device and by interacting with a proactive environment in the node on which it is residing after the proactive environment checks an access control list of the mobile agent and determines that the mobile agent has permission to access a service in the proactive environment.

11. The network of claim 10 where the mobile agent functions as a web cache.

12. The network of claim 10 where the mobile agent functions as a media transcoder.

13. The network of claim 10 where the mobile agent functions as a firewall.

14. The network of claim 10 where the agent may move automatically to a second node and function as an application layer gateway.

15. The network of claim 10 further comprising:

a software module installed on the node on which the agent is installed, the software module aiding in performing application layer gateway functionality.

16. The network of claim 10 where the agent may automatically uninstall itself.

17. A method for providing functionality on a network, the network comprising nodes, the method comprising:

an agent moving from a first device to a target device; and

at the target device, the agent accessing resources at the target device after a proactive environment on the target device checks an access control list of the agent and determines that the agent has permission to access the resources, functioning as an application layer gateway by accepting data stream sent to the target device addressed to a client device, performing a function of at least one of filtering the data stream or modifying the data stream, and passing the data stream to one of a set of client devices.

18. The method of claim 17 where the function is a web cache function.

19. The method of claim 17 where the function is a media transcoder function.

20. The method of claim 17 where the function is a firewall function.

21. A set of instructions residing in a storage medium, said set of instructions to be executed by a processor to implement a method for providing functionality on a network, the method comprising:

an agent moving from a first device to a target device; and

the agent performing application layer gateway functionality at the target device by accepting traffic sent to the target device addressed to a client device, performing at least one of filtering the traffic or modifying the traffic, sending the traffic to the client device, and by accessing resources at the target device via a proactive environment after the proactive environment checks an access control list of the agent and determines that the agent has permission to access the resources.