Automatic LAN/WAN port detection
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An apparatus configured to automatically determine a network connection on a port, the apparatus comprising:
- a first port of the apparatus located between a device on a wide area network (WAN) and a server on a local area network (LAN), the device connected to a client, the first port electrically connected to receive network traffic via the WAN, the first port comprising an Ethernet port;
a second port of the apparatus electrically connected to receive network traffic via the LAN, the second port comprising an Ethernet port, the apparatus having not yet identified to which of a network segment of the WAN or the LAN is the first port connected;
a processor of the apparatus configured to;
execute instructions to monitor network traffic on the first port and the second port to detect whether any packet received is a SYN or a SYN-ACK packet,identify, in response to detecting that a SYN-ACK packet from the client was received from the device, that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port and that the first port is connected to the WAN;
automatically assign, responsive to identifying that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port, to the first port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the WAN connected to the first port,forward, by the apparatus, the SYN-ACK packet from the client to the server;
identify, in response to detecting that a SYN packet was received from the server, that the SYN packet was received on the second port and that the second port is connected to the LAN;
automatically assign to the second port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the LAN connected to the second port; and
operate on subsequent packets arriving on the first port in accordance with the function assigned to the first port.
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Abstract
A system is disclosed for which a network device with two or more ports determines which of its functions should be performed on which of its ports. A method is disclosed for monitoring the traffic on each port for characteristic traffic that indicates the function that said network device should perform on said port, optionally transmitting new traffic or altering or tagging existing traffic to elicit it, and mapping said network device'"'"'s operations to its ports accordingly. Also disclosed is a system and method for auto inhibition and auto configuration.
126 Citations
24 Claims
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1. An apparatus configured to automatically determine a network connection on a port, the apparatus comprising:
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a first port of the apparatus located between a device on a wide area network (WAN) and a server on a local area network (LAN), the device connected to a client, the first port electrically connected to receive network traffic via the WAN, the first port comprising an Ethernet port; a second port of the apparatus electrically connected to receive network traffic via the LAN, the second port comprising an Ethernet port, the apparatus having not yet identified to which of a network segment of the WAN or the LAN is the first port connected; a processor of the apparatus configured to; execute instructions to monitor network traffic on the first port and the second port to detect whether any packet received is a SYN or a SYN-ACK packet, identify, in response to detecting that a SYN-ACK packet from the client was received from the device, that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port and that the first port is connected to the WAN; automatically assign, responsive to identifying that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port, to the first port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the WAN connected to the first port, forward, by the apparatus, the SYN-ACK packet from the client to the server; identify, in response to detecting that a SYN packet was received from the server, that the SYN packet was received on the second port and that the second port is connected to the LAN; automatically assign to the second port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the LAN connected to the second port; and operate on subsequent packets arriving on the first port in accordance with the function assigned to the first port. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method to automatically determine, by an apparatus, a network connection on a port, the method comprising:
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monitoring, by an apparatus between a gateway on a wide area network (WAN) and a server on a local area network (LAN), network traffic on a first port electrically connected to receive network traffic via the WAN, the first port comprising an Ethernet port, the gateway connected to a client; monitoring, by the apparatus, network traffic on a second port electrically connected to receive network traffic via the LAN, the second port comprising an Ethernet port, the apparatus having not yet identified to which of a network segment of the WAN or LAN is the first port connected; executing, by the apparatus, instructions to detect whether any packet received on the first port or the second port is a SYN or a SYN-ACK packet; identifying, by the apparatus, in response to detecting that the SYN-ACK packet from the client was received from the gateway, that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port and that the first port is connected to the WAN; automatically assigning, by the apparatus, responsive to identifying that the SYN-ACK packet was received on the first port, to the first port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the WAN connected to the first port; forwarding, by the apparatus, the SYN-ACK packet from the client to the server; identifying, by the apparatus, in response to detecting that a SYN packet was received from the server, that the SYN packet was received on the second port and that the second port is connected to the LAN; automatically assigning, by the apparatus, to the second port a function for processing communications for the network segment of the LAN connected to the second port; and operating, by the apparatus, on subsequent packets arriving on the first port in accordance with the function assigned to the first port. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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Specification