Open network connections

• US 8,085,662 B2
• Filed: 05/14/2008
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hiscock, James Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): SCHEIBEL, ROBERT C
• Application Number:
  US12/120,377
• Publication Number:
  US 20090285091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,322 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0213 Standardised network management protocols, e.g. simple network management protocol [SNMP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/64 using an overlay routing layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering

Abstract

One or more logical network connection points are provided within an electronic communications network. The logical network connections are provided via an interface between one or more connectivity plane devices and a network connected application, service, or control plane function in the electronic communication network. The network connected application, service, or control plane function registers itself as a logical network resident (NR) with a function in the connectivity plane that provides a logical network connection between the network resident and another logical network connection point.

Claims

1. A system for controlling Local Area Network (LAN) traffic, the system comprising:

a traffic access provider;

a network resident comprising managed connection requesting logic to send a managed network connection request over the LAN, the request including a specification of a network traffic filter;

connection establishment logic to establish a managed network connection between the network resident and the traffic access provider in response to the request and to assign a network resident identifier to the network resident; and

wherein the traffic access provider comprises;

traffic reception circuitry to receive managed network traffic from the network resident over the LAN, the managed network traffic comprising the network resident identifier;

filter determination logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter;

traffic modification logic to modify the network traffic to produce modified network traffic if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

traffic sending logic to send the modified network traffic to the network resident over the LAN on the established connection if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

wherein the network resident further comprises transmitting logic to transmit unmanaged traffic from the network resident to the LAN over a local area network interface while the managed network connection is active, in which the unmanaged traffic does not comprise the network resident identifier.

2. The system of claim 1:

wherein the request further includes a specification of a particular level of network traffic security screening;

wherein the traffic access provider further comprises security screening logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the particular level of network traffic security screening; and

wherein the traffic sending logic comprises logic to send the modified network traffic to the network resident over the LAN on the established connection only if the network traffic satisfies the particular level of network traffic security screening.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the traffic modification logic comprises:

logic to modify the network traffic in accordance with a managed connection transmission descriptor associated with the managed network connection to produce the modified network traffic.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the managed connection requesting logic comprises logic to send the managed connection transmission descriptor within the request.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the traffic access provider further comprises logic to associate the managed connection transmission descriptor with the connection.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the managed network connection comprises a receive-only connection.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein said traffic access provider accepts registration of logical network residents comprising applications, services and control plane functions, said traffic access provider for providing a logical open network connection to such registered network residents.

7. A method for controlling Local Area Networking (LAN) traffic comprising:

(A) receiving a managed network connection request over the LAN from a network coordinator, the request including a specification of a network traffic filter and an identifier of a network resident, other than the network coordinator, that the network coordinator is registering for network connection management;

(B) establishing a managed network connection between the network resident and a traffic access provider in response to the request; and

(C) at the traffic access provider;

(1) receiving network traffic over the LAN;

(2) determining whether the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

(3) modifying the network traffic to produce modified network traffic if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

(4) sending the modified network traffic to the network resident over the LAN on the established connection if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter.

8. A system for controlling Local Area Networking (LAN) traffic comprising:

a traffic access provider;

a network coordinator comprising logic to send a managed network connection request over the LAN to the traffic access provider, the request including a specification of a network traffic filter and an identifier of a network resident other than the network coordinator that the network coordinator is registering with the traffic access provider;

wherein the traffic access provider comprises;

connection establishment logic to establish a managed network connection between the network resident and the traffic access provider in response to the request;

traffic reception circuitry to receive network traffic over the LAN;

filter determination logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter;

traffic modification logic to modify the network traffic to produce modified network traffic if the network traffic satisfied the specific network traffic filter; and

traffic sending logic to send the modified network traffic to the network resident over the LAN on the established connection if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the traffic modification logic comprises:

logic to modify the network traffic in accordance with a managed connection transmission descriptor associated with the managed network connection to produce modified network traffic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the managed connection requesting logic comprises logic to send the managed connection transmission descriptor within the request.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the traffic access provider further comprises logic to associate the managed connection transmission descriptor with the connection.

12. A system for controlling Local Area Networking (LAN) traffic comprising:

a traffic access provider;

a network resident comprising managed connection requesting logic to send a managed network connection request over the LAN, the request including a traffic screening specification identifying authorized transmitting Open Network Connections corresponding to data transmitters from which the network resident will receive data;

wherein the traffic access provider comprises;

connection establishment logic to establish a transmit-only managed network connection between the network resident and a traffic access provider in response to the request;

a circuit to receive network traffic from the network resident over the managed network connection;

traffic screening logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the traffic screening specification; and

traffic sending logic to send the network traffic to the network if the network traffic satisfies the traffic screening specification.

13. A method for use with a Local Area Network including an end node having a local area network interface, the method comprising:

(A) registering the end node as a first network resident with a first traffic access provider, comprising assigning a first network resident identifier to the first network resident;

(B) establishing a first managed network connection between the first network resident and the first traffic access provider over the Local Area Network;

(C) while the first managed network connection is active, transmitting first managed traffic over the first managed connection from the first network resident to the first traffic access provider, wherein the first managed traffic includes the first network resident identifier;

(D) at the first traffic access provider, modifying the first managed traffic to produce first modified traffic;

(E) at the first traffic access provider, transmitting the first modified traffic to the LAN; and

(F) while the first managed network connection is active, transmitting first unmanaged traffic from the end node to the LAN using the local area network interface, wherein the first unmanaged traffic does not include the first network resident identifier.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

(G) registering the end node as a second network resident with a second traffic access provider, comprising assigning a first network resident identifier to the first network resident;

(H) establishing a second managed network connection between the second network resident and the second traffic access provider over the Local Area Network; and

(I) while the first and second managed network connections are active, transmitting second managed traffic over the second managed connection from the second network resident to the second traffic access provider, wherein the second managed traffic includes the second network resident identifier.

15. A method for use with a Local Area Network including an end node having a local area network interface, the method comprising:

(A) registering the end node as a first network resident with a first traffic access provider, comprising assigning a first network resident identifier to the first network resident;

(B) establishing a first managed network connection between the first network resident and the first traffic access provider over the Local Area Network;

(C) at the first traffic access provider, while the first managed network connection is active;

(1) receiving first network traffic over the LAN at the first traffic access provider;

(2) determining whether the first network traffic satisfies a first network traffic filter associated with the first managed network connection;

(3) if the first network traffic satisfies the first network traffic filter, then;

(a) modifying the first managed traffic to produce first modified traffic including the first network resident identifier, and (b) transmitting the first modified traffic to the end node over the LAN on the first managed network connection; and

(D) while the first managed network connection is active, transmitting first unmanaged traffic to the end node over the LAN using the local area network interface, wherein the first unmanaged traffic does not include the first network resident identifier.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

(E) registering the end node as a second network resident with a second traffic access provider, comprising assigning a second network resident identifier to the first network resident;

(F) establishing a second managed network connection between the second network resident and the second traffic access provider over the Local Area Network; and

(G) at the second traffic access provider, while the first and second managed network connections are active;

(1) receiving second network traffic over the LAN at the second traffic access provider;

(2) determining whether the second network traffic satisfies a second network traffic filter associated with the second managed network connection;

(3) if the second network traffic satisfies the second network traffic filter, then;

(a) modifying the second managed traffic to produce second modified traffic including the second network resident identifier, and (b) transmitting the second modified traffic to the end node over the LAN on the second managed network connection.

17. A system for controlling access to a Local Area Network (LAN), the system comprising:

a traffic access provider;

a network coordinator comprising;

registration request logic to send a request over the LAN to register the network coordinator as a network resident with the traffic access provider;

managed connection request logic to send a managed network connection request over the LAN, the request including a specification of a network traffic filter;

network access logic to determine whether a first end node is authorized to access the LAN;

wherein the traffic access provider comprises;

registration logic to register the network coordinator with the traffic access provider;

connection establishment logic to establish the managed network connection between the network coordinator and the traffic access provider;

traffic reception circuitry to receive network traffic over the LAN;

filter determination logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

traffic sending logic to send the network traffic to the network resident coordinator over the managed network connection if the network traffic satisfies the specific network traffic filter; and

wherein the network coordinator further comprises;

receive traffic forwarding logic to forward the network traffic to the first end node if the end node was determined to be authorized to access the LAN.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the network coordinator further comprises:

transmit traffic forwarding logic to receive network traffic from the end node and to transmit the network traffic to the traffic access provider over the managed network connection.

19. A system for wirelessly connecting a wireless end node having a first IP address to a Local Area Network (LAN), the system comprising:

a first traffic access provider in a first subnet of the LAN;

a second traffic access provider in a second subnet of the LAN;

a mobility function comprising;

network resident registration logic to register the wireless end node as a network resident with the first traffic access provider; and

first managed connection requesting logic to send a first managed network connection request over the LAN, the first request including a specification of a network traffic filter;

wherein the first traffic access provider comprises;

first connection establishment logic to establish the first requested managed network connection between the first traffic access provider and the network resident;

traffic reception circuitry to receive network traffic over the LAN;

filter determination logic to determine whether the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter; and

traffic sending logic to send the network traffic to the network resident on the established connection if the network traffic satisfies the specified network traffic filter;

wherein the mobility function further comprises;

second managed connection requesting logic to send a second managed network connection request over the LAN in response to a change of IP address of the end node to a second IP address; and

wherein the second traffic access provider comprises;

second connection establishment logic to establish the second requested managed network connection between the second traffic access provider and the network resident.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobility function further comprises:

traffic forwarding logic to receive network traffic addressed to the first IP address and to send the received network traffic to the end node at the second IP address over the second requested managed network connection.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobility function further comprises:

traffic forwarding logic to receive network traffic transmitted from the end node at the second IP address, modifying a source address of the received network traffic to the first IP address, and forwarding the modified network traffic to its specified destination.