Interception of a cloud-based communication connection

• US 8,473,620 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2010
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Riverbed Technology, LLC (Riverbed Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Riverbed Technology Incorporated
• Inventors: Demmer, Michael J., Ly, Kand, Gupta, Nitin
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Dustin
• Application Number:
  US12/843,754
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318665A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/213, 709/219, 709/238, 709/228, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• 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 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for intercepting a client-server communication connection in a computing environment. A first network intermediary configured to facilitate optimization of client-server transactions may be installed in a path of communications between the client and the server. A second network intermediary configured to cooperate with the first network intermediary is not in the path of communications between the client and the server. The first network intermediary intercepts a connection request from the client and forwards a modified request toward the server. A module within the server intercepts the connection request and redirects it to the second network intermediary. The client-server connection is thus split-terminated at the two network intermediaries, which establish cooperative sessions between themselves and with the client and with the server.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating a split-terminated client-server communication connection between a client and a server, wherein the server operates in a virtual cloud computing environment, the method comprising:

at a first network intermediary located in a path of communication between the client and the server;

receiving from the client a request for the client-server connection;

transmitting a request for the client-server connection toward the server; and

terminating the client-server communication connection at the first network intermediary;

at the server;

receiving the request for the client-server connection; and

without having responded to the request, redirecting the request for the client-server connection to a second network intermediary that is not in the path of communication between the client and the server; and

at the second network intermediary;

establishing an intermediary communication connection with the first network intermediary if the intermediary communication connection does not exist; and

terminating the client-server communication connection at the second network intermediary.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said redirecting the request for the client-server connection comprises:

forwarding to the second network intermediary the request for the client-server connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said redirecting the request for the client-server connection comprises:

notifying the second network intermediary of the request for the client-server connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said redirecting the request for the client-server connection comprises:

transmitting to the first network intermediary a message identifying the second network intermediary.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising, at the first network intermediary:

transmitting toward the second network intermediary a request to establish the intermediary communication connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said receiving the request for the client-server connection comprises:

receiving the request at the server via a communication path that does not traverse the second network intermediary.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising, at the server:

executing an intercept module configured to intercept the request for the client-server connection from the first network intermediary without the request for the client-server connection being delivered to a destination addressee of the request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the server comprises a cloud-based server.

9. A method of facilitating establishment of a split-terminated client-server communication connection between a client and a server, the method comprising:

receiving at the server, from a first network intermediary, a request for the client-server communication connection;

without acting upon the request, redirecting the request to a second network intermediary that is outside of a path of communication between the client and the server;

receiving a substitute connection request from the second network intermediary;

establishing the substitute connection with the second network intermediary; and

terminating the client-server communication connection at the first network intermediary and the second network intermediary;

wherein the substitute connection comprises a portion of the split-terminated client-server communication connection; and

wherein the request for the client-server communication connection was received at the server without transiting the second network intermediary.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the request for the client-server communication connection comprises a probe configured to determine whether the second network intermediary is located in a path of communications between the first network intermediary and the server.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said redirecting the request comprises:

forwarding the request to the second network intermediary.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said redirecting the request comprises:

identifying an address of the second network intermediary to the first network intermediary.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the server comprises a cloud-based server.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of facilitating establishment of a split-terminated client-server communication connection between a client and a server, the method comprising:

receiving at the server, from a first network intermediary, a request for the client-server communication connection;

without acting upon the request, redirecting the request to a second network intermediary that is outside of a path of communication between the client and the server;

receiving a substitute connection request from the second network intermediary;

establishing the substitute connection with the second network intermediary; and

terminating the client-server communication connection at the first network intermediary and the second network intermediary;

wherein the substitute connection comprises a portion of the split-terminated client-server communication connection; and

wherein the request for the client-server communication connection was received at the server without transiting the second network intermediary.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the server comprises a cloud-based server.

16. A system for facilitating a split-terminated communication connection between a client and a server, the system comprising:

a first network intermediary having a first memory and a first processor, coupled to the client and comprising;

a client communication program module configured to receive from the client a request for a client-server communication connection;

a server communication program module configured to issue a request for the client-server communication connection toward the server; and

a connection program module configured to terminate the requested client-server communication connection; and

a second network intermediary, having a second memory and a second processor and comprising;

a server communication program module configured to issue a substitute request for the client-server communication connection toward the server; and

a connection program module configured to;

establish an intermediary communication connection with the first network intermediary; and

terminate the requested client-server communication connection;

wherein the first network intermediary is located in a path of communications between the client and the server; and

wherein the second network intermediary is not located in the path of communications.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server further comprises:

an intercept module configured to issue a redirection message toward one or more of the first network intermediary and the second network intermediary in response to receipt of the request for the client-server connection.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the server communication program module of the first network intermediary is further configured to receive from the server, in response to the request for the client-server communication connection, a redirection message identifying the second network intermediary; and

the connection program module of the first network intermediary is further configured to redirect the request for the client-server communication connection toward the second network intermediary, via the intermediary communication connection, in response to the redirection message.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the server communication program module of the second network intermediary is further configured to receive, from the server, a redirection of the request for the client-server communication connection; and

said substitute request is issued in response to said redirection of the request for the client-server communication connection.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the server comprises a cloud-based server.