Method and apparatus for a client connection manager

• US 8,788,691 B1
• Filed: 11/11/2006
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Digi International Inc.
• Inventors: Allred, Curtis M., Schwartz, Elliot
• Primary Examiner(s): STRANGE, AARON N
• Application Number:
  US11/558,904
• Time in Patent Office: 2,810 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/223
• US Class Current: 709/231
• 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. A method for connection management in a connection manager, the method comprising:

receiving connection requests from a plurality of clients at said connection manager;

establishing a first connection with each of said plurality of clients and said connection manager based upon each connection request from said plurality of clients;

establishing a second connection with a specific server and said connection manager based upon said received connection request from each of said plurality of clients;

creating a connection between said first connection of a specific client with said second connection of said specific server such that said connection is transparent to both said specific client and said specific server; and

disconnecting said specific client from said specific server when said connection is not needed; and

said connection manager tearing down said second connection with said specific server.

2. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving connection requests from a plurality of clients at a connection manager;

means for establishing a first connection with each of said plurality of clients and said connection manager based upon each connection request from said plurality of clients;

means for establishing a second connection with a specific server and said connection manager based upon said received connection request from each of said plurality of clients;

means for creating a connection between said first connection of a specific client with said second connection of said specific server such that said connection is transparent to both said specific client and said specific server; and

means for disconnecting said specific client from said specific server when said connection is not needed, and said connection manager tearing down said second connection with said specific server.