Application based packet forwarding
First Claim
1. A method for processing packets at a network device, the method comprising:
- receiving a plurality of packets associated with a flow, one or more of the plurality of packets having associated header data and content;
based on the content of two or more first packets in the plurality of packets, identifying an application associated with the flow, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; and
for one or more second packets associated with the flow, determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application associated with the flow using an application based policy and a non-application based policy;
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination; and
forwarding the one or more second packets according to the determined forwarding destination.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer program products, featuring receiving at a network device a plurality of packets associated with a flow, one or more of the plurality of packets having associated header data and content. Based on the content of one or more first packets in the plurality of packets, the network device identifies an application associated with the flow, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device. For one or more second packets associated with the flow, the network device determines a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application associated with the flow and forwards the packet according to the determined forwarding destination.
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Citations
39 Claims
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1. A method for processing packets at a network device, the method comprising:
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receiving a plurality of packets associated with a flow, one or more of the plurality of packets having associated header data and content; based on the content of two or more first packets in the plurality of packets, identifying an application associated with the flow, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; and for one or more second packets associated with the flow, determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application associated with the flow using an application based policy and a non-application based policy;
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination; andforwarding the one or more second packets according to the determined forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method for processing packets at a network device, the method comprising:
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receiving a plurality of first packets associated with a flow until an application associated with the flow is identified based on content of at least one of the first packets, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device; while receiving the first packets, for each of one or more of the first packets;
forwarding the packet to a destination; andattempting to identify the application associated with the flow based on the content of at least two of the first packets, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; after the application associated with the flow is identified; receiving one or more second packets associated with the flow; and determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application using an application based policy and a non-application based policy, wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause a first network device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a plurality of packets associated with a flow, one or more of the plurality of packets having associated header data and content; based on the content of two or more first packets in the plurality of packets, identifying an application associated with the flow, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; and for one or more second packets associated with the flow, determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application associated with the flow using an application based policy and a non-application based policy;
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination; andforwarding the one or more second packets according to the determined forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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20. A computer program product, encoded on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, operable to cause a first network device to perform operations comprising:
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receiving a plurality of first packets associated with a flow until an application associated with the flow is identified based on content of at least one of the first packets, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device; while receiving the first packets, for each of one or more of the first packets; forwarding the packet to a destination; and attempting to identify the application associated with the flow based on the content of at least two of the first packets, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; after the application associated with the flow is identified; receiving one or more second packets associated with the flow; determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application using an application based policy and a non-application based policy; and
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A system comprising:
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a network device comprising one or more processors and one or more network interfaces; where the network device has encoded on a computer-readable medium instructions operable to cause one or more of the processors of the network device to perform; using one of the network interfaces, receiving a plurality of packets associated with a flow, one or more of the plurality of packets having associated header data and content; based on the content of two or more first packets in the plurality of packets, identifying an application associated with the flow, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; and for one or more second packets associated with the flow, determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application associated with the flow using an application based policy and a non-application based policy;
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination; andforwarding the one or more second packets according to the determined forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A system comprising:
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a network device comprising one or more processors and one or more network interfaces;
where the network device has encoded on a computer-readable medium instructions operable to cause one or more of the processors of the network device to perform;using one of the network interfaces, receiving a plurality of first packets associated with a flow until an application associated with the flow is identified based on content of at least one of the first packets, where none of the first packets is addressed to the network device; while receiving the first packets, for each of one or more of the first packets; forwarding the packet to a destination; and attempting to identify the application associated with the flow based on the content of at least two of the first packets, wherein identifying the application includes reassembling two or more of the first packets, and performing heuristic analysis on the content of the reassembled two or more of the first packets; after the application associated with the flow is identified; receiving one or more second packets associated with the flow; and determining a forwarding destination for the second packets based on the application using an application based policy and a non-application based policy;
wherein if the application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a first destination and the non-application based policy indicates that the one or more second packets are forwarded to a second destination, and wherein the network device is configured with a rule indicating whether to give a preference to the application based policy or to the non-application based policy, then the network device applies the rule to determine whether to forward the one or more second packets to the first destination or to the second destination as the forwarding destination. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39)
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Specification