Local proxy system and method

• US 9,137,249 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Western Digital Israel Limited (Western Digital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: SanDisk IL Ltd. (Western Digital Corporation)
• Inventors: Mosek, Amir, Nochimowski, Alain, Rave, Micha
• Primary Examiner(s): CHANG, KENNETH W
• Application Number:
  US14/457,760
• Publication Number:
  US 20140351900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 399 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• 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 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

A local proxy system includes a storage device having a local proxy and a physical port connection. The local proxy is part of a split proxy configuration having a local proxy and a remote proxy. The physical port connection is operative to receive commands from a host via an internet application protocol; and to transmit commands to the host via a modem control protocol, to thereby function as a gateway for conveying these commands to a remote proxy, via the host. Also provided is a method of optimizing communication over a network; and a local proxy system that includes a storage device having a local proxy. The storage device is in connection with a host via a physical port connection complying with a standard storage device interface.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a first set of commands from a host via an application communication protocol, the receiving being performed by a local proxy comprising middleware loaded on a storage device that includes a controller configured to execute the local proxy, the local proxy being part of a split proxy configuration that includes the local proxy and a remote proxy;

enabling a logical connection between the local proxy and the remote proxy via the host in response to receiving the first set of commands, the remote proxy communicatively coupled to a web server via a network;

authenticating the remote proxy, the authenticating being performed by the local proxy via the host, wherein the local proxy is configured to perform an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) service;

servicing the first set of commands by transmitting a second set of commands from the local proxy to the host via a modem control protocol after authenticating the remote proxy, to thereby convey the second set of commands to the remote proxy via the host,

wherein transferring of commands from the storage device to the host is enabled via a physical port of the storage device, and wherein the physical port complies with a standard storage device interface; and

initiating communications over the physical port by invoking at the storage device a signal that is sent to the host.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the local proxy is in communication with the web server via the remote proxy.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the application communication protocol includes a type of client-server protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the servicing is performed by the local proxy via the modem control protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the host includes at least one of:

a cellular telephone, a camera, a personal digital assistant, a computer, or an audio reproducing device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage device complies with a memory card format including at least one of:

a secure digital (SD) memory card format, a multi memory card (MMC) memory card format, or a compact flash (CF) memory card format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage device is a removable storage device.

8. A storage device comprising:

a local proxy that is part of a split proxy configuration having the local proxy and a remote proxy, wherein the local proxy includes middleware at the storage device, wherein the local proxy is configured to authenticate the remote proxy via a host, wherein the local proxy is configured to perform an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) service, wherein the local proxy is configured to use a logical connection to the remote proxy to communicate with a web server when the remote proxy is communicatively coupled to the web server via a network;

a hardware controller at the storage device configured to manage operation of the local proxy and to invoke a signal to notify the host of data to be read from the storage device; and

a physical port that complies with a standard storage device interface and that is operative to support an application communication protocol to receive a first set of commands from the host and a modem control protocol to transmit a second set of commands to the host,

wherein the local proxy is configured to service the first set of commands with the second set of commands, and wherein the physical port conveys the second set of commands to the remote proxy via the host.

9. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the application communication protocol and the modem control protocol are the same.

10. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the application communication protocol includes a client-server protocol.

11. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the storage device complies with a memory card format, including at least one of:

a secure digital (SD) memory card format, a multimedia card (MMC) format, or a compact flash (CF) memory card format.

12. The storage device of claim 8, wherein the local proxy services the first set of commands with the second set of commands via the modem control protocol.

13. A storage device comprising:

a local proxy that is part of a split proxy configuration having the local proxy and a remote proxy, wherein the local proxy is configured to authenticate the remote proxy via a host, wherein the local proxy is configured to perform an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) service, wherein the local proxy is configured to use a logical connection to the remote proxy to communicate with a web server when the remote proxy is communicatively coupled to the web server via a network;

a hardware controller at the storage device configured to execute the local proxy and to invoke a signal to notify the host of data to be read from the storage device; and

a physical port that complies with a standard storage device interface and that connects to the host, wherein the physical port is operative to support a first communication link via a first logical protocol and a second communication link via a second logical protocol, wherein the first logical protocol is used to receive a first set of commands from the host and the second logical protocol is used to transmit commands to the host, wherein the physical port is configured to convey a second set of commands to the remote proxy via the host, and

wherein the local proxy is configured to service the first set of commands with the second set of commands.

14. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the first logical protocol and the second logical protocol are the same logical protocol.

15. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the storage device complies with a memory card format, including at least one of:

a secure digital (SD) memory card format, a multi memory card (MMC) memory card format, or a compact flash (CF) memory card format.

16. The storage device of claim 13, wherein the local proxy services the first set of commands with the second set of commands via a modem control protocol.

17. A storage device comprising:

a local proxy that is part of a split proxy configuration having the local proxy and a remote proxy, wherein the local proxy includes middleware at the storage device, wherein the local proxy is configured to authenticate the remote proxy via a host, wherein the local proxy is configured to perform an authentication, authorization, and accounting (AAA) service, and wherein the local proxy is configured to use a logical connection to the remote proxy to communicate with a web server when the remote proxy is communicatively coupled to the web server via a network;

a hardware controller configured to manage operation of the local proxy and to invoke a signal to notify the host of data to be read from the storage device; and

a physical port that complies with a standard storage device interface and that is operative to receive a first set of commands from the host and to transmit a second set of commands to the host, wherein the physical port is configured to convey the second set of commands to the remote proxy via the host, and wherein the local proxy is configured to service the first set of commands with the second set of commands.

18. The storage device of claim 17, wherein the physical port is configured to support an application communication protocol.

19. The storage device of claim 17, wherein the local proxy services the first set of commands with the second set of commands via a modem control protocol.