Systems and methods for secure file transfers

• US 9,306,915 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2013
• Issued: 04/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Atamna, Youcef
• Primary Examiner(s): Rahim, Monjour
• Application Number:
  US14/072,425
• Publication Number:
  US 20150127941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: 713/168
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

Embodiments of the disclosure can include systems and methods for secure file transfers. The onsite monitoring system secure file transfer solution can allow for transferring operational data by an onsite system behind a firewall to a central monitoring and diagnostic infrastructure by sending asynchronous, concurrent, parallel files over a port using a previously opened connection.

Claims

1. A method for transferring data, comprising:

writing, by one or more onsite processors associated with an onsite system behind a firewall that prevents inbound connections, output files in a transfer directory;

scheduling, by the one or more onsite processors, an asynchronous intelligent transfer service;

establishing, by the one or more onsite processors, a secure certificate based uni-directional encrypted link between the onsite system and a central system;

sending, by the one or more onsite processors, a message to the central system;

sending, by one or more central processors associated with the central system, to an open outbound uni-directional port associated with a previous message from the onsite system a file download request message within a reply to the previous message from the onsite system, wherein the port prevents non-outbound communications and blocks non-reply messages;

initiating, by the one or more onsite processors, a download command message for asynchronous concurrent parallel files download;

sending, by the one or more onsite processors, at least one of the files over the port using a previously opened connection.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending outbound datagrams serially over the port using a previously opened connection and reconstructing inbound datagrams by the onsite system.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing data transport reliability on the outbound datagrams via checksum by the central system on each outbound datagram and at least one complete file.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising performing data transport reliability on the inbound datagrams via checksum by the onsite system on each inbound datagram and at least one complete file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein sending the outbound datagrams comprises sending the outbound datagrams via a low bandwidth service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein collecting operational data comprises collecting the operational data from a plurality of onsite controllers in communication with a plurality of sensors.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the firewall prevents standard bi-directional transport control protocol communications.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising managing the data using interpolation and/or compression techniques.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising ensuring quality and time coherency of the operational data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing analytics and diagnostics on the operational data.

11. A system for transferring data, comprising:

an onsite system behind a firewall, one or more onsite processors associated with the onsite system operable to;

collect operational data;

write files in a transfer directory;

schedule an asynchronous intelligent transfer service;

establish a secure certificate based uni-directional encrypted link between the onsite system and a central system;

initiate a command upload message for asynchronous, concurrent parallel file upload;

create associated outbound datagrams; and

send the outbound datagrams over a predetermined specific port, wherein the predetermined specific port prevents non-outbound communications and blocks non-reply messages; and

one or more onsite processors associated with the central system operable to;

based at least in part on received outbound datagrams, reconstruct the outbound datagrams;

send, to an open outbound uni-directional port, a file download request message within a reply to a previous message from the onsite system;

the one or more onsite processors associated with the onsite system is further operable to;

initiate a download command message for asynchronous concurrent parallel files download;

create additional outbound datagrams;

send the additional outbound datagrams serially over the outbound uni-directional port using a previously opened connection.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the central system is further operable to:

perform data transport reliability on the outbound datagrams via checksum on each outbound datagram and a complete file.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the onsite system is further operable to:

perform data transport reliability on the inbound datagrams via checksum on each inbound datagram and a complete file.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the onsite system is further operable to:

send the outbound datagrams via a low bandwidth service.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the onsite system is further operable to:

collect the operational data from a plurality of onsite controllers in communication with a plurality of sensors.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the firewall is operable to prevent standard bi-directional transport control protocol communications.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the onsite system is further operable to:

manage the data by using interpolation and/or compression techniques.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the onsite system is further operable to:

ensure quality and time coherency of the operational data.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the central system is operable to:

perform analytics and diagnostics on the operational data.