Dynamic virtual private network

• US 9,596,271 B2
• Filed: 10/10/2012
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Young, Charles K., White, Terrence E., Diggs, Melanie R., Colar, Gerald D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US13/648,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20140101324A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/465 wherein a single frame includes a plurality of VLAN tags
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4658 wherein a VLAN tag represents a service provider backbone VLAN, e.g. B-Tag, S-Tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4662 wherein a VLAN tag represents a service instance, e.g. I-SID in PBB
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4683 characterized by the protocol used
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4687 MVRP [multiple VLAN registration protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4691 GVRP [GARP VLAN registration protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4695 VTP [VLAN trunking protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment

Abstract

Various embodiments establish a virtual private network (VPN) between a remote network and a private network. In one embodiment, a first system in the remote network establishes a connection with a central system through a public network. The central system is situated between the first system and a second system in the private network. The first system receives, from the central system and based on establishing the connection, a set of VPN information associated with at least the second system. The first system disconnects from the central system and establishes a VPN directly with the second system through the public network based on the set of VPN information.

Claims

1. A method, with a first virtual private network (VPN) device in a remote network, for establishing a site-to-site VPN between the remote network and a private network, the method comprising:

receiving a VPN request from a client device within the remote network to establish a VPN connection with the private network;

analyzing local VPN information for VPN information associated with the private network;

determining, based on the analyzing, that the local VPN information fails to comprise VPN information associated with the private network;

establishing a VPN connection with a central system through a public network in response to the local VPN information failing to comprise VPN information associated with the private network, wherein the central system is situated between the first VPN device and a second VPN device in the private network, where the first VPN device is local to the remote network and the second VPN device is local to the private network;

receiving, from the central system and based on establishing the VPN connection, a set of VPN information associated with at least the second VPN device;

disconnecting, based on the receiving, from the central system; and

establishing, based on the set of VPN information, a site-to-site VPN directly with the second VPN device through the public network, wherein one or more client devices within the remote network communicate with the private network utilizing the site-to-site VPN through the first VPN device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of VPN information comprises at least VPN tunneling information, and wherein the VPN tunneling information comprises at least one of:

an encryption protocol;

an encryption key;

a hashing algorithm;

an access list; and

a tunneling protocol.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the set of VPN information further comprises a set of address information, wherein the set of address information comprises at least one of:

an identifier associated with the second VPN device;

an Internet Protocol address associated with the second VPN device; and

a Media Access Control address associated with the second VPN device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein establishing the VPN comprises:

creating a VPN tunnel directly with the second VPN device based on the set of VPN tunneling information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the set of VPN information in a local memory.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from at least one peer system in the remote network, a request to establish a VPN with at least one system in the private network; and

sending, a set of VPN information associated with the at least one system in the private network to at least one peer system, wherein the set of VPN information configures at least one peer system to establish a VPN directly with the at least one system in the private network through the public network.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the set of VPN information associated with at least one system in the private network is obtained from the second VPN device in the private network.

8. A method, with a first virtual private network (VPN) device in a remote network, for establishing a site-to-site VPN between the remote network and a private network, the method comprising:

receiving a VPN request from a client device within the remote network to establish a VPN connection with the private network;

analyzing local VPN information for VPN information associated with the private network;

determining, based on the analyzing, that the local VPN information fails to comprise VPN information associated with the private network;

establishing a VPN connection with a central system through a public network in response to the local VPN information failing to comprise VPN information associated with the private network, wherein the central system is situated between the first VPN device and a second VPN device in the private network, where the first VPN device is local to the remote network and the second VPN device is local to the private network;

receiving, from the central system and based on establishing the VPN connection, a first set of VPN information associated with at least the second VPN device;

disconnecting, based on the receiving, from the central system;

receiving a request directly from the second VPN device to establish a direct VPN, wherein the request comprises a second set of VPN information;

comparing the second set of VPN information with the first set of VPN information; and

establishing, based on the first and second sets set of VPN information matching, a site-to-site VPN directly with the second VPN device through the public network, wherein one or more client devices within the remote network communicate with the private network utilizing the site-to-site VPN through the first VPN device, and wherein one or more client devices within the private network communicate with the remote network utilizing the site-to-site VPN through the second VPN device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first and second sets of VPN information comprise at least VPN tunneling information, and wherein the VPN tunneling information comprise at least one of:

an encryption protocol;

an encryption key;

a hashing algorithm;

an access list; and

a tunneling protocol.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein each of the first and second sets of VPN information further comprises address information, wherein the address information comprises at least one of:

an identifier associated with the second VPN device;

an Internet Protocol address associated with the second VPN device; and

a Media Access Control address associated with the second VPN device.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein establishing the VPN comprises:

creating a VPN tunnel directly with the second VPN device based on at least the first and second sets of VPN tunneling information.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

storing the first set of VPN information in a local memory.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving, from at least one peer system in the private network, a request to establish a VPN with at least one system in the remote network; and

sending, a set of VPN information associated with at least one system in the remote network to at least one peer system, wherein the set of VPN information configures at least one peer system to establish a VPN directly with at least one system in the remote network through the public network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the set of VPN information associated with at least one system in the remote network is obtained from the second VPN device in the remote network.

15. A method, with a first virtual private network (VPN) device in a private network, for establishing a site-to-site VPN between the private network and a remote network, the method comprising:

receiving a VPN request from a client device within the private network to establish a VPN connection with the remote network;

analyzing local VPN information for VPN information associated with the remote network;

determining, based on the analyzing, that the local VPN information fails to comprise VPN information associated with the remote network;

establishing a VPN connection with a central system through a public network in response to the local VPN information failing to comprise VPN information associated with the remote network, wherein the central system is situated between the first VPN device and a second VPN device in the remote network, where the first VPN device is local to the private network and the second VPN device is local to the remote network;

receiving, from the central system and based on establishing the connection, a first set of VPN information associated with at least the second VPN device;

disconnecting, based on the receiving, from the central system;

receiving a request directly from the second VPN device to establish a direct VPN, wherein the request comprises a second set of VPN information;

comparing the second set of VPN information with the first set of VPN information; and

establishing, based on the first and second sets set of VPN information matching, a site-to-site VPN directly with the second VPN device through the public network, wherein one or more client devices within the private network communicate with the remote network utilizing the site-to-site VPN through the first VPN device, and wherein one or more client devices within the remote network communicate with the private network utilizing the site-to-site VPN through the second VPN device.