INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM

• US 20070199065A1
• Filed: 01/11/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Kohiyama, Tomohisa, Ogawa, Yukio, Yasue, Toshikazu
• Application Number:
  US11/622,036
• Publication Number:
  US 20070199065A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

An information processing system is provided, which allows an information processing device to use network devices across firewall devices without having the firewall devices configured for respective protocols which are to be used for communication with the network devices. By connecting a local machine and a remote machine with each other via a VPN and providing the remote machine with a VPN gateway function, the local machine is allowed to belong to a network on the remote machine side. As a result, in a case where the firewall devices exist between the local machine and the remote machine, merely by setting the firewall devices to connect the local machine and the remote machine with each other via the VPN, the local machine can communicate with the various network devices connected to the network on the remote machine side by means of various protocols.

Claims

1. An information processing system, comprising:

a first information processing device; and

a second information processing device;

wherein;

the first information processing device comprises a VPN interface unit which connects to a virtual private network (VPN);

the second information processing device comprises a VPN gateway unit which connects to the VPN and a network other than the VPN; and

the VPN gateway unit, when a destination of a packet received via one of the VPN and the network is an address of the network assigned to the first information processing device, forwards the packet to the VPN, and when the destination of the packet is a network address other than the address of the network assigned to the first information processing device, forwards the packet to the network.

2. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the second information processing device is an operation terminal which functions as an input and output device for the first information processing device.

3. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein:

the second information processing device further comprises a VPN connection request transmission unit which transmits a request for connection to the VPN to the first information processing device;

the first information processing device further comprises a VPN connection request reception unit which receives the request for connection to the VPN from the second information processing device; and

the VPN interface unit, when the VPN connection request reception unit receives the request for connection to the VPN, makes a connection to the VPN gateway unit via the VPN.

4. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the VPN interface unit, when a predetermined requirement is met, makes a connection to the VPN gateway unit via the VPN.

5. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined requirement comprises a requirement that time of the connection to the VPN gateway unit is within a predetermined time period.

6. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined requirement comprises a requirement that the second information processing device belongs to a predetermined network.

7. The information processing system according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined requirement comprises a requirement that a user of the second information processing device is a predetermined user.

8. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing device further comprises a communication control unit which controls a communication packet communicated with the VPN gateway unit by the VPN interface unit.

9. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing device further comprises an application program control unit which controls an application program for receiving and transmitting communication data via the VPN interface unit.

10. The information processing system according to claim 1, wherein the first information processing device uses the VPN interface unit to communicate with a network device connected to the network.

11. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein the network device comprises a file server.

12. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein the network device comprises a printer.

13. The information processing system according to claim 10, wherein the first information processing device further comprises a logging unit which records a history of communication between the application program and the network device.

14. A virtual office system, comprising a plurality of information systems according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the second information processing device of each information processing system is connected to the same network via the VPN gateway unit of the second information processing device.

15. A first information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

16. A second information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

17. A program, which is executed on a computer, the program controlling the computer to function as a VPN gateway unit which makes a connection to one of a virtual private network (VPN) and a network other than the VPN,

wherein the VPN gateway unit, when a destination of a packet received via one of the VPN and the network is an address of the network assigned to a predetermined network device, forwards the packet to the VPN, and when the destination of the packet is an address other than the address of the network assigned to the predetermined network device, forwards the packet to the network.

18. A program, which is executed on a computer, the program controlling the computer to function as a VPN interface unit which receives a request for connection to a virtual private network (VPN) and as a VPN interface unit which makes a connection to the VPN,

wherein the VPN interface unit, when the VPN connection request reception unit receives a request for connection to the VPN, makes a connection to a source of the request for connection to the VPN via the VPN.

19. A communication method which causes a first information processing device to communicate with a network device connected to a second information processing device via a network, comprising:

making, by the first information processing device, a connection to the second information processing device via a virtual private network (VPN);

forwarding, by the second information processing device, when a destination of a packet, received via one of the VPN and the network, is an address of the network assigned to the first information processing device, the packet to the VPN; and

forwarding, by the second information processing device, when the destination of the packet, received via one of the VPN and the network, is an address other than the address of the network assigned to the first information processing device, the packet to the network.