RECEPTION APPARATUS FOR VPN OPTIMIZATION BY DEFRAGMENTATION AND DEDUPLICATION AND METHOD

• US 20110249680A1
• Filed: 06/23/2011
• Published: 10/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Barracuda Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Barracuda Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: ONGOLE, SUBRAHMANYAM, SRINIVASAN, SRIDHAR
• Granted Patent: US 8,571,042 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• 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 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0876 based on the identity of the terminal or configuration, e.g. MAC address, hardware or software configuration or device fingerprint

Abstract

A reception apparatus for optimizing a virtual private network operates by defragmenting and deduplicating transfer of variable sized blocks. A large data object is converted to a plurality of data paragraphs by a fingerprinting method. Each data paragraph is cached and hashed. The hashes are transmitted from a primary apparatus. Only data paragraphs which are not previously cached at satellite are received. The data object is integrated from stored and newly transmitted data paragraphs and transmitted to its destination IP address.

Claims

1. A method for operating a reception apparatus to receive defragmented and de-duplicated data object packets, the apparatus comprising:

at least one network interface, a primary cache store, a primary transfer diary store, and a data object integrator;

the method comprising;

receiving and storing into primary cache store at least one data paragraph corresponding to a hash,

storing into primary transfer diary store the source of the data paragraph corresponding to the hash and the time of most recent usage, and

receiving a data object integration packet containing at least one hash and a remainder.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

integrating a data object by reading data paragraphs from the primary cache store and concatenating the data paragraphs and the remainder, and

delivering the reconstituted data object to its destination.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps within a circuit for to receive a pending transfer:

receiving a hash from a pending transfer transmitter corresponding to a data paragraph,

determining from a primary transfer diary store that the hash is already stored in a primary cache store, and

transmitting to a satellite transfer store an update on the status of the hash, whereby the satellite transfer diary store changes the status of a pending transfer from pending to past and utilization of a communications channel is optimized by de-duplication.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

checking the most recently used record of every data paragraph stored in cache store, and

removing least recently used data paragraphs from cache store to provide available storage for new data.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

randomly removing data paragraphs from cache store to provide available storage for new data.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

storing data paragraphs in cache store into a hierarchical directory and

randomly removing an entire sub-directory of said hierarchical directory of data paragraphs to provide available storage for new data.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of operating the system symmetrically, whereby the receiver apparatus receives a data object and transmits the hashes to at least one transmitter apparatus.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising the step of synchronizing at least one satellite data paragraph cache store with the primary data paragraph cache store in anticipation of future data transfers.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the hash refers to SHA1 of a data paragraph.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the hash refers to MD5 of a data paragraph.

11. A reception apparatus comprises:

at least one network interface,

a satellite cache store, and

a data object integrator;

the network interface(s) communicatively coupled to the data object integrator and to the satellite cache store.

12. The reception apparatus of claim 11 further comprises:

a circuit configured to receive a hash of a pending transfer of a data paragraph,

a circuit configured to receive a data paragraph,

and a satellite transfer diary store coupled to the circuit to receive a pending transfer.

13. The reception apparatus of claim 12 further comprises:

a circuit configured to receive a plurality of packets containing data paragraphs, hashes, and remainders;

a circuit configured to search a satellite transfer diary for hashes of data paragraphs stored in satellite cache store;

14. The reception apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a circuit for to receive a pending transfer, the circuit for to receive a pending transfer coupled to a circuit for to transmit a pending transfer, the circuit for to receive a pending transfer coupled to a primary transfer diary store, and the circuit for to receive a pending transfer coupled to a satellite transfer diary store.

15. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising a data paragraph cache store and a transfer diary story whereby data paragraphs transmitted from the apparatus can be reused in receiving incoming data objects.