NETWORK COMMUNICATIONS OF APPLICATION RUNNING ON DEVICE UTILIZING MULTIPLE VIRTUAL NETWORK CONNECTIONS

• US 20120023258A1
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Published: 01/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dispersive Holdings Incorporated (Dispersive Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Robert W. Twitchell
• Inventors: TWITCHELL, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,423,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/56 Packet switching systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/17 Interaction among intermediate nodes, e.g. hop by hop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/325 in the network layer [OSI layer 3], e.g. X.25 H04L69/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A method includes steps of detecting, at a first device, a first request for a network connection from an application, spawning a first virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a first virtual network connection is provided, selecting a routing protocol for the first virtual network connection, detecting, at the first device, a second request for a network connection from the application, spawning a second virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a second virtual network connection is provided, selecting a routing protocol for the second virtual network connection, using the selected routing protocol for the first virtual network connection, communicating data from the application to a second device using the first virtual network connection, and, using the selected routing protocol for the second virtual network connection, communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection.

Claims

1. A method of providing network communications using virtualization, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting, at a first device, a first request for a network connection from an application running on the first device;

(b) spawning a first virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a first virtual network connection is provided;

(c) selecting a routing protocol for the first virtual network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the first virtual network connection;

(d) detecting, at the first device, a second request for a network connection from the application running on the first device;

(e) spawning a second virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a second virtual network connection is provided;

(f) selecting a routing protocol for the second virtual network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the second virtual network connection;

(g) using the selected routing protocol of said step (c), communicating data from the application to a second device using the first virtual network connection; and

(h) using the selected routing protocol of said step (f), communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application to the second device using the second virtual network connection.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application to a third device that is different from the second device using the second virtual network connection.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected routing protocol of said step (c) and the selected routing protocol of said step (f) are the same.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected routing protocol of said step (c) and the selected routing protocol of said step (f) are different.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the application runs on the device outside of the first virtual machine and outside of the second virtual machine.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each virtual machine is created by a monitor in response to a controller that is configured to intercept messages sent to a network adapter.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each virtual machine encapsulates a single hardware network interface of the device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein each virtual machine encapsulates a plurality of hardware network interfaces of the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine is spawned in response to detecting the first request for a network connection from the application running on the device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first virtual machine is spawned before detecting the first request for a network connection from the application running on the device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the device includes a plurality of processing cores.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a personal computer.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is a handheld mobile device.

15. A method of providing network communications using virtualization, comprising the steps of:

(a) detecting, at a first device, a first request for a network connection from an application running on the first device;

(b) spawning a first virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a first virtual network connection is provided;

(c) selecting a routing protocol for the first virtual network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the first virtual network connection;

(d) using the selected routing protocol of said step (c), communicating data from the application to a second device using the first virtual network connection;

(e) determining that the application requires another network connection;

(f) spawning a second virtual machine that virtualizes network capabilities of the first device such that a second virtual network connection is provided;

(g) selecting a routing protocol for the second virtual network connection from among a plurality of available routing protocols for communicating data using the second virtual network connection;

(h) using the selected routing protocol of said step (f), communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said step of determining that the application requires another network connection comprises comparing network performance achieved with the first virtual machine to network specific performance requirements of the application.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application to the second device using the second virtual network connection.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application to a third device that is different from the second device using the second virtual network connection.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein said step (d) of communicating data from the application using the first virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application over a first network path, and wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application over a second network path that is different from the first network path.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step (h) of communicating data from the application using the second virtual network connection comprises communicating data from the application to the second device using the second virtual network connection.