System and method for videoconferencing across networks separated by a firewall

• US 6,633,985 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Issued: 10/14/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Polycom Incorporated (Plantronics, Inc.)
• Inventors: Drell, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Peeso, Thomas R.
• Application Number:
  US10/364,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20030154410A1
• Time in Patent Office: 245 Days
• Field of Search: 713/201, 713/161, 713/165, 713/166, 713/168
• US Class Current: 726/11
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

A multimedia firewall adapter supplements a conventional firewall to allow transmission of videoconferencing data (e.g., audio and video data) associated with a protocol, such as the H.323 protocol. The multimedia firewall adapter supplements the conventional firewall so that audio and video data associated with the H.323 protocol are allowed to pass through the multimedia firewall adapter, thus circumventing the conventional firewall. The multimedia firewall adapter receives signals from an intranet and Internet, decomposes the signals, and attempts to authenticate the decomposed signals according to the H.323 protocol. If the decomposed signals are authenticated to contain videoconferencing data, the multimedia firewall adapter negotiates and establishes a connection, and allows the videoconferencing data to pass through. However, if the signal is not authenticated, then the signal is blocked from passing. The blocked signal is redirected to the conventional firewall for analysis.

Claims

1. A method for conferencing across networks separated by a firewall, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming data signal at a multimedia firewall adapter;

decomposing the incoming data signal according to a protocol;

authenticating the decomposed incoming data signal according to the protocol;

allowing the decomposed incoming data signal to pass through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is authenticated to contain conferencing data; and

blocking the incoming data signal from passing through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is not authenticated to contain conferencing data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of recomposing the decomposed incoming data signal passed through the multimedia firewall adapter.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of sending the blocked incoming data signal to a conventional firewall for analysis.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming data signal is from an intranet.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the incoming data signal is from an Internet.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the protocol is a H.323 protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing data is video data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing data is audio data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing data is T.120 data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the conferencing data is configuration data.

11. A method for conducting a conference across networks separated by a firewall, comprising the steps of:

receiving an incoming conferencing signal at a multimedia firewall adapter from a conference caller;

decomposing the incoming conferencing signal into conferencing data;

passing the conferencing data through the multimedia firewall adapter;

recomposing the incoming conferencing signal from the conferencing data; and

sending the recomposed conferencing signal to a conference recipient.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the conferencing data comprises configuration data used to used to configure the multimedia firewall adapter.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of extracting call recipient information from the conferencing data.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of sending the call recipient information through the multimedia firewall adapter to establish a connection between the conference caller and the conference recipient.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of retrieving call recipient information from a gatekeeper based upon the conferencing data.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of blocking a non-conference signal received at the multimedia firewall adapter from passing through the multimedia firewall adapter.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of sending a non-conference signal received at the multimedia firewall adapter to a conventional firewall for further analysis.

18. A system for conferencing across networks separated by a firewall, comprising:

an inside multimedia firewall adapter unit coupled to an intranet for decomposing conferencing signals from the intranet according to a protocol;

an outside multimedia firewall adapter unit coupled to an Internet for decomposing conferencing signals from the Internet according to the protocol; and

a plurality of data channels coupling the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit to the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit is configured to recompose the decomposed conferencing signals received from the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit, and send the recomposed;

signals onto the intranet.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit is configured to recompose the decomposed conferencing signals received from the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit, and send the recomposed signals onto the Internet.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein a data channel of the plurality of data channels is a video data channel.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein a data channel of the plurality of data channels is a voice data channel.

23. The system of claim 18, wherein a data channel of the plurality of data channels is a T.120 data channel.

24. The system of claim 18, wherein a data channel of the plurality of data channels is a media control channel.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit and the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit are in the firewall.

26. The system of claim 18, wherein the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit comprises a first TCIP/IP and termination unit for decomposing the conferencing signals from the intranet.

27. The system of claim 18, wherein the outside firewall adapter unit comprises a second TCIP/IP and termination unit for decomposing the conferencing signals from the Internet.

28. The system of claim 18, wherein the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit further comprises a gatekeeper for retrieving addresses and call authorization.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit further comprises a gatekeeper proxy coupled to the gatekeeper via a proxy data channel for preventing an Internet user direct access to the intranet.

30. The system of claim 18, wherein the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit further comprises a second configuration control for configuring the outside multimedia firewall adapter unit.

31. The system of claim 18, wherein the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit further comprises a first configuration control for configuring the inside multimedia firewall adapter unit.

32. An electronic-readable medium, having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a machine to perform method steps for conferencing across networks separated by a firewall, the method steps comprising:

receiving an incoming data signal at a multimedia firewall adapter;

decomposing the incoming data signal according to a protocol;

authenticating the decomposed incoming data signal according to the protocol;

allowing the decomposed incoming data signal to pass through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is authenticated to contain conferencing data; and

blocking the incoming data signal from passing through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is not authenticated to contain conferencing data.

33. The electronic-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising the step of recomposing the decomposed incoming data signal passed through the multimedia firewall adapter.

34. The electronic-readable medium of claim 32, further comprising the step of sending the blocked incoming data signal to a conventional firewall for analysis.

35. A system for conferencing across networks separated by a firewall, comprising:

means for receiving an incoming data signal at a multimedia firewall adapter;

means for decomposing the incoming data signal according to a protocol;

means for authenticating the decomposed incoming data signal according to the protocol;

means for allowing the decomposed incoming data signal to pass through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is authenticated to contain conferencing data; and

means for blocking the incoming data signal from passing through the multimedia firewall adapter if the decomposed incoming data signal is not authenticated to contain conferencing data.