Mode sensitive networking

• US 9,143,943 B2
• Filed: 11/29/2011
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Draluk, Vadim, Goldfain, Francois, Maarse, Jan-Willem, Chen, Geng, Xiao, Sean
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): HENRY, MARIEGEORGES A
• Application Number:
  US13/306,904
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138766A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/224, 709/227
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/107 wherein the security policies are location-dependent, e.g. entities privileges depend on current location or allowing specific operations only from locally connected terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/205 involving negotiation or determination of the one or more network security mechanisms to be used, e.g. by negotiation between the client and the server or between peers or by selection according to the capabilities of the entities involved negotiation of communication capabilities H04L69/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls

Abstract

Mode sensitive networking is provided to allow mode specific communications using a mobile device. If a device has an established secured connection and an application is running in work mode, packets are routed through the secure connection. If the device has an established secured connection but an application is running in personal mode, packets are routed through an alternate connection. Secured connections may be established by using privileged applications. A device and associated applications may have access to different servers, sites, and destinations based on a current mode.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a first request to transmit a first network packet from an application, the first request received at an operating system framework level component;

determining that a device running the application has an established secured network connection;

determining that the application is assigned a first mode;

transmitting the first network packet using the secured network connection;

detecting a mode change from the first mode to a second mode at the operating system framework level component;

wherein the mode change does not drop a user connection and does not block a user account access;

wherein the application has access to different data, networks, capabilities, or features depending on a current mode;

transmitting a second network packet using an unsecured network connection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mode is a work mode.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mode is a personal mode.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the secured network connection is a secured tunnel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unsecured network connection is clear-text.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the secured network connection is a virtual private network tunnel to a corporate network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application sends a request to a resource partitioning engine for network configuration information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the application changes network parameters upon mode change.

9. A system, comprising:

an operating system framework level component configured to receive a first request to transmit a first network packet from an application;

a resource partitioning engine configured to determine that a device running the application has an established secured network connection and determine that the application is assigned a first mode;

a network interface coupled to the resource partitioning engine, the network interface configured to transmit the first network packet using the secured network connection;

wherein upon detecting a mode change from first mode to a second mode at the operating system framework level component;

wherein the mode change does not drop a user connection and does not block a user account access; and

wherein the application has access to different data, networks, capabilities, or features depending on a current mode, a second network packet is transmitted using an unsecured network connection.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first mode is a work mode.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second mode is a personal mode.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the secured network connection is a secured tunnel.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the unsecured network connection is clear-text.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the secured network connection is a virtual private network tunnel to a corporate network.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the application sends a request to a resource partitioning engine for network configuration information.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the application changes network parameters upon mode change.

17. A non-transitory computer readable medium, comprising:

computer code for receiving a first request to transmit a first network packet from an application, the first request received at an operating system framework level component;

computer code for determining that a device running the application has an established secured network connection;

computer code for determining that the application is assigned a first mode;

computer code for transmitting the first network packet using the secured network connection;

computer code for detecting a mode change from the first mode to a second mode at the operating system framework level component;

wherein the mode change does not drop a user connection and does not block a user account access;

wherein the application has access to different data, networks, capabilities, or features depending on a current mode;

computer code for transmitting a second network packet using an unsecured network connection.

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first mode is a work mode.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the second mode is a personal mode.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein the secured network connection is a secured tunnel.