Transparent web proxy
View Patent ↗Disclosed is a system and method for providing a transparent proxy for Internet communications. A filtering and redirection module receives IP requests from at least one client, reads and saves the destination of the IP requests, and rewrites the destination of the IP request to the destination of a proxy module. Upon being unable to read, or otherwise determine, a destination for an IP request, the proxy module accesses destination information about the IP request from the filtering and redirection module. The proxy module then transmits the IP request to a web server at the original destination.
1. A system for providing a proxy for a network, the system comprising:
at least one redirection module for communicating with at least one client and for accepting a request from said at least one client for a resource, said request comprising at least one data packet including address information; and
at least one proxy module for communicating with said at least one redirection module; and
said at least one redirection module being configured to read and save address information in said request, to redirect said request to said at least one proxy module, and to add a field to the beginning or end of a packet that is redirected, said field containing destination information;
wherein the at least one proxy module accesses address information from said redirection module and transmits the redirected request to a server corresponding to said resource using accessed destination information.
2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one redirection module further comprises an address table, and is further configured to save the address information of the request, where said address information comprises an Internet Protocol address.
3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the address information includes:
a source address of the at least one client;
a source port of the at least one client;
a destination address of the requested resource; and
a destination port of the requested resource.
4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one proxy module requests the address information from the at least one redirection module upon receiving at least one packet without destination address information.
5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the at least one redirection module transmits address information to the at least one proxy module upon redirecting said at least one packet.
6. A system for providing a proxy for a network, the system comprising:
at least one filtering and redirection module in communication with at least one client and at least one proxy module and configured to accept at least one Internet Protocol (IP) request from the at least one client, each of said at least one IP request including at least one packet, said at least one packet including at least one destination address; and
an address table disposed within the at least one filtering and redirection module, wherein said at least one filtering and redirection module is further configured to read and save IP request information associated with the at least one IP request to the address table, redirect the at least one IP request to the at least one proxy module, and to add a field to the beginning or end of a packet that is redirected, said field containing destination information.
7. The system of claim 6 , further comprising:
at least one proxy module in communication with the at least one filtering and redirection module and configured to accept the at least one redirected IP request, access IP request information relating to the at least one IP request and transmit the at least one redirected IP request to a web server using the IP request information.
8. The system of claim 6 , wherein the IP request information includes:
a source address of the at least one IP request;
a source port of the at least one IP request;
a destination address of the at least one IP request; and
a destination port of the at least one IP request.
9. The system of claim 6 , wherein the IP request information further includes a reference to the at least one IP request.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one proxy module requests the IP request information from the at least one filtering and redirection module upon receiving at least one packet without destination information.
11. The system of claim 6 , wherein the at least one filtering and redirection module adds destination information to the at least one packet prior to redirecting the at least one packet.
12. A method that provides a proxy in a network, comprising:
using at least one redirection module to communicate with at least one client and to accept a request from said at least one client for a resource, said request comprising at least one data packet including address information; and
using at least one proxy module to communicate with said at least one redirection module; and
configuring said at least one redirection module to read and save address information in said request, to redirect said request to said at least one proxy module, and to add a field to the beginning or end of a packet that is redirected, said field containing destination information;
wherein the at least one proxy module accesses address information from said redirection module and transmits the redirected request to a server corresponding to said resource using accessed destination information.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one redirection module further comprises an address table, and is further configured to save the address information of the request, where said address information comprises an Internet Protocol address.
14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the address information includes:
a source address of the at least one client;
a source port of the at least one client;
a destination address of the requested resource; and
a destination port of the requested resource.
15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one proxy module requests the address information from the at least one redirection module upon receiving at least one packet without destination address information.
16. The method of claim 12 , wherein the at least one redirection module transmits address information to the at least one proxy module upon redirecting said at least one packet.
17. A method that provides a proxy in a network, comprising: communicating with an at least one client and at least one proxy module using a redirection module that is configured to accept at least one Internet Protocol (IP) request from the at least one client, each of said at least one IP request including at least one packet, said at least one packet including at least one destination address; and disposing an address table within the at least one filtering and redirection module, wherein said at least one filtering and redirection module is further configured to read and save IP request information associated with the at least one IP request to the address table, redirect the at least one IP request to the at least one proxy module, and to add a field to the beginning or end of a packet that is redirected, said field containing destination information.
18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising: using the at least one proxy module to communicate with the at least one filtering and redirection module and said at least one proxy module is configured to accept the at least one redirected IP request, access IP request information relating to the at least one IP request and transmit the at least one redirected IP request to a web server using the IP request information.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the IP request information includes: a source address of the at least one IP request; a source port of the at least one IP request; a destination address of the at least one IP request; and a destination port of the at least one IP request.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the IP request information further includes a reference to the at least one IP request.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one proxy module requests the IP request information from the at least one filtering and redirection module upon receiving at least one packet without destination information.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the at least one filtering and redirection module adds destination information to the at least one packet prior to redirecting the at least one packet.