Establishing network connections between transparent network devices
View Patent ↗Transparent network devices intercept messages from non-transparent network devices that establish a connection. Transparent network devices modify these messages to establish an inner connection with each other. The transparent network devices mimic at least some of the outer connection messages to establish their inner connection. The mimicked messages and any optional reset messages are intercepted by the transparent network devices to prevent them from reaching the outer connections. Transparent network devices modify network traffic, using error detection data, fragmentation data, or timestamps, so that inner connection network traffic inadvertently received by outer connection devices is rejected or ignored by the outer connection network devices. Transparent network devices may use different sequence windows for inner and outer connection network traffic. To prevent overlapping sequence windows, transparent network devices monitor the locations of the inner and outer connection sequence windows and may rapidly advance the inner connection sequence window as needed.
1. A method of initiating a connection between transparent network devices, wherein the method is performed by a server-side transparent network device, the method comprising:
intercepting a first message from a client device and addressed to a server device, wherein the first message includes a first probe option, wherein the first message is adapted to initiate a first connection between the client device and the server device, and a second connection between a client-side transparent network device and the server-side transparent network device;
detecting a presence of the client-side transparent network device based on the first probe option included in the first message;
creating a modified version of the first message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
sending the modified version of the first message towards the server device;
intercepting a second message from the server device and addressed to the client device, wherein the second message is adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
determining if the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device; and
in response to the determination that the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device, creating a modified version of the second message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection and the second connection, wherein the modified version of the second message includes a second probe option; and
sending the modified version of the second message towards the client device.
2. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of initiating a connection between transparent network devices, wherein the method is performed by a server-side transparent network device, the method comprising:
intercepting a first message from a client device and addressed to a server device, wherein the first message includes a first probe option, wherein the first message is adapted to initiate a first connection between the client device and the server device, and a second connection between a client-side transparent network device and the server-side transparent network device;
detecting a presence of the client-side transparent network device based on the first probe option included in the first message;
creating a modified version of the first message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
sending the modified version of the first message towards the server device;
intercepting a second message from the server device and addressed to the client device, wherein the second message is adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
determining if the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device;
in response to the determination that the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device, creating a modified version of the second message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection and the second connection, wherein the modified version of the second message includes a second probe option; and
sending the modified version of the second message towards the client device.
3. An apparatus, comprising:
a processor; and
a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to perform a method of initiating a connection between transparent network devices, wherein the method is performed by a server-side transparent network device, the method comprising:
intercepting a first message from a client device and addressed to a server device, wherein the first message includes a first probe option, wherein the first message is adapted to initiate a first connection between the client device and the server device, and a second connection between a client-side transparent network device and the server-side transparent network device;
detecting a presence of the client-side transparent network device based on the first probe option included in the first message;
creating a modified version of the first message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
sending the modified version of the first message towards the server device;
intercepting a second message from the server device and addressed to the client device, wherein the second message is adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection;
determining if the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device;
in response to the determination that the second message was previously intercepted by the server-side transparent network device, creating a modified version of the second message adapted to continue the initiation of the first connection and the second connection, wherein the modified version of the second message includes a second probe option; and
sending the modified version of the second message towards the client device.