Methods of transforming data packets and systems using executable data packets
Methods of transforming a data packet are described. More particularly methods of transforming a data packet, that include receiving at a router a communication data packet from a server, extracting embedded executable instructions from the communication data packet, and transforming the communication data packet at the router by executing, with a processor of the router, the embedded executable instructions are described. Additionally, router in communication with a Self-Service Terminal (SST) or network of SSTs that utilize data packets have executable instructions are described.
1. A method of transforming a data packet, comprising:
receiving at a router a communication data packet from a server,
extracting embedded executable instructions from the communication data packet, and
transforming the communication data packet at the router by executing, with a processor of the router, the embedded executable instructions, the received data packet containing the executable instructions that are extracted and executed by a processor of the router to transform the data packet itself, to disable functionality of the router, and including:
a data cloning instruction executed by the processor of the router to clone data in the communication data packet a plurality of times, each clone of the data cloning including less than an entirety of the received communications data packet, a portion of the communications data packet not included in each clone including the embedded executable instructions;
a hop count value that is incremented each time the communication data packet is transferred between differing routers in a network, and a pre-determined terminal hop count value of a number of hops expected before reaching a destination, the pre-determined terminal hop count value, when reached providing an instruction to destroy the communication data packet.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the embedded executable instructions include an identity of a second router to which the data packet is to be transferred from the router.
3. The method of claim 2 , further comprising transferring the communication data packet from the router to the identified second router.
4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the embedded executable instructions further comprise an identity of a third router to which the data packet is to be transferred from the second router and the method further comprises transferring the communication data packet from the second router to the third router.
5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the communication data packet is further transformed at the second router.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein transforming the communication data packet includes removing the embedded executable instructions from the communication data packet.
7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising receiving at the router a second communication data packet from the server, extracting embedded executable instructions from the second communication data packet, wherein transforming the communication data packet at the router includes executing the embedded executable instructions from the second communication data packet.
8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the communication data packet is destroyed once the hop count value reaches the pre-determined hop count terminal value.
9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the data cloning instruction are executed after a threshold number of requests for the data are received at the router.
10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the instructions to disable the functionality of the router further include instructions to cause the router to sleep until a new data packet arrives to enable the node to restart or until a timeout occurs.
11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the embedded executable instructions are embedded into the data packet at a router.
12. A router connected to a wide area network configured to communicate with a local area network of Self-Service Terminals (SSTs), comprising:
a processor to receive a communication data packet, the communications data packet including embedded executable instructions which, when extracted and run by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations to disable functionality of the router and to transform the data packet itself including operations comprising:
cloning the communications data packet, the clone of the communications packet including less than an entirety of the received communications data packets, a portion of the communications data packet not included in the clone including the embedded executable instructions; and
transferring cloned copies of the communications data packet to a plurality of SSTs, wherein the cloned copies of the communications data packet include product update information, a hop count value that is incremented each time the communication data packet is transferred between differing routers in a network, and a pre-determined terminal hop count value of a number of hops expected before reaching a destination, the pre-determined terminal hop count value, when reached providing an instruction to destroy the communication data packet.
13. The router of claim 12 , herein the product update information includes pricing update information corresponding to a scannable item, the scannable item represented in a database in the SST.