Scalable distributed web-based authentication
View Patent ↗Web-based authentication includes receiving a packet in a network switch having at least one associative store configured to forward packet traffic to a first one or more processors of the switch that are dedicated to cryptographic processing if a destination port of the packet indicates a secure transport protocol, and to a second one or more processors of the switch that are not dedicated to cryptographic processing if the destination port does not indicate a secure transport protocol. If a source of the packet is an authenticated user, the packet is forwarded via an output port of the switch, based on the associative store. If the source is an unauthenticated user, the packet is forwarded to the first one or more processors if the destination port indicates a secure transport protocol, and to the second one or more processors if the destination port does not indicate a secure transport protocol.
1. A method comprising:
examining a packet in a network switch having at least one memory comprising an associative store; and
responsive to the examining,
if a destination port of the packet indicates a secure transport protocol,
mapping information from the packet to a result value; and
forwarding, based at least in part on the result value, packet traffic to a first one or more processors of the switch that are dedicated to cryptographic processing; and
if the destination port does not indicate a secure transport protocol, forwarding packet traffic to a second one or more processors of the switch that are not dedicated to cryptographic processing.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein the secure transport protocol comprises the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the mapping comprises hashing the packet to derive the result value.
4. The method of claim 1 wherein the information comprises the destination port.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the information further comprises one or more of:
a source port of the switch that received the packet,
a source IP address, and
a user device address.
6. The method of claim 1 wherein the examining further comprises receiving the packet via one of one or more input ports of the network switch, each of the one or more input ports associated with the at least one memory.
7. The method of claim 1 wherein the examining further comprises receiving the packet via one of one or more input ports of the network switch, each of the one or more input ports associated with a different one of the at least one memory.
8. A nontransitory program storage device readable by a machine, embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:
examining a packet in a network switch having at least one memory comprising an associative store; and
responsive to the examining,
if a destination port of the packet indicates a secure transport protocol,
mapping packet type information of the packet to a result value; and
forwarding, based at least in part on the result value, packet traffic to a first one or more processors of the switch that are dedicated to cryptographic processing; and
if the destination port does not indicate a secure transport protocol, forwarding packet traffic to a second one or more processors of the switch that are not dedicated to cryptographic processing.
9. A network switch comprising:
a first one or more processors that are dedicated to cryptographic processing;
a second one or more processors that are not dedicated to cryptographic processing; and
at least one memory comprising an associative store;
wherein the network switch is configured to:
examine a packet;
responsive to the examining,
if a destination port of the packet indicates a secure transport protocol,
mapping packet type information of the packet to a result value; and
forward, based at least in part on the result value, packet traffic to a first one or more processors of the switch that are dedicated to cryptographic processing; and
if the destination port does not indicate a secure transport protocol, forward the packet to the second one or more processors.
10. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the secure transport protocol comprises the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL).
11. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the mapping comprises hashing the packet to derive the result value.
12. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the information comprises the destination port.
13. The network switch of claim 12 wherein the information further comprises one or more of:
a source port of the switch that received the packet,
a source IP address, and
a user device address.
14. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the network switch is further configured to receive the packet via one of one or more input ports of the network switch, each of the one or more input ports associated with the at least one memory.
15. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the network switch is further configured to receive the packet via one of one or more input ports of the network switch, each of the one or more input ports associated with a different one of the at least one memory.
16. The method of claim 5 wherein the user device address comprises a Medium Access Control (MAC) address.
17. The network switch of claim 13 wherein the user device address comprises a Medium Access Control (MAC) address.
18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
responsive to the examining, if a source of the packet is an authenticated user, forwarding the packet via an output port of the switch, based on the memory.
19. The network switch of claim 9 wherein the network switch is further configured to:
responsive to the examining, if a source of the packet is an authenticated user, forward the packet via an output port of the switch, based on the memory.