Client-Side Context Manager Bypassing Firewall NAT Restrictions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Healthcare information systems face challenges with context management due to firewall and Network Address Translation (NAT) issues when implementing context managers on client-side devices, which hinder the availability of virtual applications and create single points of failure.
Innovation Solution
A client-side context manager is implemented on a healthcare device, allowing virtual applications to communicate by providing access to a dedicated file system location and using a connection establisher to bypass firewall and NAT restrictions, enabling direct communication between the context manager and virtual applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a context manager is implemented on a remote server, then network calls are required for communication, but this creates single points of failure and reduces system reliability
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of having the context manager reside on a remote server and applications connect to it via network calls, the patent inverts the architecture by placing the context manager locally on the client device. This eliminates the single point of failure at the server level and improves system reliability while reducing dependence on network connectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the context manager functionality from the server infrastructure and embeds it within the local application environment. This segmentation allows the context manager to operate independently of network availability and server status, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If a context manager is implemented on a client-side device, then firewall and NAT issues hinder communication, but this improves system reliability by eliminating single points of failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a communication module that acts as an intermediary between the context manager and virtual applications. This module handles firewall and NAT traversal automatically using techniques such as hole-punching or relay servers, thereby maintaining ease of operation while enabling reliable peer-to-peer communication between local components.
Solution Approach 2:
The context manager implementation on the client device is self-sufficient, managing its own communication needs without requiring external server mediation. The local context manager directly communicates with virtual applications using inter-process communication mechanisms, eliminating the need for complex network configuration and reducing operational complexity.
3Productivity
If network calls are used to communicate with a remote context manager, then communication is possible, but performance is reduced due to network overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the context manager from the remote server environment and places it locally on the client device. This extraction eliminates network calls and associated overhead, enabling direct memory access and inter-process communication between the context manager and virtual applications, thereby improving performance and reducing energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the context manager into the local application runtime environment, allowing it to share the same memory space and process resources as virtual applications. This merging eliminates network communication overhead and enables high-speed local interaction, significantly improving application performance and reducing energy usage.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus for client-side context managers are disclosed. An example apparatus for use in a healthcare information system includes a primary application implemented on a client device in communication with a server; a secondary application implemented on the client device, wherein the primary application is to be initiated before the secondary application can be initiated; and a context manager integrated into the primary application to execute in connection with the primary application.