Firewall Connection State Transition for Wireless Link Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless devices frequently experience prolonged network outages due to lost wireless links, leading to denial of access as stateful intermediate devices, such as firewalls, mistakenly identify new connection requests as violating TCP protocols, resulting in extended timeouts.
Innovation Solution
Implement a method where the wireless edge device reports lost wireless links to the firewall system, transitioning the connection state to 'POTENTIALLY TERMINATED,' allowing subsequent data or connection requests from the wireless client to be properly handled, and enabling re-establishment of connections without dropping requests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a stateful intermediate device maintains TCP connection states to enforce protocol compliance, then connection security and protocol enforcement are improved, but wireless devices experience prolonged access denial after wireless link loss
Solution Approach 1:
The stateful intermediate device performs preliminary actions by detecting wireless link loss events and proactively transitioning connection states to 'POTENTIALLY TERMINATED' before the wireless device attempts reconnection. This preemptive state transition prevents the device from mistakenly dropping legitimate reconnection requests, thereby eliminating the prolonged access denial time while maintaining security through controlled state management
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces dynamic state transitions in the connection state machine, adding a 'POTENTIALLY TERMINATED' state that allows the system to adapt to wireless link failures. This dynamic adjustment enables the firewall to differentiate between genuine protocol violations and legitimate reconnection attempts after wireless link loss, resolving the contradiction between security enforcement and access availability
2Reliability
If a firewall drops connection requests from wireless devices after link loss to enforce TCP compliance, then protocol violation prevention is improved, but legitimate reconnection attempts are blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The 'POTENTIALLY TERMINATED' connection state acts as an intermediary state between ESTABLISHED and TERMINATED. This intermediate state allows the firewall to temporarily suspend strict TCP compliance checking for connections affected by wireless link loss, enabling legitimate reconnection attempts while maintaining protocol enforcement for other scenarios. The intermediary state resolves the contradiction by providing a buffer zone for special handling
3Device complexity
If a stateful intermediate device uses fixed timeout periods to terminate connections, then connection state management is simplified, but wireless device access is denied for extended periods
Solution Approach 1:
The invention dynamically adjusts connection state management based on wireless link status events. When a wireless link loss is detected, the system transitions to the POTENTIALLY TERMINATED state with modified timeout behavior, allowing immediate reconnection attempts rather than waiting for the standard 30-60 minute timeout. This dynamic adaptation reduces the effective timeout duration for wireless devices while maintaining simplified state management through predefined state transitions
Data Source
AI summary
A method and apparatus of establishing a connection between a wireless device and a second device includes maintaining a state of the connection between the wireless device and the second device, and receiving an indication that a wireless link to the wireless device has been lost or may be lost. In response to the receiving the indication that the wireless link to the wireless device has been lost or may be lost, the state of the connection is transitioned from a first state to a second state.