Network Traffic Management via Port Number Redirection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network traffic management techniques fail to effectively redirect traffic based on port numbers without altering the universal resource locator (URL), which can disrupt user experience and embedded content references.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that receives requests, determines if redirection is necessary based on port numbers, sends a redirect message with a new port number, and modifies subsequent requests to preserve relative path pointers by changing port numbers rather than URLs, allowing traffic to be rerouted through proxy servers for sandboxing, caching, or blocking without user awareness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If port number redirection is implemented to manage network traffic, then traffic management capability is improved, but user experience deteriorates due to visible port numbers and disrupted embedded content references
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a proxy server as an intermediary between the client device and the target server. The proxy server intercepts HTTP requests, modifies port numbers in the background, and forwards requests to the appropriate destinations. This intermediary handles port number redirection transparently, allowing traffic management functionality to be added without exposing port numbers to users or disrupting their experience with embedded content references.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the port number modification functionality from the user-visible request path. By implementing port number redirection at the proxy server level rather than at the client application level, the system separates the traffic management operations from the user interaction layer. Users continue to see and interact with standard URLs without port numbers, while the proxy server handles port number extraction, modification, and reinsertion in the background.
2Reliability
If port numbers are modified to redirect traffic through proxy servers, then network security is improved, but URL integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by modifying port numbers in HTTP requests at the proxy server before forwarding them to the target server. The proxy server pre-processes requests, extracts port numbers, applies redirection rules, and reassembles requests with modified port numbers. This preliminary modification occurs transparently in the network layer, allowing security policies to be enforced without requiring changes to the visible URL structure that users interact with.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent operates in another dimension by implementing port number redirection at the network transport layer rather than at the application layer URL dimension. The proxy server modifies port numbers in the TCP/IP packet headers and HTTP request lines in the background, while the visible URL dimension that users interact with remains unchanged. This dimensional separation allows security enforcement through port modification without corrupting URL integrity in the user-facing dimension.
Data Source
AI summary
A first request is received from a device over a network. It is determined that the first request should be redirected, based at least in part on information included in the first request. A redirect message is sent to the device over the network. A second request is received that includes the address and the port number. Responsive to determining that the port number is on the predetermined list of port numbers, modifying the second request by removing the port number. The modified second request is sent to the address.