Transparent Network Devices Prevent Data Corruption
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transparent network devices face challenges in establishing and maintaining communications due to middle devices like firewalls and NATs mistakenly blocking or misdirecting their connections, leading to data corruption and misinterpretation by monitoring devices.
Innovation Solution
Transparent network devices modify messages to establish inner connections using encoded information that appears as outer connection messages to middle devices, and employ techniques like invalid error detection, timestamp modification, and sequence window management to prevent data corruption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If transparent network devices use the same source and destination network addresses and ports for inner channel traffic as outer channel traffic, then transparency is maintained and little or no reconfiguration is required, but middle devices like firewalls and NATs mistakenly block or misdirect the connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network traffic into outer channel traffic (between client and server) and inner channel traffic (between transparent network devices). By separating these traffic types and using different identification methods for each, the system maintains transparency for outer traffic while enabling reliable identification of inner traffic to prevent blocking by middle devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary identification mechanisms (such as modified TCP options, encapsulation headers, or specialized protocol fields) that act as mediators between the transparent network devices and middle devices. These intermediaries allow middle devices to distinguish inner channel traffic without requiring reconfiguration of the transparent devices themselves.
2Productivity
If transparent network devices intercept inner channel network traffic before it reaches its destination addresses, then communication between transparent devices is enabled, but inner channel network packets may accidentally reach their addressed destination and cause data corruption
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary anti-action by modifying inner channel packets with special markers or invalid error detection data before they are transmitted. This pre-prepared protection ensures that if packets accidentally reach their destination, the destination device can identify them as invalid and discard them, preventing data corruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes parameters of inner channel traffic such as TCP sequence numbers, window sizes, or error detection fields to values that are recognizable as invalid or reserved by destination devices. This parameter modification allows destination devices to distinguish and reject inner channel packets while maintaining normal operation for outer channel traffic.
3Reliability
If transparent network devices modify messages to establish inner connections using encoded information, then inner connections can be established without middle device interference, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements multi-functionality by designing message modification capabilities that can handle both outer channel traffic (pass-through mode) and inner channel traffic (interception and modification mode) using the same device infrastructure. This universal approach allows a single transparent network device to perform multiple functions without requiring separate specialized hardware for each mode.
4Ease of manufacture
If network devices operate transparently without reconfiguration, then installation is simplified and network addressing remains unchanged, but monitoring and security devices may misinterpret inner channel traffic as duplicate or redundant connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the color changes principle by modifying visual or identifiable characteristics of inner channel traffic, such as changing TCP flags, setting specific option fields, or adding unique markers that differentiate inner traffic from outer traffic. These changes allow monitoring devices to correctly interpret traffic types without requiring reconfiguration, while maintaining the transparency benefit of simplified installation.
Data Source
AI summary
Transparent network devices intercept messages from non-transparent network devices that establish a connection. Transparent network devices modify these messages to establish an inner connection with each other. The transparent network devices mimic at least some of the outer connection messages to establish their inner connection. The mimicked messages and any optional reset messages are intercepted by the transparent network devices to prevent them from reaching the outer connections. Transparent network devices modify network traffic, using error detection data, fragmentation data, or timestamps, so that inner connection network traffic inadvertently received by outer connection devices is rejected or ignored by the outer connection network devices. Transparent network devices may use different sequence windows for inner and outer connection network traffic. To prevent overlapping sequence windows, transparent network devices monitor the locations of the inner and outer connection sequence windows and may rapidly advance the inner connection sequence window as needed.