Apparatus and methods for providing translucent proxies in a communications network

Abstract

The Translucent Proxying of TCP (TPOT) device and methods use TCP-OPTIONS and IP tunneling to guarantee that all IP packets belonging to a specific TCP connection will traverse the proxy which intercepts the first packet of data. This guarantee allows the ad-hoc deployment of TPOT devices anywhere within the communication network, and does not restrict the placement of proxy devices at the edge of the network. Furthermore, no extra signaling support is required for the TPOT device to properly function while the addition of TPOT devices to communication networks significantly improves the throughput of intercepted TCP packets of data.

1 . A method for transmitting data over a network from a source to a destination through a plurality of intermediary devices, wherein said plurality of intermediary devices comprises at least one proxying device and at least one non-proxying device, the method comprising:
 receiving a request for data, said request having an identifier, wherein the identifier designates the request as a proxy-enabled request;   recognizing the identifier in the request by said at least one proxying device;   intercepting the request by said at least one proxying device after recognizing the identifier and subsequently intercepting data packets associated with said request; and   forwarding said data packets associated with said request by said at least one proxying device to the destination.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the request is configured into an initial message by a host, the initial message containing an option field enclosing the identifier that allows the data to be forwarded by said at least one proxying device. 
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one proxying device comprises a proxy, the proxy receiving from the source an initial message of the request that has the identifier in an option field, the proxy recognizing the identifier and responding to the source by sending an acknowledgment message to the source. 
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the proxy is located anywhere within the network. 
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the proxy encodes an address of the proxy in the option field within the acknowledgment message. 
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one non-proxying device is a router, the router forwarding the data towards the destination over the network without recognizing the identifier in an option field of a message. 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein the proxy forwards the initial message to the destination while the proxy is sending an acknowledgment message to the source, thereby establishing two connections. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein after the source receives the acknowledgment message, the source transmits at least one additional message to the destination that corresponds to the data. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein each of the at least one additional message is configured by encapsulating a first packet of data within a second packet of data, prefixing a header of the first packet with an address of the proxy and the second packet with an address of the destination. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the header of the first packet is stripped off after the at least one additional message is received by the proxy, while the second packet is forwarded to the destination. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the destination responds to the proxy after receiving the second packet by sending an acknowledgment message to the proxy. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein after the two connections are established, the source responds to the acknowledgment message by transmitting at least one additional message to the destination that corresponds to the data and the destination responds to the initial message by transmitting an acknowledgment message to the proxy. 
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the proxy responds to the acknowledgment message by transmitting at least one additional message to the destination that corresponds to the data. 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein said at least one proxying device comprises a plurality of proxies that is located anywhere within the network and is used to forward the data to the destination. 
   
   
       15 . A system that transmits data over a network from a source to a destination through a plurality of intermediary devices, wherein said plurality of intermediary devices comprises at least one proxying device and at least one non-proxying device, comprising:
 means for receiving a request for data, said request having an identifier, wherein the identifier designates the request as a proxy-enabled request;   means for recognizing the identifier in the request by said at least one proxying device;   means for intercepting the request by said at least one proxying device after recognizing the identifier and subsequently intercepting data packets associated with said request; and   means for forwarding said data packets associated with said request by said at least one proxying device to the destination.   
   
   
       16 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein the request is configured into an initial message by a host, the initial message containing an option field enclosing the identifier that allows the data to be forwarded by said at least one proxying device. 
   
   
       17 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said at least one proxying device is a proxy, the proxy receiving from the source an initial message of the request that has the identifier in an option field, the proxy recognizing the identifier and responding to the source by sending an acknowledgment message to the source. 
   
   
       18 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the proxy encodes an address of the proxy in the option field within the acknowledgment message. 
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein said at least one non-proxying device comprises a router, the router forwarding the data towards the destination over the network without recognizing the identifier in an option field of a message. 
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein the proxy forwards an initial message to the destination while the proxy is sending an acknowledgment message to the source, thereby establishing two connections.