Data transfer policies between source and target servers in a wide area network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10205801-B2
Application number	US-201614994069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2016
Priority date	Jan 12, 2016
Publication date	Feb 12, 2019
Grant date	Feb 12, 2019

Abstract

A computer-implemented method, according to one embodiment, includes: sending a request to a target server to initiate a unidirectional connection, receiving a reply indicating whether the target server is capable of hosting the unidirectional connection or indicating identification of a unidirectional port, initiating a unidirectional connection to the identified unidirectional port of the target server in response to the reply providing the identification of the unidirectional port, sending a request to begin sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection, receiving a response from the target server indicating that the target server is ready to receive data over the unidirectional connection, sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection, sending a termination message over the unidirectional connection in response to sending the data to the target server, terminating the unidirectional connection, and performing a next communication with the target server over the TCP/IP connection.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
sending, by a source server, over a TCP/IP connection, a request to a target server to initiate a unidirectional connection;
receiving a reply from the target server over the TCP/IP connection, the reply indicating at least one of: whether the target server is capable of hosting the unidirectional connection and identification of a unidirectional port;
in response to the reply indicating that the target server is not capable of hosting the unidirectional connection, transferring data over the TCP/IP connection to the target server;
initiating a unidirectional connection to the identified unidirectional port of the target server in response to the reply providing the identification of the unidirectional port;
sending, over the TCP/IP connection, a request to begin sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection;
receiving, over the TCP/IP connection, a response from the target server indicating that the target server is ready to receive data over the unidirectional connection;
sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection;
sending a termination message over the unidirectional connection in response to sending the data to the target server;
terminating the unidirectional connection; and
performing a next communication with the target server over the TCP/IP connection.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the unidirectional connection is a fast and secure protocol (FASP) connection.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising probing network performance during the sending the data to the target server over the unidirectional connection, applying a preset policy in response to the probing indicating that a network performance characteristic meets a predetermined criterion, wherein applying the policy includes changing the data transfer to the TCP/IP connection.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , comprising setting a flag in a TCP session associated with the TCP/IP connection that a next outbound data send request is to be sent over the unidirectional connection in response to receiving the response from the target server indicating that the target server is ready to receive data over the unidirectional connection, and unsetting the flag in the TCP session in conjunction with sending the termination message.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein a security token is received from the target server, wherein the security token is sent with the request to begin sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection to validate the source server.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein initiating the unidirectional connection to the identified unidirectional port of the target server includes initiating multiple unidirectional connections with multiple identified unidirectional ports of the target server, wherein the data is split and sent across the multiple unidirectional connections.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the data is sent over the TCP/IP connection in response to determining that the unidirectional connection cannot be established upon attempting to establish the unidirectional connection.

8. A computer program product, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having program instructions embodied therewith, the program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to:
send, by the computer, over a TCP/IP connection, a request to a target server to initiate a unidirectional connection;
receive, by the computer, a reply from the target server over the TCP/IP connection, the reply indicating at least one of: whether the target server is capable of hosting the unidirectional connection and identification of a unidirectional port;
in response to the reply indicating that the target server is not capable of hosting the unidirectional connection, transfer, by the computer, data over the TCP/IP connection to the target server;
initiate, by the computer, a unidirectional connection to the identified unidirectional port of the target server in response to the reply providing the identification of the unidirectional port;
send, by the computer, over the TCP/IP connection, a request to begin sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection;
receive, by the computer, over the TCP/IP connection, a response from the target server indicating that the target server is ready to receive data over the unidirectional connection;
send, by the computer, data to the target server over the unidirectional connection;
send, by the computer, a termination message over the unidirectional connection in response to sending the data to the target server;
terminate, by the computer, the unidirectional connection; and
perform, by the computer, a next communication with the target server over the TCP/IP connection.

9. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the unidirectional connection is a fast and secure protocol (FASP) connection.

10. The computer program product of claim 8 , comprising program instructions executable by a computer to cause the computer to probe network performance during the sending the data to the target server over the unidirectional connection, and apply a preset policy in response to the probing indicating that a network performance characteristic meets a predetermined criterion, wherein applying the policy includes changing the sending of the data to the TCP/IP connection.

11. The computer program product of claim 8 , comprising program instructions executable by the computer to cause the computer to set a flag in a TCP session associated with the TCP/IP connection that a next outbound data send request is to be sent over the unidirectional connection in response to receiving the response from the target server indicating that the target server is ready to receive data over the unidirectional connection, and unset the flag in the TCP session in conjunction with sending the termination message.

12. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein a security token is received from the target server, wherein the security token is sent with the request to begin sending data to the target server over the unidirectional connection to validate a source server.

13. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein initiating the unidirectional connection to the identified unidirectional port of the target server includes initiating multiple unidirectional connections with multiple identified unidirectional ports of the target server, wherein the data is split and sent across the multiple unidirectional connections.

14. The computer program product of claim 8 , wherein the data is sent over the TCP/IP connection in response to determining that the unidirectional connection cannot be established upon attempting to establish the unidirectional connection.

15. A computer-implemented method, comprising:
receiving, by a target server, over a TCP/IP connection, a request from a source server to initiate a unidirectional connection;
sending, from the target server, a reply to the source server over the TCP/IP connection, the reply indicating at least one of: whether the target server is capable of hosting the unidirectional connection and identification of a unidirectional port;
in response to sending a reply indicating that the target server is not capable of hosting the unidirectional connection, receiving data over the TCP/IP connection from the source server;
initiating a unidirectional connection us

Assignees

• IBM

Inventors

• Bright Jesse W
• Labrie Robert G
• Sun Wayne W

Classifications

• H04L69/16 Primary

  Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP] · CPC title

• H04L69/03 Primary

  Protocol definition or specification  (protocol conformance testing H04L1/244) · CPC title

• H04L63/083

  using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226) · CPC title

• H04L63/0807

  using tickets, e.g. Kerberos (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using tickets or tokens H04L9/3213) · CPC title

• H04L67/14

  Session management (for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066) · CPC title