US 10,833,972 B2 · Automatically selecting an optimized communication channel for communications with a deflect in an overlay network

Abstract

In accordance with one or more preferred implementations, an overlay network in the form of a dispersive virtual network is implemented utilizing data deflects to implement and facilitate routing in a data plane and call processing deflects to implement and facilitate routing in a control plane. Various nodes in the dispersive virtual network, such as end devices running dispersive virtual networking client software, establish communication channels to these deflects running dispersive virtual networking protocols transported by user datagram protocol (UDP) frames, transmission control protocol (TCP) streams, and hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) streams. In accordance with one or more preferred implementations, software allows nodes in a dispersive virtual network to automatically detect the channel types that are available at the time the node must initiate a new session, and automatically configure the most efficient communication channel without requiring input from an end user or from a network administrator.

A system for facilitating network communications utilizing an overlay network in which nodes are configured to automatically select an optimized communication channel, the system comprising:

(a) a plurality of end devices having overlay client software loaded thereon configured to facilitate network communications between the end devices over the overlay network;
(b) a plurality of data deflects having overlay software loaded thereon configured to route communications between end devices through the overlay network;
(c) a control server configured to set up network communications between the plurality of end devices, the control server being configured to maintain a listing for each end device that associates a unique identifier of the end device with an IP address of the end device;
(d) a plurality of call processing deflects having overlay software loaded thereon configured to route control communications between the control server and other nodes in the overlay network over the overlay network;
(e) wherein the overlay software loaded on each data deflect is configured to support user datagram protocol (UDP) connections and transmissions control protocol (TCP) connections, and is configured to support UDP communication channels, TCP communication channels, and communication channels involving HTTP wrapping over a TCP connection;
(f) wherein the overlay client software loaded on each end device is configured to establish a communication channel with the call processing deflects of the overlay network utilizing a process for automatically selecting a UDP, TCP, or HTTP communication channel for communications with a call processing deflect comprising
(i) attempting to establish a UDP communication channel with one of the call processing deflects by
(A) communicating one or more UDP ping messages from the respective end device to the one of the call processing deflects, and
(B) determining whether a response is received to the one or more UDP ping messages or a timeout event occurs,
(ii) if the attempt to establish a UDP communication channel with the one of the call processing deflects is unsuccessful, attempting to establish a TCP communication channel with the one of the call processing deflects by
(A) attempting to establish a first TCP connection with the one of the call processing deflects by
(I) communicating a first TCP connection request from the respective end device to the one of the call processing deflects, and
(II) determining whether a TCP acknowledgment is received from the one of the call processing deflects in response to the to the first TCP connection request or a timeout event occurs, and
(B) if the first TCP connection is accepted by the one of the call processing deflects, attempting to establish the TCP communication channel by
(I) communicating one or more ping messages from the respective end device to the one of the call processing deflects over the first TCP connection, and
(II) determining whether a response is received to the one or more ping messages communicated over the first TCP connection or a timeout event occurs, and
(iii) if the attempt to establish a TCP communication channel with the one of the call processing deflects is unsuccessful, attempting to establish a HTTP encapsulated communication channel with the one of the call processing deflects by
(A) attempting to establish a second TCP connection with the one of the call processing deflects by
(I) communicating a second TCP connection request from the respective end device to the one of the call processing deflects, and
(II) determining whether a TCP acknowledgment is received from the one of the call processing deflects in response to the to the second TCP connection request or a timeout event occurs, and
(B) if the second TCP connection is accepted by the one of the call processing deflects, attempting to establish the HTTP encapsulated communication channel by
(I) communicating one or more ping messages from the respective end device to the one of the call processing deflects over the second TCP connection utilizing HTTP wrapping, and
(II) determining whether a response is received to the one or more ping messages communicated over the second TCP connection utilizing HTTP wrapping or a timeout event occurs;
(g) wherein the control server is configured to provide connection information for establishing a connection between two of the end devices by communicating control information to the two end devices via one or more of the call processing deflects, including via one or more communication channels configured via the process for automatically selecting a UDP, TCP, or HTTP communication channel for communications with a call processing deflect;
(h) wherein the overlay client software loaded on each end device is configured to establish a communication channel with the data deflects of the overlay network utilizing a process for automatically selecting a UDP, TCP, or HTTP communication channel for communications with a data deflect comprising
(i) evaluating the quality of UDP traffic to the Internet by comparing one or more metrics assessing the quality of UDP traffic to the Internet with one or more threshold values, and based thereon, either
(A) selecting a UDP communication channel, or
(B) determining that the quality of UDP traffic to the Internet is not of sufficient quality to warrant selection of a UDP communication channel,
(ii) if it is determined that the quality of UDP traffic to the Internet is not of sufficient quality to warrant selection of a UDP communication channel, evaluating the quality of TCP traffic to the Internet by comparing one or more metrics assessing the quality of TCP traffic to the Internet with one or more threshold values, and based thereon, either
(A) selecting a TCP communication channel, or
(B) determining that the quality of TCP traffic to the Internet is not of sufficient quality to warrant selection of a TCP communication channel,
(iii) if it is determined that the quality of TCP traffic to the Internet is not of sufficient quality to warrant selection of a TCP communication channel, evaluating the quality of HTTP traffic to the Internet by comparing one or more metrics assessing the quality of HTTP traffic to the Internet with one or more threshold values, and based thereon, either
(A) selecting a HTTP communication channel, or
(B) determining that the quality of HTTP traffic to the Internet is not of sufficient quality to warrant selection of a HTTP communication channel;
and
(i) wherein the overlay client software loaded on each end device is configured to establish, as part of establishing a connection with another end device over a network path including one or more of the data deflects based on control information received from the control server, a communication channel with a data deflect utilizing the process for automatically selecting a UDP, TCP, or HTTP communication channel for communications with a data deflect.

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Automatically selecting an optimized communication channel for communications with a deflect in an overlay network

Life of this patent

Automatically selecting an optimized communication channel for communications with a deflect in an overlay network

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20