Dynamic discovery of peer network devices across a wide area network

A system, comprising:

• one or more processors;
• and
• memory including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the system to:
• register a plurality of Wide Area Network (WAN) edge routers and a plurality of WAN optimizers within a plurality of Local Area Networks (LANs);
• receive a request for a WAN optimized connection between a first host within a first LAN of the plurality of LANs and a second host within a second LAN of the plurality of LANs;
• identify a first WAN optimizer of the plurality of WAN optimizers that has capacity to perform one or more first WAN optimization services for first traffic transmitted from the first host to the second host and to perform one or more first complementary WAN optimization services for second traffic transmitted from the second host to the first host, and a second WAN optimizer of the plurality of WAN optimizers that has capacity to perform one or more second WAN optimization services for the second traffic and to perform one or more second complementary WAN optimization services for the first traffic;
• establish the WAN optimized connection between the first host and the second host, the WAN optimized connection comprising a first path including the first host, the first WAN optimizer, and a first WAN edge router of the plurality of WAN edge routers local to the first WAN optimizer, a second path between the first WAN edge router and a second WAN edge router of the plurality of WAN edge routers local to the second WAN optimizer, and a third path between the second WAN edge router and the second WAN optimizer;
• and
• route the first traffic and the second traffic through the WAN optimized connection.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a system, cause the system to:

• register a plurality of Wide Area Network (WAN) edge routers and a plurality of WAN optimizers within a plurality of Local Area Networks (LANs);
• receive a request for a WAN optimized connection between a first host within a first LAN of the plurality of LANs and a second host within a second LAN of the plurality of LANs;
• identify a first WAN optimizer of the plurality of WAN optimizers that has capacity to perform one or more first WAN optimization services for first traffic transmitted from the first host to the second host and to perform one or more first complementary WAN optimization services for second traffic transmitted from the second host to the first host, and a second WAN optimizer of the plurality of WAN optimizers that has capacity to perform one or more second WAN optimization services for the second traffic and to perform one or more second complementary WAN optimization services for the first traffic;
• establish the WAN optimized connection between the first host and the second host, the WAN optimized connection comprising a first path including the first host, the first WAN optimizer, and a first WAN edge router of the plurality of WAN edge routers local to the first WAN optimizer, a second path between the first WAN edge router and a second WAN edge router of the plurality of WAN edge routers local to the second WAN optimizer, and a third path between the second WAN edge router and the second WAN optimizer;
• and
• route the first traffic and the second traffic through the WAN optimized connection.