Computer network for secure IP to non-IP communication and backend device, gateway, frontend device therefore and procedure for operation thereof

A frontend device for a computer network;

• wherein the frontend device is configured to communicate with a gateway within a Non-IP subnetwork by applying a Non-IP communication;
• wherein the gateway is configured to communicate with a backend device within an IP subnetwork by applying IP communication based on an IP security protocol, which provides means for authentication and/or encryption;
• and
• wherein the frontend device is set to exchange data with the backend device via a secure tunnel for secure end-to-end communication, wherein the secure tunnel is set to apply a session key;
• and
• wherein the frontend device is configured to run a limited implementation of the IP security protocol such that the frontend device is capable to interpret Non-IP messages with a subset of the handshaking parameters, provided from the gateway, which mediates handshaking for establishing the secure tunnel, to generate the session key.

A method for operating a computer network, wherein the computer network comprises:

• a Non-IP subnetwork with at least one frontend device;
• and
• an IP subnetwork with at least one backend device;
• and
• a gateway connecting the Non-IP subnetwork with the IP subnetwork and translating communication therebetween,
• wherein the communication between the backend device and the gateway is an IP communication based on an IP security protocol, providing means for authentication and/or encryption;
• and
• wherein the communication between the gateway and the frontend device is a Non-IP communication;
• wherein the method comprises:
• conducting a handshaking for establishing a secure tunnel for secure end-to-end communication between the backend device and the frontend device, wherein the secure tunnel is set to apply a session key;
• wherein the gateway mediates the handshaking without getting in possession of the session key by providing datagrams with handshaking parameters to the backend device and by providing Non-IP messages with a subset of the handshaking parameters to the frontend device;
• wherein the frontend device generates the session key incorporating the handshaking parameters;
• wherein the backend device generates the session key incorporating the subset of the handshaking parameters.