Virtual private network resource management

An apparatus comprising:

• a non-transitory memory storing instructions;
• and
• a processor that executes the instructions to:
• receive, by a machine associated with a virtual private network (VPN) service provider infrastructure (SPI), a VPN connection request from a client device;
• assign, by the machine, a resource to the client device for use in accessing a VPN of the VPN SPI;
• receive, by the machine, echo request packets from the client device, the echo request packets being received according to a schedule selected based on a connection status between the client device and the VPN;
• and
• in response to determining that a threshold time period has passed since a latest-in-time echo request packet of the echo request packets:
• initiate transmission, from the machine to the client device, of a message indicating that the client device is being disconnected from the VPN;
• prevent, by the machine, further use of the assigned resource by the client device;
• and
• add, by the machine, the assigned resource of the client device to a pool of available resources, wherein the threshold time period is determined based on the schedule, wherein the schedule specifies that an echo request packet is to be received 2n seconds since an immediately prior echo request packet was received, wherein n is a total count of echo request packets transmitted since a connection between the client device and the VPN was lost, while n is less than a first threshold number p, where p is a positive number greater than 1, and the echo request packet is to be received at a preset number of seconds that is greater than 2p-1 seconds when n is equal to or greater than p.

A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

• receiving, by a machine associated with a virtual private network (VPN) service provider infrastructure (SPI), a VPN connection request from a client device;
• assigning a resource to the client device for use in accessing a VPN of the VPN SPI,
• receiving, by the machine, echo request packets from the client device, the echo request packets being received according to a schedule selected based on a connection status between the client device and the VPN;
• and
• in response to determining that a threshold time period has passed since a latest-in-time echo request packet of the echo request packets:
• initiating transmission, from the machine to the client device, of a message indicating that the client device is being disconnected from the VPN,
• preventing, by the machine, further use of the assigned resource by the client device;
• and
• adding, by the machine, the assigned resource of the client device to a pool of available resources, wherein the threshold time period is determined based on the schedule, wherein the schedule specifies that an echo request packet is to be received 2n seconds since an immediately prior echo request packet was received, wherein n is a total count of echo request packets transmitted since a connection between the client device and the VPN was lost, while n is less than a first threshold number p, where p is a positive number greater than 1, and the echo request packet is to be received at a preset number of seconds that is greater than 2p-1 seconds when n is equal to or greater than p.