System, method and program product to route message packets

A system for routing a response message packet in a session, said response message packet being a response to a request message packet that traveled along an outbound path in said session from a source computer to a destination computer, said outbound path comprising a first firewall for said source computer and a first router coupled to said first firewall, said system comprising:

• said first firewall including means for broadcasting, in response to receipt of said request message packet by said first firewall, an identification (session ID) of said session to a first plurality of peer devices including said first router;
• said first plurality of peer devices including means for recording, in response to said broadcasting said session ID to said first plurality of peer devices, said session ID and an indication that said first firewall received said request message packet as a first hop in said outbound path;
• said first firewall including means for forwarding, subsequent to said broadcasting said session ID to said first plurality of peer devices, said request message packet to said first router;
• said first router including means for broadcasting, in response to said forwarding said request message packet to said first router, said session ID to a second plurality of peer devices including said first firewall;
• said second plurality of peer devices including means for recording, in response to said broadcasting said session ID to said second plurality of peer devices, said session ID and an indication that said first router received said request message packet as a second hop in said outbound path;
• said second router including means for receiving, subsequent to said recording said session ID and said indication that said first router received said request message packet as said second hop, said response message packet, wherein said response message packet includes said session ID;
• said second router including means for determining, subsequent to said receiving said response message packet, that said second router is not in said outbound path based on a session table of said second router not including a record of said second router receiving said request message packet in said outbound path in said session;
• said second router including means for selecting, subsequent to said receiving said response message packet and based on said session table of said second router, said first firewall or said first router from one or more devices by
• identifying said one or more devices as being connected to said second router, as having received said request message packet in said outbound path in said session, and as being available to receive said response message packet, and
• determining that said first firewall or said first router received said request message packet in said session before any other device of said one or more devices received said request message packet in said session;
• and
• said second router including means for forwarding, in response to said selecting said first firewall or said first router, said response message packet to a first device, wherein said first device is said first firewall or said first router, as selected by said means for selecting said first firewall or said first router.

A computer program product for routing a response message packet in a session, said response message packet being a response to a request message packet that traveled along an outbound path in said session from a source computer to a destination computer, said outbound path comprising a first firewall for said source computer and a first router coupled to said first firewall, said computer program product comprising:

• a computer readable medium;
• first program instructions for execution in said first firewall to broadcast, in response to a receipt of said request message packet by said first firewall, an identification (session ID) of said session to a first plurality of peer devices including said first router;
• second program instructions for execution in each peer device of said first plurality of peer devices to record, in response to an execution of said first program instructions, said session ID and an indication that said first firewall received said request message packet as a first hop in said outbound path;
• third program instructions for execution in said first firewall to forward, subsequent to said execution of said first program instructions, said request message packet to said first router;
• fourth program instructions for execution in said first router to broadcast, in response to an execution of said third program instructions, said session ID to a second plurality of peer devices including said first firewall;
• fifth program instructions for execution in each peer device of said second plurality of peer devices to record, in response to an execution of said fourth program instructions, said session ID and an indication that said first router received said request message packet as a second hop in said outbound path;
• sixth program instructions for execution in said second router to receive, subsequent to an execution of said fifth program instructions, said response message packet, wherein said response message packet includes said session ID;
• seventh program instructions for execution in said second router to determine, subsequent to an execution of said sixth program instructions, that said second router is not in said outbound path based on a session table of said second router not including a record of said second router receiving said request message packet in said outbound path in said session;
• eighth program instructions for execution in said second router to select, subsequent to said execution of said sixth program instructions and based on said session table of said second router, said first firewall or said first router from one or more devices by
• identifying said one or more devices as being connected to said second router, as having received said request message packet in said outbound path in said session, and as being available to receive said response message packet, and
• determining that said first firewall or said first router received said request message packet in said session before any other device of said one or more devices received said request message packet in said session;
• and
• ninth program instructions for execution in said second router to forward, in response to an execution of said eighth program instructions, said response message packet to a first device, wherein said first device is said first firewall or said first router, as selected by said execution of said eighth program instructions, and
• wherein said first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth program instructions are recorded on said computer readable medium.