Method and apparatus for reliable, high speed data transfers in a high assurance multiple level secure environment
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsSteven L. Arnold, Thomas E. Donofrio
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method, apparatus for passing data from a first application at a first security level to a second application in a second security level higher than the first security level is disclosed. A backchannel communications link is established between the first application and the second application, and the backchannel link is used to transmit information such as an acknowledgement message to from the second application to the first application.
Claims20
A method of passing data from a first application at a first security level to a second application in a second security level higher than the first security level, comprising the steps of:
- establishing an upchannel communications link from the first application to the second application via data guard, the upchannel communications link complying with a user datagram protocol (UDP);
- establishing a backchannel communications link from the second application to the first application via the data guard, the backchannel communications link complying with a transmission control protocol (TCP);
- sending a first transmission having a first portion of the data from the first application to the second application via the upchannel communications link;
- transmitting an acknowledgement message from the second application to the first application via the backchannel link;
- receiving the first acknowledgement message in the first application, the first acknowledgement message comprising information describing the reception of the first portion of the data;
- and
- sending a second transmission of the data according to the received first acknowledgement message.
An apparatus for passing data, comprising:
- a first computer, for performing processing at a first security level;
- a second computer, coupled to the first computer via a data guard, the second computer for performing processing on a second security level higher than the first security level;
- a first application, operating on the first computer, for establishing an upchannel communications link from the first application to the second application via the data guard, the upchannel link complying with a user datagram protocol (UDP);
- a second application, operating on the second computer, for establishing a backchannel communications link from the second application to the first application via the data guard, the backchannel communications link complying with a transmission control protocol (TCP);
- wherein the first application sends a first transmission having a first portion of the data to the second application via the upchannel communications link;
- wherein the second application transmits an acknowledgement message to the first application via the backchannel link, the acknowledgement message comprising information describing the reception of the first portion of the data by the second application;
- and
- wherein the first application sends a second transmission of the data according to the received first acknowledgement message.
An apparatus for passing data from a first application at a first security level to a second application in a second security level higher than the first security level, comprising:
- means for establishing an upchannel communications link from the first application to the second application via data guard, the upchannel communications link complying with a user datagram protocol (UDP);
- means for establishing a backchannel communications link from the second application to the first application via the data guard, the backchannel communications link complying with a transmission control protocol (TCP);
- means for sending a first transmission having a first portion of the data from the first application to the second application via the upchannel communications link;
- means for transmitting an acknowledgement message from the second application to the first application via the backchannel link;
- and
- means for receiving the first acknowledgement message in the first application, the first acknowledgement message comprising information describing the reception of the first portion of the data;
- and
- means for sending a second transmission of the data according to the received first acknowledgement message.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.