Serial Communication Tapping and Transmission to Routable Networks
AssigneeBattelle Memorial Institute
InventorsThomas W. Edgar, Sean J. Zabriskie, Eric Y. Choi
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Apparatuses and methods for tapping serial communications and transforming the serial data into a format appropriate for routable networks are significant for purposes of security and troubleshooting, especially in critical infrastructure networks. Communication taps should be completely passive such that any failure would not interrupt the serial communications. Furthermore, automatic determination of unspecified serial protocol frames allow general implementation across various networks, or across devices within a single network, without the need to customize for each implementation.
Claims20
An apparatus to passively tap serial communications having serial protocol frames that are unspecified to the apparatus, the apparatus characterized by:
- Passive, serial-communications, interception circuitry comprising at least one serial communications pass-through and a processor, each serial communications pass-through connected to the processor and interfaced to a serial communication cable through which the serial communications are transmitted;
- The processor executing programming to determine serial protocol frames according to characteristics of the serial communications, to wrap the serial protocol frames in a routable protocol, thereby forming a routable packet, and to transmit the routable packets to one or more routable addresses through an interface connecting the processor to a routable network.
A method to passively tap serial communications, which have serial protocol frames that are unspecified, transmitted through a serial communication cable between a source and a receiver, the method executed by a processor and characterized by the steps of:
- Passively intercepting the serial communications through a serial communications pass-through connected to the processor and to the serial communication cable;
- Determining serial protocol frames according to characteristics of the serial communications;
- Forming routable packets by wrapping the serial protocol frames in a routable protocol;
- and
- Transmitting the routable packets to one or more routable addresses through an interface connecting the processor to a routable network.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.