System and method for redirected firewall discovery in a network environment
AssigneeMcAfee, Inc.
InventorsGeoffrey Cooper, Michael W. Green, John Richard Guzik
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method is provided in one example embodiment that includes receiving metadata from a host over a metadata channel. The metadata may be correlated with a network flow and a network policy may be applied to the connection. In other embodiments, a network flow may be received from a host without metadata associated with the flow, and a discovery redirect may be sent to the host. Metadata may then be received and correlated with the flow to identify a network policy action to apply to the flow.
Claims21
A computer-readable non-transitory medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed on a processor configure the processor to perform one or more operations for redirected firewall discovery, the one or more operations comprising:
- intercepting, at a first firewall in a network environment, a network flow from a source node;
- when the first firewall does not have metadata associated with the network flow in a metadata cache of the first firewall or the first firewall is unable to retrieve the metadata associated with the network flow, sending a discovery redirect from a host manager to cause a firewall cache at the source node to include a second firewall;
- receiving the metadata associated with the network flow at the second firewall;
- and
- correlating, at the second firewall, the metadata with the network flow to apply a network policy at the second firewall to the network flow.
A computer-readable non-transitory medium comprising one or more instructions that when executed on a processor configure the processor to perform one or more operations, the one or more operations, comprising:
- intercepting a network flow from a source node to a destination node at a firewall agent of the source node;
- holding a first packet of the network flow at the firewall agent of the source node;
- identifying, in a firewall cache by the firewall agent, a firewall for managing a route to the destination node;
- opening a metadata connection with the firewall;
- sending metadata associated with the network flow from the firewall agent to the firewall over the metadata connection while holding the first packet of the network flow;
- and
- releasing the network flow by sending the first packet of the network flow from the firewall agent to the firewall.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.