Accelerating data communication using tunnels

A non-transitory program storage device readable by one or more processors of a network device, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the one or more processors to perform method steps for securely accelerating wide area network (WAN) traffic, said method steps comprising:

• receiving, by a flow classification module of the network device operable at an Internet Protocol (IP) layer of a protocol stack of the network device, packets from a peer WAN acceleration device via a private tunnel established between the network device and the peer WAN acceleration device, the private tunnel operable to convey application layer data for a dedicated application between the network device and the peer WAN acceleration device;
• after classifying, by the flow classification module, the packets as being associated with an existing connection-oriented flow, passing the packets to a WAN socket of the network device operable at a transport layer of the protocol stack;
• based on an application layer protocol operable at an application layer of the protocol stack with which the packets are associated, passing, by the WAN socket, the packets to an application handler of a plurality of application handlers executing on the first WAN acceleration device at the application layer of the protocol stack, each of the plurality of application handlers implementing one or more application acceleration techniques for a particular application layer protocol of a plurality of application layer protocols that are operable at the application layer and known to behave poorly within a WAN environment;
• accelerating the existing connection-oriented flow, by the application handler, by performing the one or more application acceleration techniques.

A wide area network (WAN) traffic acceleration system comprising:

• one or more computer processors operable to collectively execute at least:
• a protocol stack;
• a plurality of application handlers, each of the application handlers operable to securely accelerate a connection-oriented flow between the WAN traffic acceleration system and a peer WAN traffic acceleration system by implementing (i) one or more security functions and (ii) one or more application acceleration techniques for a particular application layer protocol of a plurality of application layer protocols that are operable at an application layer of the protocol stack and known to behave poorly within a WAN environment;
• a WAN socket operable at a transport layer of the protocol stack to pass packets to an appropriate application handler of the plurality of application handlers based on the application layer protocol of the plurality of application layer protocols with which the packets are associated;
• and
• a flow classification module operable to:
• receive, at an Internet Protocol (IP) layer of the protocol stack, packets from the peer WAN traffic acceleration system via a private tunnel established between the WAN traffic acceleration system and the peer WAN traffic acceleration system, wherein the private tunnel is operable to convey application layer data for a dedicated application between the WAN traffic acceleration system and the peer WAN traffic acceleration system;
• and
• pass to the WAN socket those of the packets classified as being associated with a connection-oriented flow capable of being accelerated by one of the plurality of application handlers.