US H2,065 H1 · Proxy server

Abstract

A proxy server shares a plurality of modems connected to a wide area network among multiple client computers connected to a local area network. Each of the client computers on the local area network is assigned a local address while each of the plurality of modems is assigned a modem port address valid on the wide area network. In one embodiment, a processor controls address substitution allowing multiple client computers to share modems when communicating to host computers in a wide area network. The processor creates a descriptor list to keep track of the connections between the client computer and host computers on the wide area network and uses the descriptor list to determine to which client computer an incoming data packet should be sent. The processor also creates a proxied application list to determine if an outgoing data packet, received from one of the client computers, is one to be proxied through the proxy server.

Claims21

Dependent claims

A proxy server for use in connecting a wide area network with a plurality of client computers each having a local address, the proxy server comprising:

a local port connected to a local area network and operative for sending a plurality of incoming local packets and for receiving a plurality of outgoing local packets to and from the plurality of client computers;
a plurality of modems each having a modem port address and each connected to the wide area network, and operative for transmitting a plurality of outgoing remote packets and receiving a plurality of incoming remote packets;
and
a processor connected to the local port and connected to the plurality of modems, and operative for receiving one of the plurality of outgoing local packets from one of the plurality of client computers, for executing a load balancing algorithm and selecting one of the plurality of modems, for modifying the one of the plurality of outgoing local packets by substituting the modem port address of the selected modem for the local address of the one of the plurality of client computers to produce one of the plurality of outgoing remote packets, and for transmitting the one of the plurality of outgoing remote packets to the selected modem for transmission to the wide area network.

1 more element

A method of sharing a plurality of modems connected to a wide-area network among client computers of a local area network comprising:

creating a first entry in a descriptor list for each open connection between a client computer and a host computer on the wide area-network, the first entry including a first mapped port number;
generating an outgoing packet from the client computer, the outgoing packet including a first portion of data, corresponding to the first entry, and a source address, the first portion of data having a source port number;
comparing the first portion of data with each first entry in the descriptor list to find a first corresponding first entry;
if the first corresponding first entry is found, substituting the first mapped port number of the first corresponding first entry for the source port number;
selecting a modem from the plurality of modems using a load balancing algorithm;
substituting an address of the selected modem for the source address ;
and
transmitting the outgoing packet using the selected modem.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Proxy server

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Proxy server

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims21