Patent Application
20240048541
The present invention relates to data encryption, and more specifically, to communication session data encryption.
Data encryption is used to secure data by encoding the data so that the data is incomprehensible until it the data decoded. Data encryption oftentimes is applied to data being communicated over the Internet. Internet Key Exchange (IKE) is a security protocol commonly implemented for secure Internet communications. IKE uses a session key to encrypt and decrypt data. A session key is a single-use symmetric cryptographic key used for encrypting/decrypting messages in a communication session. In this regard, a session key is a temporary key typically only used for a particular communication session. Other communication sessions will have their own session keys.
A method includes offloading a protocol stack to a network communication device. The method also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, a private session key. The method also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, outbound session packets. The network communication device can be programmed to initiate operations including: processing, by the network communication device, headers in the outbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, encrypted outbound session packets by encrypting the outbound session packets using the private session key; communicating, by the network communication device to a client device via the secured communication tunnel, the encrypted outbound session packets; receiving, by the network communication device from the client device, via the secured communication tunnel, inbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, decrypted inbound session packets by decrypting the inbound session packets using the private session key; processing, by the network communication device, headers in the inbound session packets; and communicating, from the network communication device to the user space software, the decrypted inbound session packets.
A system includes a processor programmed to initiate executable operations. The executable operations include offloading a protocol stack to a network communication device. The executable operations also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, a private session key. The executable operations also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, outbound session packets. The network communication device can be programmed to initiate operations including: processing, by the network communication device, headers in the outbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, encrypted outbound session packets by encrypting the outbound session packets using the private session key; communicating, by the network communication device to a client device via the secured communication tunnel, the encrypted outbound session packets; receiving, by the network communication device from the client device, via the secured communication tunnel, inbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, decrypted inbound session packets by decrypting the inbound session packets using the private session key; processing, by the network communication device, headers in the inbound session packets; and communicating, from the network communication device to the user space software, the decrypted inbound session packets.
A computer program product includes a computer readable storage medium having program code stored thereon. The program code is executable by a data processing system to initiate operations. The operations include offloading a protocol stack to a network communication device. The operations also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, a private session key. The operations also can include communicating, from the user space software to the network communication device, outbound session packets. The network communication device can be programmed to initiate operations including: processing, by the network communication device, headers in the outbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, encrypted outbound session packets by encrypting the outbound session packets using the private session key; communicating, by the network communication device to a client device via the secured communication tunnel, the encrypted outbound session packets; receiving, by the network communication device from the client device, via the secured communication tunnel, inbound session packets; generating, by the network communication device, decrypted inbound session packets by decrypting the inbound session packets using the private session key; processing, by the network communication device, headers in the inbound session packets; and communicating, from the network communication device to the user space software, the decrypted inbound session packets.
This Summary section is provided merely to introduce certain concepts and not to identify any key or essential features of the claimed subject matter. Other features of the inventive arrangements will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the following detailed description.
This disclosure relates to data encryption, and more specifically, to communication session data encryption.
The arrangements described herein are directed to computer technology, and provide an improvement to computer technology. Specifically, the present arrangements improve communication session data security, while reducing the use of resources to implement data security at the management and virtualization functional abstraction layers provided by cloud computing environments.
In accordance with the arrangements described herein, a private session key for a secure data communication session can be generated in user space of a host data processing system. The private session key then can be stored on a network communication device, and the network communication device can implement data encryption and decryption for the communication session. Accordingly, the host hypervisor stack and virtual machine operating system space need not generate, nor store, the private session key, and need not allocate valuable data processing resources to implement data encryption/decryption for the communication session. This serves to free up processor and memory resources on the host data processing system, which otherwise would be used for performing data encryption/decryption for the communication session, to be used for other tasks. Moreover, by virtue of the private session key being stored on the network communication device rather than in the host hypervisor stack or in the virtual Machine operating system space, the risk of the private session key being discovered by an unscrupulous party gaining unauthorized access to the host data processing system is mitigated.
Several definitions that apply throughout this document now will be presented.
As defined herein, the term “user space” means data processing system memory (e.g., local memory and/or cache memory) segregated from kernel space and allocated to running applications hosted for access by client devices. User space can be, for example, a portion of virtual memory segregated from virtual memory allocated as kernel space.
As defined herein, the term “kernel space” means data processing system memory (e.g., local memory and/or cache memory) allocated to running kernel applications, and also may include data processing system memory allocated to running hypervisor applications.
As defined herein, the term “public key” means a cryptographic key sent from a first system or device to a second system or device and used for secure data communications, wherein encrypted messages only can be deciphered by the second system or device by use of the public key, for example by using the public key to generate a private session key used to decrypt the encrypted messages.
As defined herein, the term “private session key” means a cryptographic key only known to a particular system or device and used by that system or device to decrypt encrypted messages communicated to that system or device.
As defined herein, the term “session packet” means is a unit of data made into a single package that travels along a network path.
As defined herein, the term “encrypted session packet” means a session packet that is encrypted using a cryptographic key, for example using a private session key.
As defined herein, the term “secure communication tunnel” means an implementation of a computer networking protocol suite.
As defined herein, the term “protocol stack” means a set of one or more communication protocols used by a device (e.g., a computer) to communicate over one or more communication networks.
As defined herein, the term “n-tuple” means a finite ordered list of elements, where n is a non-negative integer.
As defined herein, the term “network communication device” means a network adapter or a switch.
As defined herein, the term “network adapter” means a hardware device that connects a data processing system to a data communications network. Although data processing systems and network infrastructure may include one or more network adapters, data processing systems (e.g., servers and client devices) are not network adapters as the term “network adapter” is defined herein, and network infrastructure (e.g., routers, firewalls, switches, access points and the like) are not network adapters as the term “network adapter” is defined herein.
As defined herein, the term “switch” means a hardware device in network infrastructure that connects devices on a data communications network, using packet switching to receive data and forward data to a destination device.
As defined herein, the term “computer readable storage medium” means a storage medium that contains or stores program code for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. As defined herein, a “computer readable storage medium” is not a transitory, propagating signal per se.
As defined herein, the term “data processing system” means one or more hardware systems configured to process data, each hardware system including at least one processor programmed to initiate executable operations and memory. A network adapter, per se, is not a data processing system as the term “data processing system” is defined herein. Network infrastructure, such as routers, firewalls, switches, access points and the like, are not data processing systems as the term “data processing system” is defined herein.
As defined herein, the term “processor” means at least one hardware circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit) configured to carry out instructions contained in program code. Examples of a processor include, but are not limited to, a central processing unit (CPU), an array processor, a vector processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic array (PLA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), programmable logic circuitry, and a controller.
As defined herein, the term “server” means a data processing system configured to share services with one or more other data processing systems.
As defined herein, the term “client device” means a data processing system that requests shared services from a server, and with which a user interacts. Examples of a client device include, but are not limited to, a workstation, a desktop computer, a computer terminal, a mobile computer, a laptop computer, a netbook computer, a tablet computer, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant, a smart watch, smart glasses, a gaming device, a set-top box, a smart television and the like. A network adapter, per se, is not a client device as the term “client device” is defined herein. Network infrastructure, such as routers, firewalls, switches, access points and the like, are not client devices as the term “client device” is defined herein.
As defined herein, the term “real time” means a level of processing responsiveness that a user or system senses as sufficiently immediate for a particular process or determination to be made, or that enables the processor to keep up with some external process.
As defined herein, the term “responsive to” means responding or reacting readily to an action or event. Thus, if a second action is performed “responsive to” a first action, there is a causal relationship between an occurrence of the first action and an occurrence of the second action, and the term “responsive to” indicates such causal relationship.
As defined herein, the term “automatically” means without user intervention.
As defined herein, the term “user” means a person (i.e., a human being).
It is to be understood that although this disclosure includes a detailed description on cloud computing, implementation of the teachings recited herein are not limited to a cloud computing environment. Rather, embodiments of the present invention are capable of being implemented in conjunction with any other type of computing environment now known or later developed.
Cloud computing is a model of service delivery for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, network bandwidth, servers, processing, memory, storage, applications, virtual machines, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or interaction with a provider of the service. This cloud model may include at least five characteristics, at least three service models, and at least four deployment models.
Characteristics are as follows:
On-demand self-service: a cloud consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with the service's provider.
Broad network access: capabilities are available over a network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).
Resource pooling: the provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the consumer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter).
Rapid elasticity: capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.
Measured service: cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported, providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
Service Models are as follows:
Software as a Service (SaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based e-mail). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including networks, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): the capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
Deployment Models are as follows:
Private cloud: the cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Community cloud: the cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on-premises or off-premises.
Public cloud: the cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.
Hybrid cloud: the cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).
A cloud computing environment is service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability. At the heart of cloud computing is an infrastructure that includes a network of interconnected nodes.
Referring now to
Referring now to
Hardware and software layer 60 includes hardware and software components. Examples of hardware components include: mainframes 61; RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture based servers 62; servers 63; blade servers 64; storage devices 65; and networks and networking components 66. The networking components 66 can comprise, for example, network adapters, switches, routers, etc. In some embodiments, software components include network application server software 67 and database software 68.
Virtualization layer 70 provides an abstraction layer from which the following examples of virtual entities may be provided: virtual servers 71; virtual storage 72; virtual networks 73, including virtual private networks; virtual applications and operating systems 74; and virtual clients 75.
In one example, management layer 80 may provide the functions described below. Resource provisioning 81 provides dynamic procurement of computing resources and other resources that are utilized to perform tasks within the cloud computing environment. Metering and Pricing 82 provide cost tracking as resources are utilized within the cloud computing environment, and billing or invoicing for consumption of these resources. In one example, these resources may include application software licenses. Security provides identity verification for cloud consumers and tasks, as well as protection for data and other resources. User portal 83 provides access to the cloud computing environment for consumers and system administrators. Service level management 84 provides cloud computing resource allocation and management such that required service levels are met. Service Level Agreement (SLA) planning and fulfillment 85 provide pre-arrangement for, and procurement of, cloud computing resources for which a future requirement is anticipated in accordance with an SLA.
Workloads layer 90 provides examples of functionality for which the cloud computing environment may be utilized. Examples of workloads and functions which may be provided from this layer include: mapping and navigation 91; software development and lifecycle management 92; virtual classroom education delivery 93; data analytics processing 94; transaction processing and user space communication session encryption initialization 96.
User space communication session encryption initialization 96 can be used to generate private session keys for data communication sessions, and store the private session keys on network adapters in the hardware and software layer 60. The network adapters can perform data encryption and decryption for communication sessions using the private session keys. Accordingly, computing resources provided by the virtualization layer 70 and management layer are freed from being tasked with performing such encryption and decryption.
The memory elements 310 can include one or more physical memory devices such as, for example, local memory 320 and one or more bulk storage devices 325. Local memory 320 refers to random access memory (RAM) or other non-persistent memory device(s) generally used during actual execution of the program code. The bulk storage device(s) 325 can be implemented as a hard disk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), or other persistent data storage device. The data processing system 300 also can include one or more cache memories (330) that provide temporary storage of at least some program code in order to reduce the number of times program code must be retrieved from the local memory 320 and/or bulk storage device 325 during execution.
Input/output (I/O) devices 340, such as a display, a pointing device, a keyboard, etc. can be coupled to the data processing system 300. The I/O devices 340 can be coupled to the data processing system 300 either directly or through intervening I/O interfaces 345. One or more network adapters 350 also can be coupled to data processing system 300 to enable the data processing system 300 to become coupled to other systems, computer systems, remote printers, and/or remote storage devices through intervening private or public networks. Modems, cable modems, transceivers, and Ethernet cards are examples of different types of network adapters 350 that can be used with the data processing system 300. A network adapter 350 can be internal to the data processing system 300, or external to the data processing system 300 and communicatively linked to the data processing system 300 via a suitable I/O device 340.
As pictured in
An application programming interface (API) 407 also can be provided by the data processing system 300. In illustration, if the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is hosted in a VM, the API 407 can be a function provided by an I/O virtualization framework for use by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to access the network adapter 350. The hypervisor can emulate the network adapter 350 and provide, in the VM, the API 407 to be used for communication between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the network adapter 350. By way of example, Virtio is an I/O virtualization framework provided for use with the Kernel-based Virtual Machine (KVM) virtualization module for the Linux operating system. Virtio can emulate the network adapter 350, and provide the API 407 for communication between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the network adapter 350.
As noted, the data processing system 300 can include a network adapter 350 (
The network adapter 350 also can include an encryption engine 412 configured to encrypt and decrypt data packets, as will be described. The network adapter 350 also can include an offload engine 414. An example of an offload engine 414 is a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) offload engine (TOE), though the present arrangements are not limited in this regard. The offload engine 414 can be implemented in an integrated circuit in the network adapter 350 and configured to handle processing of the protocol stack (e.g., TCP/IP stack, HTTP stack, DTLS stack and/or QUIC stack) for the communication session. The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can offload the protocol stack to the network adapter offload engine 414. Accordingly, the network adapter offload engine 414 can generate packet headers for session packets, which reduces the overhead associated with communication storage protocols, for example the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (i SCSI) and Network File System (NFS) protocols. In this regard, use of the network adapter offload engine 414 reduces the data processing load on the processor 305 of the data processing system 300.
The network adapter 350 also can include a communication interface (not shown), for example a PCI Express interface or other suitable interface, configured to communicate with the data processing system 300. The network adapter 350 also can include a communication interface (not shown) configured to communicate via one or more communication networks. By way of example, the network adapter 350 can include an Ethernet port or a wireless communication (e.g., WiFi) port.
In operation, the data processing system 300 can execute a program/utility 355 (
For example, the program/utility 355 can perform a parallel-stack full offload, which includes offloading the main host protocol stack included in the IaaS VM operating system space 408 and one or more protocol stacks between the application layer and the transport layer (e.g., TCP).
In another example, the program/utility 355 can perform a host bus adapter (HBA) full offload, which offloads Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) processing as well as an Internet Small Computer System Interface (iSCSI) initiator function.
In another example, the program/utility 355 can perform a TCP chimney partial offload, in which the main system stack controls connections to the host. After a connection has been established between the data processing system 300 and the client device 402, the program utility 355 can pass the connection and its state to the offload engine 414.
In another example, the program/utility 355 can perform a large receive offload (LRO), in which the offload engine 414 aggregates multiple incoming packets from a single stream (e.g., from the client device 402) into a buffer before passing the incoming packets higher up the protocol stack. In another example, the program/utility 355 can perform a generic receive offload (GRO), which is a generalized version of LRO that is not restricted to TCP/IP.
In another example, the program/utility 355 can perform a large send offload (LSO), in which program utility 355 passes a multipacket buffer to the offload engine 414. The offload engine 414 can parse the multipacket buffer into individual packets before communicating the packets to the client device 402.
The program/utility 355 also can perform user space communication session encryption initialization 96 in the user space. In illustration, the data processing system 300 can receive from the client device 402 a session request 420 via one or more communication networks 422 (e.g., via the Internet) requesting access to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, for example to access one or more applications/services, via a communication session. In response to the session request 420, the program/utility 355 can determine, in real time, one or more port identifiers (port IDs) 424 for one or more ports 426 provided by the IaaS VM operating system space 408 to be used by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 for the communication session.
One or more of the ports 426 can be, for example, User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) ports. In one or more arrangements, the program/utility 355 can request the port IDs 424 from the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which can assign those port IDs 424 to the communication session, but the present arrangements are not limited in this regard. For example, the port IDs 424 can be assigned to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 a priori and known to the program/utility 355. In illustration, a first port ID 424 can indicate a first port 426 (e.g., outbound port) to which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is to communicate UDP datagrams to the Network adapter 350, and a second port ID 424 can indicate a second port 426 (e.g., inbound port) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 listens for UDP datagrams generated by the network adapter 350. In another example, a first port ID 424 can indicate a first port 426 (e.g., outbound port) to which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is to communicate with the switch 510 via an API 407, and a second port ID 424 can indicate a second port 426 (e.g., inbound port) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 listens for data communicated by the switch 510 to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 via the API 407.
Responsive to determining the port ID(s) 424, at step 428 the program/utility 355, operating in the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, can generate, in real time, a public key and perform, in real time, a public key exchange 430 with the client device 402.
In one or more arrangements, the public key exchange 430 can be performed in accordance with phase 1 of the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, for example IKE or IKE2. The network adapter 350 can invoke the offload engine 414 to perform operations on the data exchanged with the client device 402 during the public key exchange 430 in accordance with the communication protocol being used (e.g., TCP/IP), for example establish a connection with the client device 402 using a 3-way handshake, perform checksum and sequence number calculations, perform sliding window calculations for packet acknowledgement and congestion control, connection termination, etc.
In illustration, the public key exchange 430 can be performed using IKE Phase 1 main mode, using a plurality of exchanges between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) and the client device 402, to negotiate a secured association (SA). Specifically, phase 1 can including negotiation of a SA. IKE Phase 1 main mode can include: an initial exchange between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., program/utility 355) and client device 402 of at least one algorithm and at least one hash to be used to secure communications; a Diffie-Hellman public key exchange between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., program/utility 355) and client device 402 to generate shared secret keying material used to generate a at least one shared secret key and, passing of nounces (e.g., random numbers) from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to the client device 402, which are signed and returned by the client device 402 to verify user identity; and device identity authentication, for example by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and client device 402 exchanging IP addresses to be used for the communication session in encrypted form (e.g., by encrypting the IP addresses using the generated shared secret keys). The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402 each can generate respective public keys to be exchanged during the Diffie-Hellman public key exchange using their respective private keys, the algorithm and the hash determined during the initial exchange.
The public key exchange 430 also can be performed using IKE Phase 1 aggressive mode. IKE Phase 1 aggressive mode can include the exchange of information explained above for main mode, but the information can be exchanged using fewer exchanges. For example, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate to the client device 402 a message including the algorithm, hash, a Diffie-Hellman public key, a nounce and an identity packet. The client device 402 can respond with a message completing the exchange, and PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can confirm the exchange.
Regardless of whether IKE Phase 1 main mode or aggressive mode is used for the public key exchange, the public keys will not be known to, nor discovered by, the host hypervisor stack 406, the IaaS VM operating system space 408 nor the operating system of the data processing system 300. This improves security by reducing the risk of an unscrupulous party obtaining the public keys from the hypervisor stack 406 or the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which otherwise could be used to decrypt data exchanged during configuration of the secure communication tunnel.
Completion of the public key exchange 430 can result in the establishment of a secure communication tunnel (e.g., IPSec tunnel) between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402. In response, the program/utility 355 can initiate, in real time, operations to implement tunnel configuration 432. In one or more arrangements, the tunnel configuration 432 can be performed in accordance with phase 2 of the IKE protocol. In illustration, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) and client device 402 can communicate via the tunnel, using the negotiated SA, to negotiate a shared IPSec policy, device shared secret keying material used for an IPSec security algorithm, and establish IPSec SAs. Further, the program/utility 355 and the client device 402 can exchange nonces that provide replay protection, that are used to generate new secret key material, and prevent replay attacks from generating fraudulent SAs. Again, the network adapter 350 can invoke the offload engine 414 to perform operations on the data exchanged with the client device 402 during the tunnel configuration 432 in accordance with the communication protocol being used, for example establish a connection with the client device 402 using a 3-way handshake, perform checksum and sequence number calculations, perform sliding window calculations, etc.
In the above examples, the program/utility 355 can operate in the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to initiate establishment and configuration of a secure tunnel in accordance with IKE. Still, the program/utility 355 can implement any other suitable key exchange protocol and the present arrangements are not limited in this regard.
Responsive to the secure tunnel being established, at step 434 the program/utility 355 can pause the communication session and generate, in real time, a private session key to be used to encrypt and decrypt messages exchanged with the client device 402 in the communication session via the secured tunnel. In illustration, the program/utility 355 can generate the private session key from the public key received from the client device 402 and the private key for use by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404. Similarly, the client device 402 can generate a private session key for its use from the public key received from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device's private key. The private session keys can be, for example, Diffie-Hellman keys.
Responsive to the communication session being paused at step 436, at step 438 the program/utility 355 can communicate, in real time, to the network adapter 350 a n-tuple (e.g., a TCP/IP twintuple or a TCP/IP quintuple) and the Private session key. In one or more arrangements, the program/utility 355 can communicate the n-tuple and private session key to the network adapter 350, via the port 426 (e.g., UDP/IP port) indicated by the port ID 424, in at least one User Datagram Protocol (UDP) datagram. In one or more other arrangements, if the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is hosted in a VM, the program/utility 355 can communicate the n-tuple and private session key to the network adapter 350 via the API 407.
The n-tuple can include data indicating a source IP address and a destination IP address. Optionally, the n-tuple further can include data indicating a source port, a destination port and/or a communication protocol. The source IP address can be the IP address assigned to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404. The destination IP address can be an IP address assigned to the client device 402. The source port can be an outbound port 426 (e.g., first port 426), indicated by the Port ID 424, to be used by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to exchange session packets 444 with the client device 402. The destination port can be a port of the client device 402 through which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can communicate with the client device 402 using the secure tunnel. The communication protocol can be the communication protocol (e.g., TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC) used for the communications between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402. Optionally, the n-tuple also can include a uni-directional session identifier (ID) (e.g., a Security Parameter Index for IPsec) for the communication session, or the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate, in real time, to the network adapter 350 another UDP datagram indicating the session ID, or the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate the session ID, in real time, to the switch 510 via the API 407.
At step 438 the network adapter 350 can, in real time, store the n-tuple in association with the private session key in the network adapter software stack 410. For example, the network adapter 134 can generate and store data linking the n-tuple with the private session key. Responsive to storing the n-tuple and Private session key, the network adapter 350 can communicate, in real time, to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) a completion status message 440 indicating that reception and storage of the n-tuple and Private session key by the network adapter 350 is complete. In one or more arrangements, the completion status message can be communicated via a port 426 (e.g., the second port 426) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is listening, as a UDP datagram. In one or more other arrangements, the completion status message can be communicated to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 via the network adapter 350 and the API 407.
Because the n-tuple and the private session key are communicated from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to the network adapter 350 via the API 407 or via one or more UDP datagrams, and stored by the network adapter 350 rather than by the processor 305, the n-tuple and the private session key will not be known to, nor discovered by, the host hypervisor stack 406, the IaaS VM operating system space 408 nor the operating system of the data processing system 300. Again, this improves security by reducing the risk of an unscrupulous party obtaining the n-tuple and the private session key from the hypervisor stack 406 or the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which otherwise could be used to decrypt session packets exchanged during the communication session.
In response to receiving the completion status message 440 via the API 407 or via the datagram, at step 442 the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can restart, in real time, the communication session with the client device 402, including exchange of session packets 444.
For outbound session packets, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can communicate the session packets 444, via a port 426 (e.g., the first port 426), to the network adapter 350. The network adapter 350 can, in real time, invoke the network adapter offload engine 414 to perform operations on the outbound session packets 444 in accordance with the communication protocol(s) being used (e.g., TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC), for example establish a connection with the client device 402 using a 3-way handshake, perform checksum and sequence number calculations, perform sliding window calculations, generate packet headers for the outbound session packets 444, etc. The network adapter 350 also can invoke, in real time, the network adapter encryption engine 412 to encrypt the outbound session packets 444 as encrypted session packets 446 using the private session key, and communicate encrypted session packets 446 to the client device 402. In illustration, the network adapter 350 can encrypt the session packets 444, using the private session key, in accordance with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), and communicate, in real time, encrypted session packets 446 to the destination IP address indicated by the n-tuple using the communication protocol indicated by the n-tuple using the secure communication tunnel.
The network adapter 350 also can receive inbound encrypted session packets 446 from the client device 402 using the secure communication tunnel, for example using TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC. The network adapter 350 can invoke, in real time, the network adapter encryption engine 412 to decrypt the inbound session packets 446 using the private session key, for example in accordance with AES. The network adapter 350 can identify the private session key by identifying the IP address from which the inbound encrypted session packets 446 are received, identifying the n-tuple that includes that IP address, and determine the private session key that is associated with that n-tuple. Further, the network adapter 350 can, in real time, invoke the offload engine 414 to perform operations on the inbound session packets in accordance with the communication protocol being used, for example send acknowledgements to the client device 402 as inbound session packets are received, perform checksum and sequence number calculations, perform sliding window calculations, etc. The network adapter 350 also can invoke, in real time, the network adapter 350 can communicate, in real time, the decrypted session packets to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, via the port 426, as session packets 444.
At this point it should be noted that since the encryption/decryption is performed by the network adapter encryption engine 412, the volume of operations performed by the processor 305 is reduced in comparison to the processor 305 performing the encryption/decryption (e.g., using the host hypervisor stack and/or IaaS VM operating system space 408). This improves the processor's operating efficiency and improves performance of the data processing system 300.
From time to time the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can determine that the private session key is to be changed. To do so, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can return to step 428 and generate a new public key, and again perform the operations described at steps 430-442. The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can determine to change the private session key at periodic intervals (e.g., every hour, every six hours, every day, etc.) or in response to detecting an event, for example the communication session continuing after a period of inactivity in the communication session exceeding a threshold value.
Upon completion of the communication session, the network adapter 350 can invoke the offload engine 414 to terminate the communication session connection.
In illustration, the switch 510 can be a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) switch or smart switch that supports SDN, and can include a switch software stack 512. In illustration, the switch 510 can offload processing tasks the processor 305 of the data processing system 300 normally would handle, such as performing encryption/decryption, performing firewall operations, and implementing communication processing. The communication processing can include TCP/IP communication processing, HTTP communication processing, DTLS communication processing and/or QUIC communication processing.
The switch 510 also can include an offload engine 516. An example of an offload engine 516 is a TOE, though the present arrangements are not limited in this regard. The offload engine 516 can be implemented in an integrated circuit in the switch 510 and configured to handle processing of the protocol stack (e.g., TCP/IP stack, HTTP stack, DTLS stack and/or QUIC stack) for the communication session. The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can offload the protocol stack to the switch offload engine 516. Accordingly, the switch offload engine 516 can generate packet headers for session packets, which reduces the overhead associated with communication storage protocols, for example the Internet Small Computer Systems Interface (iSCSI) and Network File System (NFS) protocols. In this regard, use of the switch offload engine 516 reduces the data processing load on the processor 305 of the data processing system 300.
The switch 510 can include a switch encryption engine 514 configured to encrypt and decrypt data packets, as will be described. The switch 510 also can include communication ports (not shown) configured to communicate via one or more communication networks. By way of example, the switch 510 can include one or more Ethernet ports and/or one or more a wireless communication (e.g., WiFi) ports.
In operation, the data processing system 300 can execute a program/utility 355 (
The data processing system 300 can receive from the client device 402 a session request 420 via one or more communication networks 422 (e.g., via the Internet) requesting access to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, for example to access one or more applications/services, via a communication session. In response to the session request 420, the program/utility 355 can determine, in real time, one or more port identifiers (port IDs) 424 for one or more ports 426 provided by the IaaS VM operating system space 408 to be used by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 for the communication session.
One or more of the ports 426 can be, for example, User Datagram Protocol/Internet Protocol (UDP/IP) ports. In one or more arrangements, the program/utility 355 can request the port IDs 424 from the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which can assign those port IDs 424 to the communication session, but the present arrangements are not limited in this regard. For example, the port IDs 424 can be assigned to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 a priori and known to the program/utility 355. In illustration, a first port ID 424 can indicate a first port 426 (e.g., outbound port) to which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is to communicate UDP datagrams to the switch 510, and a second port ID 424 can indicate a second port 426 (e.g., inbound port) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 listens for UDP datagrams generated by the switch 510. In another example, a first port ID 424 can indicate a first port 426 (e.g., outbound port) to which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is to communicate with the switch 510 via an API 407, and a second port ID 424 can indicate a second port 426 (e.g., inbound port) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 listens for data communicated by the switch 510 to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 via the API 407.
Responsive to determining the port ID(s) 424, at step 428 the program/utility 355, operating in the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, can generate, in real time, a public key and perform, in real time, a public key exchange 430 with the client device 402. In one or more arrangements, the public key exchange 430 can be performed in accordance with phase 1 of the IKE protocol, for example IKE or IKE2.
In illustration, the public key exchange 430 can be performed using IKE Phase 1 main mode, using a plurality of exchanges between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) and the client device 402, to negotiate a secured association (SA). Specifically, phase 1 can including negotiation of a SA. IKE Phase 1 main mode can include: an initial exchange between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., program/utility 355) and client device 402 of at least one algorithm and at least one hash to be used to secure communications; a Diffie-Hellman public key exchange between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., program/utility 355) and client device 402 to generate shared secret keying material used to generate a at least one shared secret key and, passing of nounces (e.g., random numbers) from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to the client device 402, which are signed and returned by the client device 402 to verify user identity; and device identity authentication, for example by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and client device 402 exchanging IP addresses to be used for the communication session in encrypted form (e.g., by encrypting the IP addresses using the generated shared secret keys). The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402 each can generate respective public keys to be exchanged during the Diffie-Hellman public key exchange using their respective private keys, the algorithm and the hash determined during the initial exchange.
The public key exchange 430 also can be performed using IKE Phase 1 aggressive mode. IKE Phase 1 aggressive mode can include the exchange of information explained above for main mode, but the information can be exchanged using fewer exchanges. For example, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate to the client device 402 a message including the algorithm, hash, a Diffie-Hellman public key, a nounce and an identity packet. The client device 402 can respond with a message completing the exchange, and PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can confirm the exchange.
Regardless of whether IKE Phase 1 main mode or aggressive mode is used for the public key exchange, the public keys will not be known to, nor discovered by, the host hypervisor stack 406, the IaaS VM operating system space 408 nor the operating system of the data processing system 300. This improves security by reducing the risk of an unscrupulous party obtaining the public keys from the hypervisor stack 406 or the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which otherwise could be used to decrypt data exchanged during configuration of the secure communication tunnel.
Completion of the public key exchange 430 can result in the establishment of a secure communication tunnel (e.g., IPSec tunnel) between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402. In response, the program/utility 355 can initiate, in real time, operations to implement tunnel configuration 432. In one or more arrangements, the tunnel configuration 432 can be performed in accordance with phase 2 of the IKE protocol. In illustration, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) and client device 402 can communicate via the tunnel, using the negotiated SA, to negotiate a shared IPSec policy, device shared secret keying material used for an IPSec security algorithm, and establish IPSec SAs. Further, the program/utility 355 and the client device 402 can exchange nonces that provide replay protection, that are used to generate new secret key material, and prevent replay attacks from generating fraudulent SAs.
In the above examples, the program/utility 355 can operate in the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to initiate establishment and configuration of a secure tunnel in accordance with IKE. Still, the program/utility 355 can implement any other suitable key exchange protocol and the present arrangements are not limited in this regard.
Responsive to the secure tunnel being established, at step 434 the program/utility 355 can pause the communication session and generate, in real time, a private session key to be used to encrypt and decrypt messages exchanged with the client device 402 in the communication session via the secured tunnel. In illustration, the program/utility 355 can generate the private session key from the public key received from the client device 402 and the private key for use by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404. Similarly, the client device 402 can generate a private session key for its use from the public key received from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device's private key. The private session keys can be, for example, Diffie-Hellman keys.
Responsive to generating the private session key, at step 536 the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate, in real time, to the switch 510 a n-tuple (e.g., a TCP/IP twintuple or a TCP/IP quintuple) and the private session key. In one or more arrangements, the program/utility 355 can communicate the n-tuple and private session key to the switch 510, via the port 426 (e.g., first port) indicated by the port ID 424 and the network adapter 350, in at least one User Datagram Protocol (UDP) datagram. In one or more other arrangements, if the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is hosted in a VM, the program/utility 355 can communicate the n-tuple and private session key to the switch 510 via the API 407, which can communicate the n-tuple to the switch 510 via the network adapter 350.
The n-tuple can include data indicating a source IP address and a destination IP address. Optionally, the n-tuple further can include data indicating a source port, a destination port and/or a communication protocol. The source IP address can be the IP address assigned to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404. The destination IP address can be an IP address assigned to the client device 402. The source port can be an outbound port 426 (e.g., first port 426), indicated by the Port ID 424, to be used by the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to exchange session packets 444 with the client device 402. The destination port can be a port of the client device 402 through which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can communicate with the client device 402 using the secure tunnel. The communication protocol can be the communication protocol (e.g., TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC) used for the communications between the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 and the client device 402. Optionally, the n-tuple also can include a uni-directional session identifier (ID) (e.g., a Security Parameter Index for IPsec) for the communication session, or the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate, in real time, to the switch 510 another UDP datagram indicating the session ID, or the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can communicate the session ID, in real time, to the switch 510 via the API 407.
At step 538 the switch 510 can store, in real time, the n-tuple in association with the Private session key in the switch software stack 512. For example, the switch 510 can generate and store data linking the n-tuple with the Private session key. Responsive to storing the n-tuple and Private session key, the switch 510 can communicate, in real time, to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) a completion status message 642 indicating that reception and storage of the n-tuple and Private session key by the switch 510 is complete. In one or more arrangements, the completion status message can be communicated via a port 426 (e.g., the second port 426) on which the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 is listening, as a UDP datagram. In one or more other arrangements, the completion status message can be communicated to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 via the network adapter 350 and the API 407.
Because the n-tuple and the private session key are communicated from the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 to the switch 510 in one or more UDP datagrams, and stored by the switch 510 rather than by the processor 305, the n-tuple and the private session key will not be known to, nor discovered by, the host hypervisor stack 406, the IaaS VM operating system space 408 nor the operating system of the data processing system 300. Again, this improves security by reducing the risk of an unscrupulous party obtaining the n-tuple and the private session key from the hypervisor stack 406 or the IaaS VM operating system space 408, which otherwise could be used to decrypt session packets exchanged during the communication session.
In response to receiving the completion status message 540 via the port 426, at step 542 the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can restart, in real time, the communication session with the client device 402, including exchange of session packets 444.
For outbound session packets, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can communicate the session packets 444, via a port 426 (e.g., the first port 426) and the network adapter 350, to the switch 510. The switch 510 can, in real time, invoke the switch offload engine 516 to perform operations on the outbound session packets 444 in accordance with the communication protocol(s) being used (e.g., TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC), for example establish a connection with the client device 402 using a 3-way handshake, perform checksum and sequence number calculations, perform sliding window calculations, generate packet headers for the outbound session packets 444, etc. The switch 510 also can invoke, in real time, the switch encryption engine 514 to encrypt the outbound session packets 444 as encrypted session packets 446 using the private session key, and communicate encrypted session packets 446 to the client device 402. In illustration, the switch 510 can encrypt the session packets 444, using the private session key, in accordance with the AES, and communicate, in real time, encrypted session packets 446 to the destination IP address indicated by the n-tuple using the communication protocol indicated by the n-tuple using the secure communication tunnel.
The switch 510 also can receive inbound encrypted session packets 446 from the client device 402 using the secure communication tunnel, for example using the via TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC. The switch 510 can invoke, in real time, the switch encryption engine 514 to decrypt the inbound session packets 446 using the private session key, for example in accordance with AES. The switch 510 can identify the private session key by identifying the IP address from which the inbound encrypted session packets 446 are received, identifying the n-tuple that includes that IP address, and determine the private session key that is associated with that n-tuple. The switch 510 can communicate, in real time, the decrypted session packets to the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404, via the network adapter 350 and port 426 (e.g., the second port 426 or another port used for TCP/IP, DTLS, and/or QUIC communications), as session packets 444.
At this point it should be noted that since the encryption/decryption is performed by the switch encryption engine 514, the volume of operations performed by the processor 305 is reduced in comparison to the processor 305 performing the encryption/decryption (e.g., using the host hypervisor stack and/or IaaS VM operating system space 408). This improves the processor's operating efficiency and improves performance of the data processing system 300.
From time to time the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 (e.g., the program/utility 355) can determine that the private session key is to be changed. To do so, the PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can return to step 428 and generate a new public key, and again perform the operations described at steps 430-432 and 536-540. The PaaS and/or SaaS user space software 404 can determine to change the private session key at periodic intervals (e.g., every hour, every six hours, every day, etc.) or in response to detecting an event, for example the communication session continuing after a period of inactivity in the communication session exceeding a threshold value.
At step 602, the program/utility 355 can offload a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) stack to a network communication device.
At step 604, the program/utility 355 can communicate, from the user space software to the network communication device, a private session key.
At step 606, the program/utility 355 can communicate, from the user space software to a network communication device, from the user space software to the network communication device, outbound session packets.
At step 608, the network communication device can an offload engine to perform operations on the output session packets in accordance with the communication protocol(s) being used. The operations can include, for example, establishing a connection with the client device 402 using a 3-way handshake, performing checksum and sequence number calculations, performing sliding window calculations, generating packet headers for the outbound session packets 444, etc.
At step 610, the network communication device can generate encrypted outbound session packets by encrypting the outbound session packets using the private session key.
At step 612, the network communication device can communicate, to the client device via the secured communication tunnel, the encrypted outbound session packets.
At step 614, the network communication device can receive from the client device, via the secured communication tunnel, inbound session packets.
At step 616, the network communication device can process TCP headers in the inbound session packets.
At step 618, the network communication device can generate decrypted inbound session packets by decrypting the inbound session packets using the private session key.
At step 620, the network communication device can communicate, to the user space software, the decrypted inbound session packets.
The foregoing description is just an example of embodiments of the invention, and variations and substitutions. While the disclosure concludes with claims defining novel features, it is believed that the various features described herein will be better understood from a consideration of the description in conjunction with the drawings. The process(es), machine(s), manufacture(s) and any variations thereof described within this disclosure are provided for purposes of illustration. Any specific structural and functional details described are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the features described in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used within this disclosure are not intended to be limiting, but rather to provide an understandable description of the features described.
The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computer program product at any possible technical detail level of integration. The computer program product may include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.
The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium includes the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructions recorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.
Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing/processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium within the respective computing/processing device.
Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present invention may be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The computer readable program instructions may execute entirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user's computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.
Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.
These computer readable program instructions may be provided to a processor of a computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions may also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or other devices to function in a particular manner, such that the computer readable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises an article of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects of the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.
The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be accomplished as one step, executed concurrently, substantially concurrently, in a partially or wholly temporally overlapping manner, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “including,” “comprises,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this disclosure, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.
Reference throughout this disclosure to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one arrangement,” “an arrangement,” “one aspect,” “an aspect,” or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment described within this disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “one arrangement,” “an arrangement,” “one aspect,” “an aspect,” and similar language throughout this disclosure may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.
The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, whether directly without any intervening elements or indirectly with one or more intervening elements, unless otherwise indicated. Two elements also can be coupled mechanically, electrically, or communicatively linked through a communication channel, pathway, network, or system. The term “and/or” as used herein refers to and encompasses any and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms, as these terms are only used to distinguish one element from another unless stated otherwise or the context indicates otherwise.
The term “if” may be construed to mean “when” or “upon” or “in response to determining” or “in response to detecting,” depending on the context. Similarly, the phrase “if it is determined” or “if [a stated condition or event] is detected” may be construed to mean “upon determining” or “in response to determining” or “upon detecting [the stated condition or event]” or “in response to detecting [the stated condition or event],” depending on the context.
The descriptions of the various embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the embodiments disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terminology used herein was chosen to best explain the principles of the embodiments, the practical application or technical improvement over technologies found in the marketplace, or to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.
