PRIVATE TUNNEL USAGE TO CREATE WIDE AREA NETWORK BACKBONE OVER THE INTERNET

摘要

A wide area network using the internet as a backbone utilizing specially selected ISX/ISP providers whose routers route packets of said wide area network along private tunnels through the internet comprised of high bandwidth, low hop-count data paths. Firewalls are provided at each end of each private tunnel which recognize IP packets addressed to devices at the other end of the tunnel and encapsulate these packets in other IP packets which have a header which includes as the destination address, the IP address of the untrusted side of the firewall at the other end of the tunnel. The payload sections of these packets are the original IP packets and are encrypted and decrypted at both ends of the private tunnel using the same encryption algorithm using the same key or keys.

主权项

1. A method of routing packets, implemented on at least one computer, the method comprising:
receiving inbound traffic and sorting the inbound traffic into first and second groups dependent on whether a destination address of the inbound traffic matches a destination associated with a predetermined private tunnel; routing the first group of traffic over at least one first route reserved for the predetermined private tunnel; and routing the second group of traffic over at least one second route; wherein the at least one second route is to be exclusive to the at least one first route and the predetermined private tunnel.