Patent ID: 8316226
Filing Date: 2012-11-20
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling an active data channel of a user device for a virtual private network (VPN), the method comprising: executing a virtual private network (VPN) software client within an operating system of a user device; authenticating a user of the user device to a remote private network with the VPN software client; after authenticating the user, establishing, with the VPN software client, both a layer three (L3) based tunnel and a layer four (L4) based tunnel over a network from the user device to the remote private network, wherein establishing both the L3 based and L4 based tunnels comprises creating a respective adapter for each of the tunnels on the user device; using the L4 based tunnel as an active data channel for the VPN by transmitting data packets to the remote private network over the L4 based tunnel; while using the L4 based tunnel as the active data channel for the VPN by transmitting data packets to the remote private network over the L4 based tunnel, transmitting a test message with the VPN software client with the L3 based tunnel using the respective adapter of the L3 based tunnel and setting the L3 based tunnel as the active data channel for the VPN when a reply to the test message is received from the remote private network; and after setting the L3 based tunnel as the active data channel, transmitting data packets to the remote private network with the VPN software client with the L3 based tunnel using the respective adapter of the L3 based tunnel and setting the L4 based tunnel as a non-active data channel.