Patent ID: 8677114
Filing Date: 2014-03-18
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for application steering or blocking transmitted encrypted data from a source tunnel endpoint to a target tunnel endpoint over an encrypted tunnel in accordance with application steering or blocking policies, the method comprising: at a source tunnel endpoint of the encrypted tunnel, mapping a first Security Parameter Index (SPI) and a second SPI to a first application identifier to generate first mapping information, the first application identifier identifying the first application that is generating the encrypted data and that, in combination with the application steering or blocking policies, is used to identify a particular interface for further transmitting encrypted data generated by the first application towards the target tunnel endpoint; communicating the first mapping information from the source tunnel endpoint to an intermediate network entity for use by the intermediate network entity, in combination with the application steering or blocking policies, in identifying the particular interface for further transmitting the encrypted data generated by the first application towards the target tunnel endpoint; and concatenating an unencrypted header including the first SPI with a first encrypted data payload generated by the first application to create a first communications packet; and the source tunnel endpoint transmitting the first communications packet to the target tunnel endpoint over the encrypted tunnel via the intermediate network entity and in accordance with the application steering or blocking policies associated with the first application.