Patent ID: 8881234
Filing Date: 2014-11-04
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for controlling access to a network, the method performed by a data processing apparatus, the method comprising: defining a state machine in a memory of the data processing apparatus, the state machine comprising a plurality of states, and wherein network access for a host device is controlled in each state according to one or more network access zones associated with the state, each network access zone defining network access capabilities for the host device; monitoring, by the data processing apparatus, host devices attempting to access the network and host devices that have access to the network, wherein monitoring of a particular one of the host devices includes determining whether an agent is present on the particular host device; transitioning, for each host device, a state of the host based on the monitoring and a current state of the host, storing in the memory of the data processing apparatus, for each monitored host device attempting to access the network or that has access to the network: controlling network access of the host device according to the one or more network access zones associated with the state of the host device.