Patent ID: 7197660
Filing Date: 2007-03-27
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A recovery method for a network security system, the method comprising: providing a master device and a backup device within a cluster of network security devices; providing the backup device with state information for the master device, the state information relating to an ongoing set of connections through the master device and the state information including session information and keying material associated with secure remote connections; communicating control messages relating to a failure state of the master device and the backup device over an out-of-band connection and, when the out-of-band connection fails, communicating the control messages over an in-band connection; detecting failure in the cluster based on the control messages; and using the state information to recover from the failure by recovering the ongoing set of connections at the backup device, wherein the master device and the backup device are configured to simultaneously act as a backup device and a master device, respectively, for an additional set of ongoing connections.