Patent Publication Number: US-2021192016-A1

Title: Dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application is a continuation of and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 17/139,795 filed on Dec. 31, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/875,866 filed May 15, 2020, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,885,156 issued on Jan. 5, 2021, which is a continuation of and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/856,669 filed on Dec. 28, 2017, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,719,588 issued on Jul. 21, 2020, which is a continuation of and claims the priority benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/479,131 filed on Sep. 5, 2014, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,875,344 issued on Jan. 23, 2018. The disclosures of the above-referenced applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety for all purposes. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     This disclosure relates generally to dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device deployed in a network. 
     BACKGROUND 
     The approaches described in this section could be pursued, but are not necessarily approaches that have previously been conceived or pursued. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated, it should not be assumed that any of the approaches described in this section qualify as prior art merely by virtue of their inclusion in this section. 
     Traditionally, when new software is purchased, the customer receives a key, or authentication code that they must input when the software is first installed. This verifies to the software service provider that the customer has a valid copy of the software installed on the machine. The key, or authentication code, may be a long string of letters or numbers that is difficult to remember and type in accurately. The software service provider must then keep track of the valid authentication codes, to help a customer if a code is lost. This may become cumbersome, particularly when there are lots of customers. Thus, a system is needed that simplifies the process from the customer&#39;s standpoint as well as the software service provider&#39;s standpoint. 
     Also, a customer may purchase a 1-year license for software or a hardware device, but may end up only using the software or device a few times. Thus, a more fluid system is needed that allows a customer to purchase and maintain a license for the software or device that is commensurate with the amount it is actually used. Also, the licensor needs a mechanism whereby they can monitor the actual usage of the software or device to ensure compliance with license terms. 
     Other information can also be conveyed with licensing systems. In the prior art, this is done manually, which can be error-prone and labor intensive. Thus, an automated system to convey information with license authorization is needed. 
     Data centers may be used to provide computing infrastructure by employing a number of computing resources and associated components, such as telecommunication equipment, networking equipment, storage systems, backup power supplies, environmental controls, and so forth. A data center may provide a variety of services (e.g., web applications, email services, and search engine services) for a number of customers simultaneously. To provide these services, the computing infrastructure of the data center may run various software applications and store business and operational data. The computing resources distributed throughout the data center may be physical machines and/or virtual machines running on a physical host. 
     Computing resources of a data center may transmit and receive data packets via one or more interconnected networks, such as a Wide Area Network (WAN). Physical switches and routers can be distributed throughout the WAN and configured to connect various network segments and route the data packets within the network environment. It may be desirable to optimize or otherwise transform the data packets transmitted and received via the WAN. Routing of the data packets for optimization may be performed by configuring physical switches, routers, and/or other network appliances, to reroute the data packets to a data optimization virtual machine. However, involving reconfiguration of physical network components in data optimization may be costly and require complex coordination of various organizations and departments. 
     While there are many optimization techniques that can be accomplished in a WAN, many of these optimization techniques for data transfer across a network require symmetric network components. For example, if data packets are encoded on the transmitting end before transmission through the network, they must be decoded on the receiving end. Optimization techniques may be deployed on specialized hardware devices, or operate as software on other hardware devices. A service provider of an optimization device needs a mechanism to ensure that a customer&#39;s usage of the optimization device is within the authorized license, and also to dynamically monitor and re-authorize the optimization device on an as-needed basis. 
     SUMMARY 
     This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described in the Detailed Description below. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter. 
     A system for operation of an optimization device provided over a network is disclosed. The optimization device may require software to function in the network, for which a license needs to be purchased from the software provider. 
     In various embodiments, a portal may be located in a cloud. The portal may contain a database of information, such as service provider, customer name, customer&#39;s sites, and information regarding usage of the software at each site. There may be any number of portals located in the cloud. Each portal may have a database of information for a single service provider, or for any number of service providers. 
     When a customer initializes the software at a site for an optimization device, the customer may be prompted on the user interface to enter login information such as the name of the service provider, customer name, site, and password. Various fields may also be pre-configured such that the customer only need enter one or more fields. This, and other information, may be transmitted to the portal in an authorization request message. 
     After the login is successful, the optimization device receives an authorization response message from the portal. The authorization response message contains information regarding the available capability parameters for operating the optimization device. The capability parameters may be in the form of a specific time available for using the optimization device, an amount of data that can be transferred, and/or a limit rate of data that can be transferred in a specific period of time. The capability parameters may also comprise expiry parameters such as an expiry time or data limit for the optimization device, a warning time or data limit, and a refresh time or data limit. 
     In various embodiments, after a successful login, the device also receives site-specific configuration information from the portal to enable the customer to configure the software at their site. The site-specific configuration information may be included as part of the authorization response message, or may be in a separate message. 
     Upon expiration of a specified threshold, the optimization device may automatically send an updated authorization request message to the portal. The updated authorization request message may comprise information regarding the actual usage of the software and/or the time period for the usage. In response, the portal may send the optimization device an updated, authorization response message with an updated expiration time, and/or an additional allotment of data. The authorization response message may be refreshed periodically, such as hourly, or weekly, or on an as-needed basis. 
     In various embodiments, there may also be a firewall deployed between the portal and the optimization device. To enable the optimization device to communicate with the portal, the authorization request message may be communicated in a secure format such as HTTPS, which is permitted to transit the firewall. 
     In further embodiments, a device can access a remote service provider, such as a cloud-based service, by configuring the firewall at its location with specific parameters matching the firewall configuration for the cloud-based service. The firewall configuration information may be transmitted from the service provider to the optimization device via an authorization response message, or in a separate message, from the portal. 
     Furthermore, a secure data channel, such as an IPsec tunnel, may be established between the optimization device and the cloud-based service. The secure data channel may employ encryption or other network data optimization or acceleration techniques to transfer data between the optimization device and the service provider. Configuration information for the secure data channel may be transmitted to each end via the authorization request message and authorization response message from the portal. The portal may send corresponding tunnel configuration information to both ends, thereby automatically configuring a secure data channel between the optimization device at the customer site and the service provider in the cloud, without the need for any firewall configuration. 
     Furthermore, the software provider may be enabled to log into the portal and use the existing communications channel that has been established to remotely control and manage the optimization device, to aid in troubleshooting. In various embodiments, the customer may enable or disable the remote management feature. 
     In further exemplary embodiments, the above method steps may be stored on a machine-readable medium comprising instructions, which when implemented by one or more processors perform the steps of the method. In yet further examples, subsystems or devices can be adapted to perform the recited steps. Other features, examples, and embodiments are described below. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references indicate similar elements. 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary environment for the operation of an optimization device. 
         FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary optimization device. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device via a portal. 
         FIG. 4A  depicts an exemplary message sequence chart for the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device. 
         FIG. 4B  depicts an exemplary message sequence chart for the unsuccessful continued authorization of an optimization device. 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method for the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device by a portal. 
         FIG. 6  is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method performed by an optimization device for continued operation. 
         FIG. 7  depicts another exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device. 
         FIG. 8  depicts another exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The following detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show illustrations, in accordance with exemplary embodiments. These exemplary embodiments, which are also referred to herein as II examples,” are described in enough detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the present subject matter. The embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical changes can be made without departing from the scope of what is claimed. The following detailed description is therefore not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. In this document, the terms II a” and II an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one. In this document, the term II or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive II or,” such that II A or B” includes II A but not B,” 11 B but not A,” and II A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. 
     The embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented using a variety of technologies. For example, the methods described herein may be implemented in software executing on a computer system or in hardware utilizing either a combination of microprocessors or other specially designed application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable logic devices, or various combinations thereof. In particular, the methods described herein may be implemented by a series of computer-executable instructions residing on a storage medium, such as a disk drive, or computer-readable medium. 
     The embodiments described herein relate to the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device deployed in a network. 
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an exemplary environment  100  for the operation of an optimization device. As depicted, the environment  100  includes site  102 A in communication with site  102 B via a network  104 . Network  104  may include one or more interconnected networks, including a Wide Area Network (WAN), the Internet, Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), Backbone network, Storage Area Network (SAN), Advanced Intelligent Network (AIN), Local Area Network (LAN), Personal Area Network (PAN), and so forth. The network  104  may comprise a private network (e.g., a leased line network) or a public network (e.g., the Internet). The network  104  may include hardware and/or software elements that enable the exchange of information between the site  102 A and the site  102 B. Routers or switches may be used to connect the network  104  with the sites  102 A and  102 B, and local area networks thereof (e.g., the local area networks  110 A and  110 B). 
     Although two sites, the site  102 A and the site  102 B, are shown in  FIG. 1 , the environment  100  may comprise three or more sites and still fall within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. There may also only be one site within the scope of embodiments of the present invention. The site  102 A includes a computer  106 A and an optimization device  108 A coupled by a local area network (LAN)  110 A. Similarly, the site  102 B includes a computer  106 B and an optimization device  108 B coupled by a local area network  110 B. In various embodiments, the sites  102 A and  102 B may further include a router or switch (not shown). The router or switch may, for example, facilitate communication between the local area network  110 A and the network  104 , and between the local area network  110 B and the network  104 , which may be a wide area network. Other networking hardware may also be included in the sites  102 A and  102 B, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art. 
     The sites  102 A and  102 B may comprise physical locations, such as offices, office complexes, stores, homes, and other locally networked sites. The sites  102 A and  102 B may transfer data there between via the network  104 . In some embodiments, an application may run at one site and be accessed from another site. In such cases, application data may be transferred between the sites  102 A and  102 B. As discussed further herein, the data transferred between the sites  102 A and  102 B may be included in data packets. 
     The computers  106 A and  106 B may comprise a server, a client, a workstation, other computing devices, or the like. In some embodiments, the computers  106 A and  106 B may comprise other computing devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), a Smartphone, a pocket PC, and other various handheld or mobile devices. In some embodiments, one or both of the computers  106 A and  106 B may be substituted by a plurality of computers (not shown). In one embodiment, the plurality of computers may be located at one physical locale and be in communication via one or more optimization devices at the same physical locale. In accordance with some embodiments, one or more computers (e.g., the computers  106 A and  106 B) may be integrated with one or more optimization devices (e.g., the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B) as single systems. 
     According to exemplary embodiments, the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B, as well as any other optimization devices included in the environment  100 , provide optimization of data to reduce the amount of information traversing the network  104 . In one example, the optimization device may employ network memory to reduce the amount of information traversing the network  104  by one or more orders of magnitude enabling LAN-like performance of the network  104 . This may be achieved by eliminating a need to send data over the network  104  that has been previously sent. Network memory is discussed in further detail in U.S. Pat. No. 8,312,226 issued on Nov. 13, 2012 and entitled “Network Memory Appliance for Providing Data Based on Local Accessibility”. The disclosures of these patents are incorporated herein by reference. 
     Data optimization techniques may comprise compression/decompression, deduplication, Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) acceleration, performance enhancing proxy, packet reconstruction, error correction, or any other technique for optimizing data transfer between network appliances or devices. However, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that any optimization technique may be applied within the environment  100 . Optimization encoding and decoding may be symmetric transformations of data, such as compression/decompression, deduplication, etc. For example, data packets that are compressed at optimization device  108 A need to be decompressed at optimization device  108 B. Furthermore, asymmetric optimization techniques may also be used. For example, optimization device may employ TCP or application proxying, among other methods. 
     The optimization devices  108 A and  108 B may comprise one or more of a communications interface, a processor, a memory, or storage. Exemplary embodiments of the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B are discussed in connection with later figures. In some embodiments, the optimizations devices  108 A and  108 B may also be referred to herein as&#39; appliances&#39; or ‘devices.’ 
     Furthermore, the optimization devices  108 A or  108 B may be installed in-path (as depicted in  FIG. 1  with respect to the optimization device  108 A) or out-of-path (as depicted in  FIG. 1  with respect to the optimization device  108 B) in the local area networks  110 A and  110 B. The term ‘in-path,’ which may also be referred to as ‘in-line,’ describes installation configurations in which a device (e.g., the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B) is physically attached between two communication lines that make up some portion of the local area network. As such, for in-line installations, the optimization device  108 B may be installed between one or more computers  106 B and a router or switch (not shown) so that any data that flows through the local area network  110 B will necessarily flow through the optimization device  108 B. In some embodiments, some network appliances comprise identical hardware and/or software elements. Alternatively, in other embodiments, some network appliances may include hardware and/or software elements providing additional processing, communication, and storage capacity. 
     The term ‘out-of-path,’ on the other hand, describes installation configurations in which a device (e.g., the optimization device  108 A) taps into the local area network, but is not physically attached between two communication lines. In one embodiment where the optimization device  108 A is installed out-of-path, the optimization device  108 A is coupled to a router (not shown). A number of router protocols, such as web cache communication protocol (WCCP) and various protocols related to policy based routing (PBR), may allow the router to transparently route network traffic to the optimization device  108 A. In other embodiments, optimization devices  108 A and  108 B may be embodied as optimization software installed on computers  106 A and  106 B, instead of as separate hardware devices. 
     The local area networks  110 A and  110 B may cover a relatively small geographic range, such the sites  102 A and  102 B, and comprise one or more of a wired network (e.g., Ethernet) or a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi). The local area networks  110 A and  110 B may include hardware and/or software elements that enable the exchange of information (e.g., voice and data) between various computers  106 A and  106 B, devices (e.g., the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B), and other networking components, such as routers and switches (not shown). While  FIG. 1  depicts the optimization devices connected to the computer via a LAN, other types of networks, as discussed above, may also be used. For example, local area network  110 A may actually be a wide area network, or other type of network. 
       FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary optimization device  108 . The optimization device  108  may be similar to one or both of the optimization devices  108 A and  108 B. The optimization device  108  may include an interface module  202 , an optimization module  204 , and a storage module  206 . Although  FIG. 2  describes the optimization device  108  as including various modules and engines, fewer or more modules and engines may be included in the optimization device  108  and still fall within the scope of various embodiments. Additionally, various modules and engines of the optimization device  108  may be combined into a single module or engine. After a flow table  300  is used to populate an accumulating map, or on a certain periodic basis or activation of a condition, flow table  300  may be discarded by network appliance  110  and a new flow table is started. Similarly, after an accumulating map  400  is received by network information collector  180 , or on a certain periodic basis or activation of a condition, accumulating map  400  may be discarded by network appliance  110  and a new accumulating map is started. 
     The interface module  202  may be configured to facilitate communication between the optimization device  108  and one or more networks, such as local area networks  110 A,  110 B, or network  104 . For example, information such as packets and packet data may be transferred to and from the optimization device  108  by the interface module  202 . The interface module  202  may also receive information such as packets traversing a communication network, as described herein. In exemplary embodiments, the interface module  202  may be further configured to communicate with a global management system (not shown). The global management system may configure, monitor, and manage the optimization device  108  in real-time. 
     The optimization module  204  may perform various tasks related to the optimization device  108 . For example, the optimization module  204  may be configured to store and retrieve copies of the packets, or data therefrom, received by the interface module  202 . Furthermore, information stored by the optimization module  204 , such as the copies of the packets, or data therefrom, may be synchronized with that of other optimization devices in communication via the network  104 . Synchronization of the information may occur continuously, periodically, or after certain prompts, such as the interface module  202  receiving a packet of which a copy has not previously been stored by the optimization module  204 . Exemplary methods for synchronizing the information stored by various optimization devices, such as network memory devices, are described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,489,562 issued on Jul. 16, 2013 and entitled “Deferred Data Storage,” which is hereby incorporated by reference. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the copies of the packets may be stored in blocks by the optimization module  204 . Generally speaking, a block may be a collection of consecutive bytes of data that are read from or written to a memory device (such as a disk) as a group. In some cases, the block may be further described as a unit of information comprising one or more of identification codes, data, or error-checking codes. In one embodiment, each of the blocks comprises 256 kB. Additionally, the blocks may be referred to as ‘pages’ or ‘network memory pages. 
     The optimization module  204  may also be configured to determine ‘locally accessible data’ of other optimization devices. The locally accessible data of a given optimization device  108  may be described as data that is transferable to a computer by the given optimization device  108  without being transferred over the network  104 . Additionally, the locally accessible data may be stored internal to or external to the optimization devices  108 . The optimization device  108  may maintain data structures which track which data is locally accessible at each site  102 . In exemplary embodiments, the optimization device  108  may keep track of which blocks (e.g., 256 kB blocks or pages) are locally accessible at each site  102 . 
     The optimization module  204  may further comprise a compression/decompression engine that may be configured to compress packet data from packets that are being sent from within the site that includes the optimization device  108  to a remote site across the network  104 . The compression/decompression engine may be further configured to decompress the packet data from the packets that is received from the remote site. The compression and decompression of the packet may be based, at least partially, on predictions of subsequent characters. 
     The storage module  206  may be configured to store various types of information. For example, the storage module  206  may store copies of the packets, or data therefrom, received by the interface module  202  as local instances. The locally accessible data, in turn, may comprise the local instances and be stored by the storage module  206 . The locally accessible data may be stored as blocks in exemplary embodiments. Additionally, the storage module  206  may be synchronized with storage modules of other optimization devices, as discussed herein. 
     In one example, again referring to  FIG. 1 , the interface module  202  of the optimization device  108 A may receive a transferred packet sent by the computer  106 A directed to the computer  106 B over the network  104 . The compression/decompression engine of the optimization device  108 A may compress the packet data from the received packet. The compressed packet data may then be transferred over the network  104  to the optimization device  108 B. Accordingly, the compression/decompression engine of the optimization device  108 B may decompress the compressed packet data to obtain the packet data from the transferred packet as originally sent by the computer  106 A. 
       FIG. 3  depicts an exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device via a portal. In  FIG. 3 , optimization device  108 A is connected to a portal  302  through the network  308 . The portal  302  may maintain information about the authorization of the optimization device  108 A and receive information regarding its usage. The portal  302  may be located in a cloud, or in any other central location accessible to all optimization devices connected to one another via an overlay network. Portal  302  may provide service to multiple optimization devices simultaneously. In various embodiments, the portal  302  contains a database of information, such as service provider, customer name, information regarding the customer&#39;s sites, and usage of the optimization software at each site. Fewer or additional fields may also be stored in the database of information. There may be any number of portals located in the cloud. Each portal may have a database of information for a single service provider, or for any number of service providers. Additionally, the portal(s) may maintain data in other data structures other than a database, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. 
     In various embodiments, portal  302  maintains information regarding authorized parameters for the operation of each optimization device. Authorized parameters for an optimization device may comprise such information as data processing capacity, data processing capacity or operation time for a specified time period (such as a specified processing capacity or operation time for a single day, week, month, or year), cumulative data processing capacity or operation time, data rate limit, operation expiry time, operation expiry data limit, operation warning time, operating warning data limit, refresh time, refresh data limit, and/or other parameters for operation of the optimization device, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In an exemplary embodiment, an optimization device may be authorized to process 10 GB of data, regardless of time. In other embodiments, an optimization device may be authorized to process up to 10 GB of data within a specified number of days. 
     When a customer initializes the optimization device  108 A at a site, the customer may be prompted on the user interface to enter login information such as the name of the service provider, customer name, site, and password. Various fields may also be pre-configured such that the customer only need enter one or more fields, or none of the fields. Optimization device  108 A may obtain various login fields from the user, from the software container, or a combination of both. Certain parameters for pre-configuring optimization device  108 A may come from an OVA file (VMware format) and already be within the software container. At initialization, optimization device  108 A software may retrieve initialization parameters from the software container. As will be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, an OVA file (open virtual appliance or application) is one example of a software container. 
     As part of the initialization process, the optimization device  108 A sends the login information to the portal  302  in an authorization request message  304 . The authorization request message  304  comprises information about the optimization device  108 A, such as name of service provider, user name, password, any information regarding past usage, and/or other fields as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In various embodiments, the authorization request message  304  comprises fewer or additional data items, or any combination of data items. Also, in some embodiments, the components of the authorization request message  304  may be sent over multiple messages. 
     The portal  302  processes the authorization request, and determines authorized parameters for optimization device  108 A. Portal  302  sends an authorization response message  306  to the optimization device  108 A with information regarding capability parameters for operation of optimization device  108 A. The parameters permit or restrain various operations of the device, and contain information regarding one or more thresholds at which certain events occur. In exemplary embodiments, the parameters may comprise an amount of data that can be processed by the optimization device  108 A, a rate limit of data that can be processed by the optimization device  108 A within a specified period of time, an expiry time for the device, a time limit for the device to send a usage report to the portal  302 , and/or other information. The parameters may also comprise an amount of data that can be received or transmitted by the optimization device  108 A on the LAN side (through local area network  110 A), and/or an amount of data that can be received or transmitted on the WAN side (through network  308 ). In various embodiments, the authorization response message  306  comprises fewer or additional data items, or any combination of data items, as will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The authorization response message  306  may also be comprised of multiple individual messages. 
     The authorization response message  306  may authorize the optimization device  108 A to operate for a discrete period of time. Any discrete time period may be authorized by the authorization response message. In exemplary embodiments, the authorization response message  306  also comprises a device expiry time or data limit, warning time or data limit, and a refresh time or data limit at which the optimization device  108 A should send another authorization request message before an expiry parameter is reached. For example, if optimization device  108 A is authorized to process 10 GB of data before the expiry time, the authorization response message  306  may specify that the optimization device  108 A should send a new authorization request message when 6 GB of data has been processed, a warning should be sent when 8 GB of data has been processed and no updated authorization response message has been received, and the optimization device  108 A should be disabled when 10 GB of data has been processed without an updated authorization response message with updated capability parameters being received by the optimization device  108 A. 
     In an exemplary embodiment, the portal  302  may receive successful login information from an optimization device  108 A in an authorization request message  304  on any given date, such as May 1, 2014. The portal  302  may contain information that the device is authorized to operate for one year, i.e. until Apr. 30, 2015. The portal  302  may send the device an authorization response message that states that the device is authorized to operate until May 31, 2014 and must report its usage to the portal  302  by May 30, 2014. 
     Portal  302  may specify to optimization device  108 A that its usage information must be reported back to it on a periodic schedule, when a certain threshold has been surpassed (such as a certain amount of time, specified date, or amount of data processed), or as requested by a network administrator. 
     Before a device&#39;s allotted authorized parameter(s) is depleted, the optimization device  108 A may automatically send an updated authorization request message to the portal  302 . The updated authorization request message may comprise information regarding the actual usage of the software, the time period for the usage, and/or other data items from the original authorization request message  304 , as discussed above. 
     In response, the portal  302  may send the optimization device  108 A an updated authorization response message with updated capability parameters. The updated capability parameters may comprise an additional allotment of time and/or data processing capacity for optimization device  108 A. The updated authorization response message may be refreshed periodically, such as hourly, weekly, on an as-needed basis, or at a time specified by a previous authorization response message. 
     In exemplary embodiments, if the expiry parameter is reached before the portal  302  receives usage information from the optimization device  108 A, portal  302  will not send optimization device  108 A an updated authorization response message. In this case, optimization device  108 A may undertake an expiry action, such as ceasing to operate and the data traffic flowing to the device through network  308  or computer  106 A may be dropped. In various embodiments, the data traffic may be passed through the device without the application of any data optimization techniques, the data traffic may be forwarded to another optimization device with limited data optimization applied, or optimization device  108 A may operate at a limited capacity. To extend the expiry date of optimization device  108 A, the device must report its usage to the portal  302  in an updated authorization request message, or in a separate message. 
     In various embodiments, the authorization response message  306  may also contain configuration information from portal  302  to enable the customer at site  102 A to configure systems at site  102 A. The configuration information may also be applicable to multiple sites of the customer. The configuration information may be site-specific, customer-specific, or any other type of configuration information. The configuration information may be included as part of the authorization response message  306 , or may be in a separate message. 
     In various embodiments, site  102 A may also comprise a firewall  312 A, deployed between the portal  302  and the optimization device  108 A. The optimization device  108 A sends an authorization request message  304  to portal  302  through firewall  312 A. Typically, in order for the optimization device  108 A to receive an authorization response message  306 , the communication should be initiated by the optimization device  108 A, or the firewall  312 A will block the incoming message. In these embodiments, the optimization device  108 A cannot receive an authorization response message until an authorization request message is first sent by the optimization device. As such, the optimization device will not continue to be authorized to operate if usage information to monitor the optimization device is not sent by optimization device  108 A to portal  302 . 
     Optimization device  108 A may transmit authorization request message  304  to portal  302  in a secure format, such as an https message, or any other secure format as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. The secure format of the authorization request message (such as an HTTPS message) may allow the message from optimization device  108 A to traverse firewall  312 A. The portal  302  may also transmit the authorization response message through a secure format to optimization device  108 A. The authorization response message from portal  302  can traverse firewall  312 A since the request initiated from optimization device  108 A. 
       FIG. 4A  depicts an exemplary message sequence chart for the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device  108 . In the initialization phase of optimization device  108 , the device sends an authorization request message to portal  302 , in step  402 . Initialization may occur upon first installation of optimization device  108 , or upon re-starting of the device, such as after a power failure. As discussed herein, the initial authorization request message may comprise login information such as service provider, customer name, site, and password. In step  404 , portal  302  processes the authorization request, by verifying the information in the authorization request message. Portal  302  determines authorized capability parameters for optimization device  108  in step  406 , and transmits an authorization response message with these capability parameters in step  408 . As discussed herein, authorization response message may comprise any or all of a number of data items, including, but not limited to, a time for device  108  to send an updated authorization request (also referred to herein as a ‘refresh time’), a warning time, and an expiry time for optimization device 
     After initialization, continued authorization of optimization device  108  proceeds by the optimization device  108  transmitting an updated authorization request message in step  410  to portal  302 . The updated authorization request message includes usage information of the device, time, and/or other parameters as specified by the initial capability parameters. In step  414 , portal  302  processes the updated authorization request, which may comprise determining that the usage information is current and within the allotted limit for the device. If the usage information is not within the allotted limit for the device, then portal  302  may or may not reply. If a reply is sent, it is with parameters to constrain further operations, as described further below in reference to  FIGS. 4A and 4B . If the usage information is within the allotted limit, portal  302  determines updated capability parameters for the device in step  416 , including an updated time for next authorization request (refresh time) and an updated expiry time (item  424  in  FIG. 4A ). Portal  302  transmits an updated authorization response message with these updated capability parameters to optimization device  108  in step  420 . In order for optimization device  108  to avoid an expiry action, the device must receive the updated authorization response for continued operation before the initial expiry time  422  specified in the initial authorization response message from step  408  is reached. Updated authorization request and response messages may continue to be transmitted and received any number of times between optimization device  108  and portal  302  for continued operation of the device. 
       FIG. 4B  depicts an exemplary message sequence chart for the unsuccessful continued authorization of an optimization device  108 . In the exemplary embodiment depicted, a last expiry time  430  is reached before updated capability parameters are received by the optimization device  108  from portal  302 . The last expiry time  430  may comprise the initial expiry time  422 , updated expiry time  424 , or any subsequent expiry time received by the optimization device  108  in an authorization response message from portal  302 . Optimization device  108  may not receive updated capability parameters from portal  302  for any number of reasons, such as failure to transmit an updated authorization request message, failure to transmit current usage information in the updated authorization request message, a determination by portal  302  that optimization device  108  has depleted its authorized allotment for operation, or the updated authorization request or response message may have been dropped or delayed by network  308 . 
     Since optimization device  108  is not authorized to continue to operate beyond the last expiry time  430 , it performs an expiry action in step  432 . As discussed herein, an expiry action may comprise the device ceasing to operate altogether, operating without any optimization, or operating at a limited capacity. 
     In some embodiments, optimization device  108  may continue to attempt to become operational again by sending an updated authorization request message in step  434  to portal  302 . In an exemplary embodiment, portal  302  may process the authorization request in step  436  and transmit an authorization response message with capability parameters including the last expiry time  430  or some other time in the past, in step  438 . Since the expiry time in the capability parameters received by the optimization device  108  is already past, the device is not authorized to continue to operate. 
     In another exemplary embodiment, optimization device  108  may transmit an updated authorization request message to portal  302  in step  440 . Portal  302  may process the authorization request and determine that the request is deficient and optimization device  108  is not authorized to continue to operate. The request may be deficient for any number of reasons, such as not including a usage report, a usage report being outdated, or the authorized allotment of optimization device  108  having been depleted. In some embodiments, portal  302  simply does not respond to the updated authorization request message from step  440  after determining in step  442  that optimization device  108  is not authorized to continue to operate. 
     After failing to receive updated capability parameters, optimization device  108  may continue to send an updated authorization request message in step  444  to portal  302 . Again, the portal  302  may determine in step  446  that optimization device  108  is not authorized to continue to operate, and simply not respond to the updated authorization request message from step  444 . In various embodiments, after the expiry action is performed in step  432 , optimization device  108  may continue to transmit an updated authorization request message to attempt to become operational again a specified number of times, at specified intervals, upon initiation by a user of the optimization device  108 , or as directed by a network administrator. 
     Optimization device  108  may also continue to send updated authorization request messages to portal  302  at increasing intervals. For example, optimization device  108  may send updated authorization request message  434  to portal  302  at 5 minutes past the expiry action, whereas updated authorization request message  440  may be transmitted at 30 minutes past the expiry action, and updated authorization request message  444  may be transmitted at 90 minutes past the expiry action. In other embodiments, multiple days or months may transpire between optimization device  108  transmitting updated authorization request messages to portal  302 . 
     Furthermore, as time passes, optimization device  108  may undertake progressively increasing expiry actions. For example, at a certain time limit, optimization device  108  may continue to optimize data traffic but at a limited rate. At a later time limit, optimization device  108  may simply pass network data through without applying any optimization techniques. At an even later time limit, optimization device  108  may cease to operate entirely. Even though optimization device  108  ceases to operate, it may still continue to re-authorize its operation by continuing to transmit authorization request messages to portal  302 . 
     While the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 4B  refers to capability parameters as time limits, other thresholds are also applicable as discussed herein. For example, an expiry parameter of an expiry data limit may be used, instead of expiry time. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method  500  for the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device by a portal. The method may be performed by one or more optimization devices in the network. Additionally, steps of the method may be performed in varying orders or concurrently. Furthermore, various steps may be added, removed, or combined in the method and still fall within the scope of the present invention. 
     In step  502 , portal  302  receives an updated authorization request message from an optimization device  108 . Portal  302  processes the request and determines whether the authorization request message contains current information regarding the usage of the optimization device  108 , in step  504 . As discussed herein, usage information can be a data amount transmitted, data amount received, data rate limit, device operation time, or any other parameter(s) for operation of the optimization device  108 . 
     Portal  302  then determines if continued usage of optimization device  108  is authorized in step  506 . Continued usage may be authorized if the updated authorization request message contains current usage information, and/or device  108  has not exceeded authorized operational limits. If continued usage of optimization device  108  is authorized, portal  302  determines new capability parameters for the device in step  508  and transmits these in an updated authorization response message to the optimization device  108  in step  510 . Portal  302  then waits for the next updated authorization request message from the optimization device  108 . 
     If continued device usage is not authorized, portal  302  may either send the optimization device  108  a response message with capability parameters that constrain operations, such as an expiry time less than or equal to the current time, in step  512 . Portal  302  may also respond to optimization device  108  in other ways as well, such as with a flag or message stating that the request to continue operations is denied. As will be understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, these are just two examples of ways that portal  302  can signal to optimization device  108  that its continued operation is not authorized. Alternatively, portal  302  may simply not reply to the request message, as depicted in step  514 . Portal  302  may continue to wait for a next updated authorization request message from the optimization device  108 . In exemplary embodiments, if an updated authorization request message with current usage information is not received by portal  302  within a specified time frame, the expiry time for optimization device  108  may be reached without an authorization response message being transmitted to the device. As discussed herein, optimization device  108  may then be disabled or operate at limited capacity until a new authorization response message is received by the device. While the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 5  refers to an expiry time capability parameter, other types of thresholds are also applicable as discussed herein. For example, portal  302  may determine whether device usage is authorized in step  506  based on an authorized data limit. If not, then the portal may send a message to the optimization device to constrain operations, such as with an expiry data limit less than or equal to the amount used, in step  512 . 
       FIG. 6  is a flowchart depicting an exemplary method  600  performed by an optimization device for continued operation. In step  602 , optimization device  108  determines whether a current time or data amount used is greater than or equal to an expiry parameter determined from the most recent authorization response message received by the device. If the current time or data amount used is greater than or equal to the expiry parameter, then optimization device  108  performs an expiry action in step  604 . As discussed herein, the expiry action may comprise the device ceasing to operate, or operating at a limited capacity. In step  606 , optimization device  108  sets a time or data amount threshold for transmitting a next authorization request message that is greater than the current time or data amount used, and sends the request message to portal  302  at the specified time. 
     If the current time or data usage is not greater than or equal to the device&#39;s expiry parameter, optimization device  108  determines if the current time or data usage is greater than or equal to a warning parameter, in step  608 . If so, a warning is displayed in step  610 . The warning may be displayed on a graphical user interface of the optimization device  108 , or may be transmitted to the user of the optimization device  108  by email, by simple network management protocol (SNMP) trap, or any other means. In exemplary embodiments, the optimization device  108  may automatically send an updated authorization request message to portal  302  if the warning threshold has been reached or exceeded. 
     If the current time is not greater than or equal to the device&#39;s warning parameter, optimization device  108  determines in step  612  if the current time is greater than or equal to a refresh parameter specified by the last authorization response message received by the device. If so, the device sends an updated authorization request message to portal  302  in step  614 . The device may optionally also set a threshold time or data usage for a next authorization request message to be sent to the portal if no response is received. 
     In step  616 , the device determines if an authorization response has been received from portal  302 . If so, some or all threshold limits (expiry parameter, warning parameter, and refresh parameter) may be updated in step  618  in accordance with the capability parameters from the authorization response message. The device then continues to check whether any of the updated threshold limits have been exceeded by returning to step  602 . If no authorization response message is received in step  616 , then the device may set a threshold for sending a next request in step  620  and return to step  602  to continue to check whether the most recent threshold limits have been exceeded. 
     In various embodiments, optimization device  108  may continue this loop for a set number of times as determined by initial configuration settings of the optimization device  108 , as specified by an authorization response message, or as directed by a network administrator. 
     While the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 6  has been described in terms of threshold time limits, other parameters for operating the device may also be used for the threshold limits, as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, optimization device  108  may use data processing capacity as the parameter, and check whether the capacity has exceeded an expiry amount, warning amount, or refresh amount. 
       FIG. 7  depicts another exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 7 , optimization device  108 A is at a customer site, and optimization device  108 B is at a service provider&#39;s site. Optimization devices  108 A and  108 B are in communication with portal  302 . In an exemplary embodiment, optimization device  108 B may be located in a cloud, and the service provider may be a cloud-based service, managed by service provider manager  704  via a management interface. Communications between the various devices of  FIG. 7  may occur over a network, or multiple inter-connected networks, like the Internet. As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, there can be any number of hops along the one or more networks connecting the various devices of  FIG. 7 . 
     In various embodiments, optimization device  108 A at customer site is protected by firewall  712 A. The service provider&#39;s site, including optimization device  108 B, is protected by firewall  712 B. Firewalls  712 A and  712 B may be software firewalls, or hardware firewalls. To access the service provider, firewall  712 B at service provider&#39;s site needs to be configured to allow incoming data traffic from the customer using optimization device  108 A. 
     As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, each firewall may be configured to allow or deny communication using any number of parameters. For example, firewall  712 B may be configured to only allow incoming communication from optimization device  108 A if it originates from a certain port, IP address or subnet, or the communication is of a certain protocol. Furthermore, firewall  712 B may be configured to allow incoming communication from optimization device  108 A only if optimization device  108 B has previously sent optimization device  108 A an outgoing message. 
     In various embodiments, optimization device  108 A, optimization device  108 B, and service provider manager  704  can access portal  302  using a common protocol, such as HTTP or HTTPS. Even though optimization device  108 A is behind firewall  712 A and optimization device  108 B and service provider manager  704  are behind firewall  712 B, each entity can traverse the firewalls and communicate with portal  302  if it initiates the communication with portal  302 . 
     To enable optimization device  108 A to communicate with optimization device  108 B through firewall  712 B, the service provider manager  704  may send firewall configuration information to portal  302 , and also send corresponding firewall configuration information to firewall  712 B at the service provider&#39;s site. Portal  302  may in turn send this information to optimization device  108 A through an authorization response message, or in a separate message. For example, optimization device  108 A sends portal  302  an authorization request message  304  to become operational, or continue to operate. As part of the authorization request message  304 , or in a separate message, optimization device  108 A can also request configuration information to connect to optimization device  108 B at a service provider. 
     Portal  302  then transmits an authorization response message to optimization device  108 A, authorizing the device to operate for a certain period of time. As part of the authorization response message, or in a separate message, portal  302  also transmits configuration information to optimization device  108 A that specifies parameters to allow data traffic from optimization device  108 A to correspond to configured parameters of firewall  712 B so that optimization devices  108 A and  108 B can communicate with each other without being blocked by firewalls  712 A and  712 B. 
     Similarly, portal  302  may also send firewall configuration information to optimization device  108 B through an authorization response message, or in a separate message. Service provider manager  704  may also configure firewall  712 B directly. Since optimization device  108 A and firewall  712 B have compatible firewall configuration information from service provider manager  704 , data traffic may also flow from optimization device  108 B to optimization device  108 A. 
     In various embodiments, a secure communications channel is also established between optimization device  108 A and optimization device  108 B. The channel is depicted in  FIG. 7  as tunnel  710 . To enable the establishment of tunnel  710 , the service provider sends to portal  302  configuration information for tunnel  710  via a management interface at service provider manager  704 . Portal  302  may in turn send this information to optimization device  108 A in an authorization response message  306 , or in a separate message. In this way, portal  302  maintains information necessary to enable the establishment of tunnel  710 . Since tunnel configuration information transmitted to optimization device  108 A originates from a single location (service provider manager  704 ), the configuration information for tunnel  710  should be compatible between the customer site and the service provider&#39;s site, facilitating the establishment of tunnel  710 . This reduces the possibility of errors introduced by two independent configuration steps. As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, tunnel configuration information may comprise tunnel parameters, encryption keys, network addresses, or any other information to facilitate the establishment of the communication channel. 
     Tunnel  710  may be any type of secure communications channel, such as an SSL/TLS or Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel, and facilitates data transfer between optimization device  108 A and optimization device  108 B by traversing any firewalls, such as firewalls  712 A and  712 B. In exemplary embodiments, tunnel  710  may carry data traveling between optimization devices  108 A and  108 B. The data may have one or more data optimization techniques applied to it by optimization devices  108 A and/or  108 B as discussed herein, such as data deduplication, performance enhancing proxy, acceleration, WAN optimization, encryption, compression, etc. 
     In exemplary embodiments, the service provider can remotely access optimization device  108 A via portal  302  to help debug any connection problems between optimization devices  108 A and  108 B, and manage optimization device  108 A. The service provider may be able to manage optimization device  108 A tunnel  710 , and will not be blocked from accessing optimization device  108 A by firewall  712 A since tunnel  710  is already set up. Or, the service provider may manage optimization device  108 A via portal  302 , even if tunnel  710  is not operational or firewall  712 A blocks incoming communication from the service provider. The service provider can still remotely access optimization device  108 A through portal  302 , since the communication channel between optimization device  108 A and portal  302  is already available. In various embodiments, a user at optimization device  108 A may enable or disable a remote management feature to allow or disallow a service provider from accessing optimization device  108 A. 
       FIG. 8  depicts another exemplary environment for dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device. In the exemplary embodiment of  FIG. 8 , optimization device  108 A is at a customer site, and optimization device  108 B is at a service provider&#39;s site. Optimization devices  108 A and  108 B are in communication with portal  302 . In an exemplary embodiment, optimization device  108 B may be located in a cloud, and the service provider may be a cloud-based service, managed by service provider manager  704  via a management interface. Communications between the various devices of  FIG. 8  may occur over a network, or multiple inter-connected networks, like the Internet. As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, there can be any number of hops along the one or more networks connecting the various devices of  FIG. 8 . 
     In various embodiments, optimization device  108 A is protected by firewall  712 A. The service provider&#39;s site, including optimization device  108 B, is protected by firewall  712 B. Firewalls  712 A and  712 B may be software firewalls, or hardware firewalls. To access the service provider, firewall  712 B at service provider&#39;s site needs to be configured to allow incoming data traffic from the customer using optimization device  108 A. 
     As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, each firewall may be configured to allow or deny communication using any number of parameters. For example, firewall  712 B may be configured to only allow incoming communication from optimization device  108 A if it originates from a certain port, IP address or subnet, or the communication is of a certain protocol. Furthermore, firewall  712 B may be configured to allow incoming communication from optimization device  108 A only if optimization device  108 B has previously sent optimization device  108 A an outgoing message. 
     In various embodiments, optimization device  108 A, optimization device  108 B, and service provider manager  704  can access portal  302  using a common protocol, such as http or https. Even though optimization device  108 A is behind firewall  712 A and optimization device  108 B and service provider manager  704  are behind firewall  712 B, each entity can traverse the firewalls and communicate with portal  302  if it initiates the communication with portal  302 . 
     To enable optimization device  108 A to communicate with optimization device  108 B through firewall  712 B, the service provider manager  704  may send firewall configuration information to portal  302 , and also send corresponding firewall configuration information to firewall  712 B at the service provider&#39;s site. Portal  302  may in turn send this information to optimization device  108 A through an authorization response message, or in a separate message. For example, optimization device  108 A sends portal  302  an authorization request message  304  to become operational, or continue to operate. As part of the authorization request message  304 , or in a separate message, optimization device  108 A can also request configuration information to connect to optimization device  108 B at a service provider. 
     Portal  302  then transmits an authorization response message to optimization device  108 A, authorizing the device to operate for a certain period of time. As part of the authorization response message, or in a separate message, portal  302  also transmits configuration information to optimization device  108 A that specifies parameters to allow data traffic from optimization device  108 A to correspond to configured parameters of firewall  712 B so that optimization devices  108 A and  108 B can communicate with each other without being blocked by firewalls  712 A and  712 B. 
     Similarly, portal  302  may also send firewall configuration information to optimization device  108 B through an authorization response message, or in a separate message. Service provider manager  704  may also configure firewall  712 B directly. Since optimization device  108 A and firewall  712 B have compatible firewall configuration information from service provider manager  704 , data traffic may also flow from optimization device  108 B to optimization device  108 A. 
     In various embodiments, a secure communications channel is established between optimization device  108 A and firewall  712 B. The channel is depicted in  FIG. 8  as tunnel  810 . To enable the establishment of tunnel  810 , the service provider sends to portal  302  configuration information for tunnel  810  via a management interface at service provider manager  704 . Portal  302  may in turn send this information to optimization device  108 A in an authorization response message  306 , or in a separate message. In this way, portal  302  maintains information necessary to enable the establishment of tunnel  810 . Similarly, service provider manager  704  may configure the firewall at the service provider&#39;s site, firewall  712 B, to allow incoming traffic via tunnel  810 . The firewall  712 B also maintains configuration information for tunnel  810 , and may also be configured to allow the creation of a VPN tunnel. 
     Since tunnel configuration information transmitted to optimization device  108 A originates from a single location (service provider manager  704 ), the configuration information for tunnel  810  will be compatible at each site, facilitating the establishment of tunnel  810 . As understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art, tunnel configuration information may comprise tunnel parameters, encryption keys, network addresses, or any other information to facilitate the establishment of the communication channel. 
     Tunnel  810  may be any type of secure communications channel, such as an SSL/TLS or Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel, and facilitates data transfer between optimization device  108 A and optimization device  108 B by traversing any firewalls, such as firewalls  712 A and  712 B. In exemplary embodiments, tunnel  810  may carry data traveling between optimization devices  108 A and  108 B. The data may have one or more data optimization techniques applied to it by optimization devices  108 A and/or  108 B as discussed herein, such as data deduplication, performance enhancing proxy, acceleration, WAN optimization, encryption, compression, etc. 
     Thus, methods and systems for the dynamic monitoring and authorization of an optimization device are disclosed. Although embodiments have been described with reference to specific example embodiments, it will be evident that various modifications and changes can be made to these example embodiments without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, these and other variations upon the exemplary embodiments are intended to be covered by the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.