Patent ID: 8331372

Claim:
A method for enabling an operative coupling to a network, the method comprising: detecting, by a network relay including a first network interface hardware component operatively coupled to a first network, first data for forwarding between a first node in the first network and an other node, wherein, detecting the first data for forwarding includes determining that a forwarding condition is met, wherein determining the forwarding condition is met includes: determining an attribute of the first data matches a forwarding criterion identified by the forwarding condition, wherein at least one of the attribute and the forwarding criterion is based on at least one of the first network, the second network, the first node, the second node, a protocol for at least one of sending and receiving the first data, at least one of an application sending the first data and an application identified as a recipient of the first data, a user identified with the first data, a node in a network path in a route in communicating the first data, a type of at least a portion of the first data, a pattern included in the first data, a value included in the first data, a geospatial location of a node included in communicating the first data, a sender of the first data, a receiver of the first data, and a relationship between a sender of the first data and a receiver of the first data; determining that a second operative coupling of a second network interface hardware component in the network relay to a second network is disabled, while an enabled operative coupling exists between the second network and a network interface hardware component included in a second node; in response to detecting the first data for forwarding, configuring the second network interface hardware component to enable the second operative coupling; and forwarding, via the enabled second operative coupling, data received for forwarding between the first network and the second network.