Patent ID: 8136144

Claim:
A communication control apparatus controlling communication through a firewall between an internal device connected to an internal network and an external device connected to an external network, the communication control apparatus comprising: an authenticating unit configured to perform authentication of the external device to decide whether the external device is authentic and to create a result of authentication indicative of whether the external device is authentic; a first storage unit configured to store therein the result of authentication associated with first identification information unique to the external device; a receiving unit configured to receive, from a server device that establishes communication between the external device and the internal device, a first message containing information that identifies a first application used for communication between the external device and the internal device, and the first identification information; a determining unit configured to: determine whether the external device is authentic based on the stored result of authentication associated with the first identification information contained in the first message; and determine whether the first application can be permitted; a generating unit configured to generate, when the determining unit determines that the external device is authentic and that the first application can be permitted, a second message to set a first port in the firewall, the first port being a port used for communication between the external device and the internal device using the first application; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit the second message generated by the generating unit to the firewall.