Patent ID: 7127742

Claim:
In a network environment that includes a public network and a private network, the public network including a client external to the private network, a method of a communications device of the external client establishing a secure connection over a public network to the private network without restricting the communications device to working through the private network, the method comprising the following: a specific act of the external client establishing a connection with a virtual private network access server of the private network over the public network using the communication device, the virtual private network server providing the external client access to the private network as though the external client is part of the private network; a specific act of the external client providing security to the connection through a communication protocol that resides at or above a socket layer in a protocol stack the external client uses to communicate data; a specific act of the external client maintaining a session that uses the secure connection to communicate with the private network; and during at least a portion of the specific act of the external client maintaining a session that uses the secure connection, a specific act of the communication device retaining the ability to establish a separate and distinct connection with another resource outside of the private network.