Patent ID: 8432799

Claim:
A proxy device, comprising: one or more interfaces that are configured to enable the proxy device to communicate with at least a second proxy device; and a processor that is configured to execute computer instructions that performs actions, including: receiving a packet; determining a destination for the received packet at least partly based on whether the packet is associated with an active session being processed by the proxy device, and on whether the received packet has been previously forwarded by the proxy device to the second proxy device; and when it is determined that the packet is unassociated with an active session being processed by the proxy device and the packet has been previously forwarded from the proxy device to the second proxy device, then: determining whether a proxy connection is reusable to a third proxy device associated with a destination end-terminal, and if so, then forwarding the packet to the third proxy device re-using the proxy connection, and when a proxy connection reuse is unavailable, performing a search for an unused connection to the third proxy device, and when the unused connection is found, establishing an active connection and forwarding the packet towards the destination end-terminal using the established active connection.