Patent ID: 7702772

Claim:
A method operating on a proxy discoverer network device for determining network information, comprising: determining a network address to a network device that is a possible proxy device; if the possible proxy provides an open port: sending over the open port, a request towards a network device through the possible proxy device; monitoring a behavior of the other network device to the request; determining, based on the monitored behavior, a proxy type of the possible proxy device, wherein: determining the proxy type as a controlled-proxy or a non-proxy if the request fails to be received by the network device; determining the proxy type as an open-proxy if the request is received by the network device; and determining the proxy type as an anonymous-proxy based on a comparison between network header information included with the sent request and a network header information included with the received request; and varying a quality of service for a network traffic from the possible proxy device based on the proxy type, wherein varying the quality of service further comprises: if the proxy type is an open-proxy type or an anonymous-proxy type, providing the quality of service at a first level; and if the proxy type is an controlled-proxy type or a non-proxy type, providing the quality of service at a second level, wherein the second level is a higher level than the first level; and if the possible proxy does not provide an open port, indicating that the possible proxy is a non-proxy.