Patent ID: 7340771

Claim:
A method comprising: initiating a communication session between a protected node and a outside node, wherein initiating the communication session includes receiving, at the protected node, flow parameters regarding the communication session; and sending at least a portion of the flow parameters from the protected node to a firewall disposed along a communications path between the protected node and the outside node, wherein sending at least a portion of the flow parameters includes sending at least a portion of the flow parameters to a firewall-controlled proxy that includes an address associated with the firewall, wherein sending at least a portion of the flow parameters to a firewall-controlled proxy occurs after receiving the flow parameters at the protected node, and includes sending at least a portion of the flow parameters to a firewall-controlled proxy such that the firewall-controlled proxy sends at least a portion of the flow parameters to the firewall based upon the address of the firewall, and such that the firewall thereafter creates the at least one pinhole in the firewall based upon the portion of the flow parameters sent thereto, the at least one pinhole being created to thereby permit the transmission of information between the outside node and the protected node during the communication session.