Abstract: A method for protecting firewall load balancers from a denial of service attack is provided. Packets are received by the firewall load balancer. Each packet has a source and a destination. The firewall load balancer is equipped with a connection database that can contain entries about the packets. Upon receipt of a packet, the connection database is queried to determine whether or not there is an entry for the received packet. If an entry is found in the database, the packet is forwarded to its destination. Otherwise, if the packet was received from a firewall, then a new connection entry for the packet is built and is saved to the connection database and the packet is forwarded on to its destination. If the packet does not have an entry (match) in the connection database and the packet was not received from a firewall, then the packet is forwarded to a firewall.

Abstract: An information service provider network includes a content gateway to process requests for information from a client terminal. The content gateway includes a router for receiving a request for information from the client terminal. The request includes a domain name and additional content. The router forwards the request according to the domain name to a selected one of a plurality of processors to further process the request. The selected one of the plurality of processors identifies an information source to satisfy the request in response to the additional content of the request.

Abstract: A method for protecting firewall load balancers from a denial of service attack is provided. Packets are received by the firewall load balancer. Each packet has a source and a destination. The firewall load balancer is equipped with a connection database that can contain entries about the packets. Upon receipt of a packet, the connection database is queried to determine whether or not there is an entry for the received packet. If an entry is found in the database, the packet is forwarded to its destination. Otherwise, if the packet was received from a firewall, then a new connection entry for the packet is built and is saved to the connection database and the packet is forwarded on to its destination. If the packet does not have an entry (match) in the connection database and the packet was not received from a firewall, then the packet is forwarded to a firewall.

Abstract: A network (10) includes a load balancer (18) that passes traffic between a client (14) and a gateway (20). For initial messages from a client (14), the load balancer (18) selects an appropriate gateway (20) for message processing. A session is then established between the client (14) and the appropriate gateway (20). The session is indicated by a session identifier. At any point, the client (14) may choose to suspend the session for later resumption. Upon suspension, the load balancer (18) keeps track of the session identifier and the appropriate gateway (20) associated with the session. Upon a resumption request from the client (14), the load balancer (18) determines which of the gateways (20) is associated with the resumption request according to the session identifier. In this manner, the client may continue a session with the same gateway (20) for seamless operation.

Abstract: A load balancer in a wireless access protocol network receives a request from a client terminal. The load balancer selects one of a plurality of gateways to process the request. The load balancer sends a re-direct message to the client terminal that includes information identifying the selected gateway. The client terminal then sends out a subsequent request that includes the information identifying the selected gateway. The subsequent request is transferred to the selected gateway for processing without further intervention by the load balancer.

Abstract: A method for protecting firewall load balancers from a denial of service attack is provided. Packets are received by the firewall load balancer. Each packet has a source and a destination. The firewall load balancer is equipped with a connection database that can contain entries about the packets. Upon receipt of a packet, the connection database is queried to determine whether or not there is an entry for the received packet. If an entry is found in the database, the packet is forwarded to its destination. Otherwise, if the packet was received from a firewall, then a new connection entry for the packet is built and is saved to the connection database and the packet is forwarded on to its destination. If the packet does not have an entry (match) in the connection database and the packet was not received from a firewall, then the packet is forwarded to a firewall.

Abstract: An information service provider network includes a content gateway to process requests for information from a client terminal. The content gateway includes a router for receiving a request for information from the client terminal. The request includes a domain name and additional content. The router forwards the request according to the domain name to a selected one of a plurality of processors to further process the request. The selected one of the plurality of processors identifies an information source to satisfy the request in response to the additional content of the request.

Abstract: An information service provider network includes a content gateway to process requests for information from a client terminal. The content gateway includes a router for receiving a domain name server query from an originator associated with a request for information. The router including a database defining a relationship between domain names and addresses associated with accelerated servicing of requests. The router determines whether the domain name of the domain name server query is indexed in the database. The domain name is qualified in response to the domain name being in the database. If qualified, the router sends an address to the originator of the query corresponding in the database to the domain name. The address is to a processor associated with the router that performs accelerated services on the request.