Methods for service chaining and devices thereof

Description

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62/636,929, filed Mar. 1, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

FIELD

This technology generally relates to methods and systems for service chaining in a network environment.

BACKGROUND

With prior technologies, service chaining in a communication network has been utilized to perform various functions including applying various services to data traffic requested by a client device. In particular, one of these applied services on data traffic has been a virus removal service where the data traffic is passed through antivirus scanner devices to detect, prevent, and remove viruses and other malicious threats. Unfortunately, these antivirus scanner devices are very expensive so this prior practice of routing all data traffic through antivirus scanner devices can be cost prohibitive and is not efficient.

SUMMARY

A method for service chaining, implemented in cooperation with a network traffic management system comprising one or more network traffic management modules, server modules, additional service modules, security service chaining modules or client modules, includes sending a server response to a client request from a requesting client device to a service chaining device. A modified server response from the service chaining device is received based on a correlation of the server response to one or more service policies. A determination is made on whether the modified server response requires additional processing by one or more additional service chaining devices based on the modified server response. The processed server response is received from the one or more additional service chaining devices when the determination indicated processing was required. The processed server response is transmitted to the requesting client device.

A network traffic management apparatus including memory including programmed instructions stored thereon and one or more processors configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to send a server response to a client request from a requesting client device to a service chaining device. A modified server response from the service chaining device is received based on a correlation of the server response to one or more service policies. A determination is made on whether the modified server response requires additional processing by one or more additional service chaining devices based on the modified server response. The processed server response is received from the one or more additional service chaining devices when the determination indicated processing was required. The processed server response is transmitted to the requesting client device.

A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for including executable code that, when executed by one or more processors, causes the processors to send a server response to a client request from a requesting client device to a service chaining device. A modified server response from the service chaining device is received based on a correlation of the server response to one or more service policies. A determination is made on whether the modified server response requires additional processing by one or more additional service chaining devices based on the modified server response. The processed server response is received from the one or more additional service chaining devices when the determination indicated processing was required. The processed server response is transmitted to the requesting client device.

A network traffic management system includes one or more network traffic management modules, server modules, additional service modules, security service chaining modules or client modules, memory comprising programmed instructions stored thereon, and one or more processors configured to be capable of executing the stored programmed instructions to send a server response to a client request from a requesting client device to a service chaining device. A modified server response from the service chaining device is received based on a correlation of the server response to one or more service policies. A determination is made on whether the modified server response requires additional processing by one or more additional service chaining devices based on the modified server response. The processed server response is received from the one or more additional service chaining devices when the determination indicated processing was required. The processed server response is transmitted to the requesting client device.

This technology has a number of advantages including providing methods, non-transitory computer readable media, network traffic management apparatuses, and network traffic management systems that dynamically provide service chaining of devices where services are enabled as needed based on analysis of the response prior to final transmission of the modified response to the requesting client. With this technology, the requests are transmitted between the network traffic management apparatus and the service chaining devices in a manners so that only the responses are modified. As a result, any number of services can be seamlessly chained together with no externally visible side effects, such as redirects or duplicate requests.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary network traffic management system with a network traffic management apparatus;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary network traffic management apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for service chaining through Just-In-Time (JIT) virtual hosting; and

FIG. 4 is a functional diagram of illustrating an exemplary chain service processing flow between devices.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An exemplary network environment which incorporates an exemplary network traffic management system 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The network traffic management system 10 in this example includes a network traffic management apparatus 12 that is coupled to a service chaining device 13, a plurality of additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), a plurality of server devices 14(1)-14(n), and a plurality of client devices 16(1)-16(n) via communication network(s) 18, although the network traffic management apparatus 12, server devices 14(1)-14(n), and/or client devices 16(1)-16(n) may be coupled together via other topologies. Additionally, the network traffic management system 10 may include other network devices such as one or more routers and/or switches, for example, which are well known in the art and thus will not be described herein. This technology provides a number of advantages including methods, non-transitory computer readable media, network traffic management systems, and network traffic management apparatuses that dynamically provide service chaining of devices where services are enabled as needed based on analysis of the response prior to final transmission of the modified response to the requesting client.

In this particular example, the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, the server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), and the client devices 16(1)-16(n) are disclosed in FIG. 1 as dedicated hardware devices. However, one or more of the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, the server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), or the client devices 16(1)-16(n) can also be implemented in software within one or more other devices in the network traffic management system 10. As used herein, the term “module” refers to either an implementation as a dedicated hardware device or apparatus, or an implementation in software hosted by another hardware device or apparatus that may be hosting one or more other software components or implementations.

As one example, the network traffic management apparatus 12, as well as any of its components, models, or applications, can be a module implemented as software executing on one of the server devices 14(1)-14(n), and many other permutations and types of implementations can also be used in other examples. Moreover, any or all of the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, the server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), and the client devices 16(1)-16(n), can be implemented, and may be referred to herein, as a module.

Referring to FIGS. 1-2, the network traffic management apparatus 12 of the network traffic management system 10 may perform any number of functions, including providing network security, load balancing network traffic across the server devices 14(1)-14(n), or accelerating network traffic associated with an application hosted by one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n), for example. The network traffic management apparatus 12 in this example includes one or more processor(s) 20, a memory 22, and a communication interface 24, which are coupled together by a bus 26, although the network traffic management apparatus 12 can include other types or numbers of elements in other configurations.

The processor(s) 20 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 may execute programmed instructions stored in the memory 22 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 for the any number of the functions identified above. The processor(s) 20 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 may include one or more CPUs or general purpose processors with one or more processing cores, for example, although other types of processor(s) can also be used.

The memory 22 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 stores these programmed instructions for one or more aspects of the present technology as described and illustrated herein, although some or all of the programmed instructions could be stored elsewhere. A variety of different types of memory storage devices, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, solid state drives, flash memory, or other computer readable medium which is read from and written to by a magnetic, optical, or other reading and writing system that is coupled to the processor(s) 20, can be used for the memory 22.

Accordingly, the memory 22 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 can store one or more applications that can include computer executable instructions that, when executed by the network traffic management apparatus 12, cause the network traffic management apparatus 12 to perform actions, such as to transmit, receive, or otherwise process messages, for example, and to perform other actions described and illustrated below with reference to FIGS. 3-4. The application(s) can be implemented as modules or components of other applications. Further, the application(s) can be implemented as operating system extensions, module, plugins, or the like.

Even further, the application(s) may be operative in a cloud-based computing environment. The application(s) can be executed within or as virtual machine(s) or virtual server(s) that may be managed in a cloud-based computing environment. Also, the application(s), and even the network traffic management apparatus 12 itself, may be located in virtual server(s) running in a cloud-based computing environment rather than being tied to one or more specific physical network computing devices. Also, the application(s) may be running in one or more virtual machines (VMs) executing on the network traffic management apparatus 12. Additionally, in one or more examples of this technology, virtual machine(s) running on the network traffic management apparatus 12 may be managed or supervised by a hypervisor.

In this particular example, the memory of the network traffic management apparatus 12 includes a response storage 28 and content policy module 30, although the memory 22 can include other policies, modules, databases, or applications, for example. The response storage 28 is a data store, which stores copies of server responses sent by client devices 16(1)-16(n). The server responses may include modified server responses. The content policy module 30 stores policies associated with file types included in a client requested by the client devices 16(1)-16(n).

The response storage 28 stores server responses received from client devices 16(1)-16(n). The network traffic management apparatus 12 receives client requests from client devices 16(1)-16(n), requesting content at one or more server devices 14(1)-14(n). When the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives the server responses, the network traffic management apparatus 12 stores copies of the original server responses in response storage 28. These copies of the server responses are then utilized later by the network traffic management apparatus 12 as explained in detail below in FIGS. 3-4.

The content policy module 30 stores policies associated with file types included in a client requested by the client devices 16(1)-16(n). The file types may include, for example, video files, image files, Microsoft word files, Microsoft excel files, Microsoft PowerPoint presentation files, PDF documents, .ISO image files, text files, any presentation files, although other numbers and/or types of file types could be used. The policies associated with these file types may include, for example, to forward client requests to the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) that request word document files, excel files, PowerPoint presentation files, PDF documents and not to forward client requests to additional service chaining device that request ISO image files and video files, although any other numbers and/or types of policies could be used.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-2, the communication interface 24 of the network traffic management apparatus 12 operatively couples and communicates between the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, the server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), and the client devices 16(1)-16(n) are all coupled together by the communication network(s) 18, although other types and/or numbers of communication networks or systems with other types and/or numbers of connections and/or configurations to other devices and/or elements can also be used.

By way of example only, the communication network(s) 18 can include local area network(s) (LAN(s)) or wide area network(s) (WAN(s)), and can use TCP/IP over Ethernet and industry-standard protocols, although other types and/or numbers of protocols and/or communication networks can be used. The communication network(s) 18 in this example can employ any suitable interface mechanisms and network communication technologies including, for example, teletraffic in any suitable form (e.g., voice, modem, and the like), Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTNs), Ethernet-based Packet Data Networks (PDNs), combinations thereof, and the like.

While the network traffic management apparatus 12 is illustrated in this example as including a single device, the network traffic management apparatus 12 in other examples can include a plurality of devices or blades each having one or more processors (each processor with one or more processing cores) that implement one or more steps of this technology. In these examples, one or more of the devices can have a dedicated communication interface or memory. Alternatively, one or more of the devices can utilize the memory, communication interface, or other hardware or software components of one or more other devices included in the network traffic management apparatus 12.

Additionally, one or more of the devices that together comprise the network traffic management apparatus 12 in other examples can be standalone devices or integrated with one or more other devices or apparatuses, such as one or more of the service chaining device 13, the server devices 14(1)-14(n), or the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), for example. Moreover, one or more of the devices of the network traffic management apparatus 12 in these examples can be in a same or a different communication network including one or more public, private, or cloud networks, for example.

The service chaining device 13 of the network traffic management system 10 in this example includes one or more processors, a memory, and a communication interface, which are coupled together by a bus or other communication link, although other numbers and/or types of network devices could be used. The service chaining device 13 in this example process requests received from the client devices 16(1)-16(n) via the network traffic management apparatus 12. Further the service chaining device 13 utilizes policies stored in the memory to evaluate which additional services, such as security services by way of example, should be applied to the service chain flow during the processing of client request by adding additional devices into the service chain flow. The service chaining device 13 evaluates the client request received from the client devices 16(1)-16(n) via the network traffic management apparatus 12 and evaluates and modifies the server response. Based on the determined file type the service chaining device 13 may add additional service chaining devices to service the client request based on the requirement associated with the file type. The service chaining device 13 may be hardware or software or may represent a system with multiple servers in a pool, which may include internal or external networks.

Although the service chaining device 13 of the network traffic management system 10 is illustrated as a single device, a plurality of service chaining devices, such as additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may be included and each of the plurality of service chaining devices maybe coupled by a bus or other communication link to each other and to the network traffic management apparatus. One or more actions of each of the service chaining devices may be distributed across one or more distinct network computing devices that together comprise one or more of the service chaining devices. Moreover, the service chaining devices are not limited to a particular configuration. Thus, the service chaining devices may contain a plurality of network computing devices that operate using a master/slave approach, whereby one of the network computing devices of the service chaining devices operate to manage and/or otherwise coordinate operations of the other network computing devices. The service chaining devices may operate as a plurality of network computing devices within a cluster architecture, a peer-to peer architecture, virtual machines, or within a cloud architecture, for example.

Thus, the technology disclosed herein is not to be construed as being limited to a single environment and other configurations and architectures are also envisaged. For example, one or more of the service chaining devices can operate within the network traffic management apparatus 12 itself rather than as a stand-alone server device communicating with the network traffic management apparatus 12 via the communication network(s) 18. In this example, the service chaining device 13 operate within the memory of the network traffic management apparatus 12.

Each of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) of the network traffic management system 10 in this example includes one or more processors, a memory, and a communication interface, which are coupled together by a bus or other communication link, although other numbers and/or types of network devices could be used. The server devices 14(1)-14(n) in this example can include application servers, database servers, access control servers, or encryption servers, for example, that exchange communications along communication paths expected based on application logic in order to facilitate interactions with an application by users of the client devices 16(1)-16(n).

Accordingly, in some examples, one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) process login and other requests received from the client devices 16(1)-16(n) via the communication network(s) 18(1) and 18(2) according to the HTTP-based application RFC protocol, for example. A web application may be operating on one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) and transmitting data (e.g., files or web pages) to one or more of the client devices 16(1)-16(n) (e.g., via the network traffic management apparatus 12) in response to one or more requests from the client devices 16(1)-16(n). The server devices 14(1)-14(n) may be hardware or software or may represent a system with multiple servers in a pool, which may include internal or external networks.

Although the server devices 14(1)-14(n) are illustrated as single devices, one or more actions of each of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) may be distributed across one or more distinct network computing devices that together comprise one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n). Moreover, the server devices 14(1)-14(n) are not limited to a particular configuration. Thus, the server devices 14(1)-14(n) may contain network computing devices that operate using a master/slave approach, whereby one of the network computing devices of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) operate to manage or otherwise coordinate operations of the other network computing devices. The server devices 14(1)-14(n) may operate as a plurality of network computing devices within a cluster architecture, a peer-to peer architecture, virtual machines, or within a cloud architecture, for example.

Thus, the technology disclosed herein is not to be construed as being limited to a single environment and other configurations and architectures are also envisaged. For example, one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) can operate within the network traffic management apparatus 12 itself rather than as a stand-alone server device communicating with the network traffic management apparatus 12 via communication network(s) 18. In this example, the one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) operate within the memory 22 of the network traffic management apparatus 12.

The additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) of the network traffic management system 10 in this example include one or more processors, a memory, and a communication interface, which are coupled together by a bus or other communication link, although other numbers and/or types of network devices with other elements could be used. Additionally, in some examples the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may be hardware or software or may represent a system with multiple servers in a pool, which may include internal or external networks. Further, the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may act as additional service chaining devices to provide additional servicing of the server response to the client request. The additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may provide further processing of the client request received from the network traffic management apparatus 12 and the associated response from one of the server devices 14(1)-14(n). By way of example, one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may receive a copy of the client request or another version of the client request, such as a generated or dummy request based on the original client request by way of example, as well as the server response with any modifications by prior servicing chaining from the network traffic management apparatus 12. In response to receiving the copy of the client request or another version of the client request, the one of the additional the service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) opens up a connection and then sends the copy of the client request or another version of the client request and information about a connection back to the network traffic management apparatus 12. Next, the network traffic management apparatus 12 then forwards the server response to the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n). The one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may perform additional servicing on the server response, such as an antivirus scanner device or a threat protection service device that performs detection, prevention and removal of malicious threats to the network by way of example only. By way of further example, the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may perform a scan on the content included in the server response to detect, prevent and remove threats, from viruses or malicious threats like, for example, malicious browser helper objects (BHOs), browser hijackers, ransomware, keyloggers, backdoors, rootkits, trojan horses, worms, malicious LSPs, dialers, fraud tools, adware and spyware although any other numbers and/or types of viruses or malicious threats are included. After the server response is serviced the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) forwards the additionally serviced server response back to network traffic management apparatus 12.

Although the plurality of additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may be coupled by a bus or other communication link to each other and to the network traffic management apparatus 12. One or more actions of each of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may be distributed across one or more distinct network computing devices that together comprise one or more of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n). Moreover, the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) are not limited to a particular configuration. Thus, the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may contain a plurality of network computing devices that operate using a master/slave approach, whereby one of the network computing devices of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) operate to manage and/or otherwise coordinate operations of the other network computing devices. The additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may operate as a plurality of network computing devices within a cluster architecture, a peer-to peer architecture, virtual machines, or within a cloud architecture, for example. Further, the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) and the service chaining device 13 can be included within the network traffic management apparatus 12 as one single apparatus and all the functions of these devices can be performed as one single apparatus.

Thus, the technology disclosed herein is not to be construed as being limited to a single environment and other configurations and architectures are also envisaged. For example, one or more of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) can operate within the network traffic management apparatus 12 itself rather than as a stand-alone server device communicating with the network traffic management apparatus 12 via the communication network(s) 18. In this example, the one or more service chaining device 13 operates within the memory of the network traffic management apparatus 12.

The client devices 16(1)-16(n) of the network traffic management system 10 in this example include any type of computing device that can exchange network data, such as mobile, desktop, laptop, or tablet computing devices, virtual machines (including cloud-based computers), or the like. Each of the client devices 16(1)-16(n) in this example includes a processor, a memory, and a communication interface, which are coupled together by a bus or other communication link (not illustrated), although other numbers or types of components could also be used.

The client devices 16(1)-16(n) may run interface applications, such as standard web browsers or standalone client applications, which may provide an interface to make requests for, and receive content stored on, one or more of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) via the communication network(s) 18(1) and 18(2). The client devices 16(1)-16(n) may further include a display device, such as a display screen or touchscreen, or an input device, such as a keyboard for example (not illustrated). Additionally, one or more of the client devices 16(1)-16(n) can be configured to execute software code (e.g., JavaScript code within a web browser) in order to log client-side data and provide the logged data to the network traffic management apparatus 12, as described and illustrated in more detail later.

Although the exemplary network traffic management system 10 with the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), server devices 14(1)-14(n), client devices 16(1)-16(n), and communication network(s) 18 are described and illustrated herein, other types or numbers of systems, devices, components, or elements in other topologies can be used. It is to be understood that the systems of the examples described herein are for exemplary purposes, as many variations of the specific hardware and software used to implement the examples are possible, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the relevant art(s).

One or more of the components depicted in the network security system 10, such as the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) or client devices 16(1)-16(n), for example, may be configured to operate as virtual instances on the same physical machine. In other words, one or more of the network traffic management apparatus 12, the service chaining device 13, server devices 14(1)-14(n), the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), or client devices 16(1)-16(n) may operate on the same physical device rather than as separate devices communicating through communication network(s) 18. Additionally, there may be more or fewer network traffic management apparatuses, client devices, or server devices than illustrated in FIG. 1.

In addition, two or more computing systems or devices can be substituted for any one of the systems or devices in any example. Accordingly, principles and advantages of distributed processing, such as redundancy and replication also can be implemented, as desired, to increase the robustness and performance of the devices and systems of the examples. The examples may also be implemented on computer system(s) that extend across any suitable network using any suitable interface mechanisms and traffic technologies, including by way of example only teletraffic in any suitable form (e.g., voice and modem), wireless traffic networks, cellular traffic networks, Packet Data Networks (PDNs), the Internet, intranets, and combinations thereof.

The examples may also be embodied as one or more non-transitory computer readable media having instructions stored thereon, such as in the memory 22, for one or more aspects of the present technology, as described and illustrated by way of the examples herein. The instructions in some examples include executable code that, when executed by one or more processors, such as the processor(s) 20, cause the processors to carry out steps necessary to implement the methods of the examples of this technology that are described and illustrated herein.

An exemplary method of service chaining through Just-In-Time (JIT) virtual hosting will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-4. Referring more specifically to FIG. 3, in a first step 300 in this example, the network traffic management apparatus 12 of the network traffic management system 10 receives a client request from one of the client devices 16(1)-16(n). In this example, the received client request is an encrypted client request, although other types of unencrypted requests may be received. The network traffic management apparatus 12 decrypts the encrypted client request which in this example is a request to access content at one of the server devices 14(1)-14(n).

In step 305, the network traffic management apparatus 12 transmits the client request to a service chaining device 13 which acts as a proxy device, although other configurations may be used. The service chaining device 13 may store the client request and then transmit the client request back to the network traffic management apparatus 12, although the service chaining device 13 may execute other operations on the client request and the client request that is returned may include other information, such as information about a connection between network traffic management apparatus 12 and the service chaining device 13.

In step 310, the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives the client request back from the service chaining device 13 along with any information on the connection that may have been provided.

In step 315, the network traffic management apparatus 12 re-encrypts the client request and transmits the encrypted client request to one of the server devices 14(1)-14(n) associated with servicing the client request, although the content may be transmitted in other formats, such as unencrypted.

In step 320, the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives an encrypted server response to the client request from the one of the server devices 14(1)-14(n). Next, if encrypted, the network traffic management apparatus 12 decrypts the encrypted server response to provide access to the content. By way of example, the content in the server response may comprise one or more applications, services, files and/or other data, although other types of content may be included. The network traffic management apparatus 12 may store a copy of this server response in the response storage 28 of the memory 22, although the response may be stored or managed in other manners.

In step 325, the network traffic management apparatus 12 transmits the decrypted server response to a service chaining device 13 to perform an inspection of and possible modify the server response based on one or more service chaining policies at the service chaining device 13. By way of example only, the service chaining device 13 may be a data loss prevention device (DLP) that monitors for potential data breaches and prevents these breaches by inspecting and modifying a header of the server response with content covered by one of the stored service chaining policies relating to security, such as by providing a designation in the header that signifies the security level of the content and that the network traffic management apparatus 12 needs to check the authorization associated with the client request to determine if access to the content is permitted. In other examples, the service chaining device 13 may execute one or more services on the server response, such as running a virus scan and removing any threats in the response to generate a modified server response.

In step 330, the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives the modified server response from the service chaining device 13. Upon receiving the modified server response, the network traffic management apparatus 10 may again store a copy of the modified server response in the response storage 28 of the memory 22, although this response may be stored or managed in other manners.

In step 335, the network traffic management apparatus 12 analyzes the modified server response to determine one of a plurality of classifications that may have been applied to the server response which may then be correlated against stored traffic management policies at the network traffic management apparatus 12 to execute one or more operations, although in some example additional operations on the modified server response may not be performed. By way of example, the network traffic management apparatus 12 may analyze the modified server response to determine based on the modification in the header data that the classification of the server response comprises an excel file or a presentation file. In another example, the network traffic management apparatus 12 may analyze the modified server response to determine based on payload data in data packets in the server response that the classification of the server response comprises an MPEG file, although again other types and manners of analyzing and classifying the content may be used. Additionally, the network traffic management apparatus 12 may further process the modified server response based on the determined classification correlated to one or more network traffic management policies stored in the network traffic management apparatus 12, although other types of operations may be performed or no further action may be executed by the network traffic management apparatus 12 on the modified server response.

In step 340, the network traffic management apparatus 12 determines when one or more additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) need to be included in the service chain to further process the modified server response based on the content in the modified server response. If in step 340 the network traffic management apparatus 12 determines that one or more additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) do not need to be included in the service chain to further process the modified server response, then the No branch is taken to step 370. In step 370, the network traffic management apparatus 12 re-encrypts the final modified server response and sends the encrypted final modified server response to the requesting one of the client devices 16(1)-16(n) and then this example of the method may end here.

If back in step 340 the network traffic management apparatus 12 determines that one or more additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) need to be included in the service chain to further process the modified server response, then the Yes branch is taken to step 345. In step 345, the network traffic management apparatus 12 sends a version of the client request to one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), such as a copy of the original client request to the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) or a newly generated or dummy request based on the on the original client request, although other types and/or versions of the client request may be obtained and sent.

In step 350, the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives back the copy or other version of the client request back from the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) and may also receive information about a connection between the network traffic management apparatus 12 and the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n), although other types of information may be provided.

In step 355, the network traffic management apparatus 12 forwards the modified server response to the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n). The one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) may perform additional servicing on the server response, such as an antivirus scanner device or a threat protection service device that performs detection, prevention and removal of malicious threats to the network by way of example only, although other types of processing or modification of the server response may be executed. The one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n) forwards the an additionally modified server response back to the network traffic management apparatus 12.

In step 360, the network traffic management apparatus 12 receives an additionally modified server response from the one of the additional service chaining devices 15(1)-15(n). Upon receiving the modified server response, the network traffic management apparatus 10 may again store a copy of the modified server response in the response storage 28 of the memory 22, although this response may be stored or managed in other manners.

In step 365, the network traffic management apparatus 12 analyzes the additionally modified server response to determine one of a plurality of classifications that may have been applied to the server response which may again be correlated against stored traffic management policies at the network traffic management apparatus 12 to execute one or more operations, although in some example additional operations on the modified server response may not be performed. Next, this example of the method returns to step 340 as described earlier.

Accordingly, as illustrated and described by way of the examples herein, this technology is able to dynamically provide service chaining of devices where services are enabled as needed based on analysis prior to transmission of the modified response to the requesting client. With this technology, the requests are transmitted between the network traffic management apparatus and the service chaining devices in a manners so that only the responses are modified. As a result, any number of services can be seamlessly chained together with no externally visible side effects, such as redirects or duplicate requests.

Having thus described the basic concept of the invention, it will be rather apparent to those skilled in the art that the foregoing detailed disclosure is intended to be presented by way of example only, and is not limiting. Various alterations, improvements, and modifications will occur and are intended to those skilled in the art, though not expressly stated herein. These alterations, improvements, and modifications are intended to be suggested hereby, and are within the spirit and scope of the invention. Additionally, the recited order of processing elements or sequences, or the use of numbers, letters, or other designations therefore, is not intended to limit the claimed processes to any order except as may be specified in the claims. Accordingly, the invention is limited only by the following claims and equivalents thereto.