Synchronization method for nat static port forwarding objects in redundant configurations
AssigneeAlcatel Lucent
InventorsLoredana M. Nitu, Anand Thiagarajan, Gurudas Somadder, Zihuang Wang, Attaullah Zabihi-Seissan
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Abstract
The invention is directed to providing a centralized synchronization method for redundant network elements and is particularly advantageous to routers providing network address translation (NAT) services requiring static port forwarding provisioning. Synchronization is provided by a network management system which can handle one or more backup routers or other network elements using a control protocol different from the control protocol used by the active router.
Claims12
A method performed by a network management system for synchronizing an active network element and one or more standby network elements, the method comprising steps of:
- Sending to said active network element a provisioning request for a static mapping for a target address;
- Receiving from said active network element a current list of mappings corresponding to said target address;
- Updating a management system database with said current list of mappings corresponding to said target address;
- and
- Sending to said one or more standby network elements, a provisioning command for said static mapping for said target address.
A tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium encoded with instructions for execution by a network management system for synchronizing an active network element and one or more standby network elements, the tangible and non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising:
- instructions for sending to said active network element a provisioning request for a static mapping for a target address;
- instructions for receiving from said active network element a current list of mappings corresponding to said target address;
- instructions for sending a query to a network management database for mappings corresponding to said target address;
- instructions for receiving from said network management database a list of mappings corresponding to said target address;
- instructions for determining a difference between said current list of mappings from said active network element to said list of mappings from said network management database;
- instructions for sending an update to said management system database of said difference;
- and
- instructions for sending to said one or more standby network elements, a provisioning command for said static mapping for said target address.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.