Enabling ipv6 mobility with nat64

A network element for maintaining connectivity between a mobile node and corresponding nodes when the mobile node is currently connected to a foreign network, wherein the network element is a part of a home network in which a home address was associated with the mobile node when the mobile node was within the home network, wherein the network element functions as a home agent for the mobile node and manages data traffic for the home address when the mobile node is in foreign networks, wherein the foreign networks and the home network are Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) networks, but the corresponding nodes are Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) nodes, the network element comprising:

• a processor to execute a mobility management module configured to receive data traffic from the mobile node and forward that data traffic to a home network address translation 64 (NAT64) node, wherein a NAT64 translates data traffic between IPv4 and IPv6, the mobility management module further configured to receive a data packet over a tunnel from the mobile node at the home agent node destined for the corresponding node, to decapsulate the data packet, to determine whether a foreign network address translation 64 (NAT64) node's prefix is in a destination address field of the data packet, and to tunnel the data packet to a home NAT64 node on the home network in response to determining the destination address includes the foreign NAT64 node prefix, and that the foreign NAT64 node has a prefix to append to IPv4 addresses to generate virtual IPv6 addresses for any IPv4 nodes communicating with the mobile node while in the foreign network, where a NAT64 translates data traffic between IPv4 and IPv6, where the home NAT64 translates the data packet to an IPv4 format to be forwarded to the corresponding node.

A method for maintaining connectivity between a mobile node and a corresponding node when the mobile node is currently connected to a foreign network, wherein a home address was associated with the mobile node and a home agent node when the mobile node was within a home network, wherein the foreign network and the home network are Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) networks but the corresponding node is an Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) node, the method comprising the steps of:

• translating a first data packet received from the home agent node, which was sent by the mobile node to the corresponding node, from IPv6 to IPv4 format through detection and removal of the foreign network address translation 64 (NAT64) prefix from the first data packet's destination address field, wherein the first packet's destination address field contained a virtual IPv6 address and the foreign NAT64 prefix's removal there from leaves the IPv4 address of the corresponding node;
• and
• translating a second data packet, which was received from the corresponding node and was sent by the corresponding node to the mobile node, from IPv4 to IPv6 format through appending the foreign NAT's prefix to the second data packet's source address responsive to the second data packet's destination address field containing the mobile node's home address, wherein the second packet's source address field contained the corresponding node's IPv4 address and the foreign NAT's prefix's concatenation thereto yields the corresponding node's virtual IPv6 address.

A network element for maintaining connectivity between a mobile node and corresponding nodes when the mobile node is currently connected to a foreign network, wherein the network element is a part of a home network in which a home address was associated with the mobile node when the mobile node was within the home network, wherein the network element performs network address translation for the home network, wherein a network address translation 64 (NAT64) translates data traffic between IPv4 and IPv6, wherein the foreign networks and the home network are Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) networks, but the corresponding nodes are Internet protocol version 4 (IPv4) nodes, the network element comprising:

• a processor configured to execute a translation module to translate outbound data packets sent by the mobile node to corresponding nodes from IPv6 to IPv4 format, the translation including detection and removal of a foreign network address translation 64 (NAT64) node's prefix from outbound data packets' destination address field, wherein the outbound data packets' destination address field contain virtual IPv6 addresses and the foreign NAT64 node's prefix's removal there from leaves the IPv4 address of the corresponding nodes, and wherein the translation module is further configured to use a current binding in the translation table to translate inbound data packets received from the corresponding nodes from IPv4 to IPv6 format through appending the foreign NAT64 node's prefix to the inbound data packets' source address responsive to detecting that the inbound data packets' destination address is the mobile node's home address, wherein the inbound data packets' source address field contains the corresponding nodes' IPv4 addresses and the foreign NAT64 nodes' prefix's concatenation thereto yields the corresponding nodes' virtual IPv6 addresses.