Method and apparatus for facilitating peer-to-peer application communication
AssigneeAlcatel USA Sourcing, L.P.
InventorAndrew T. Molitor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system for performing Network Address Translation, which allows applications to request information concerning address translations to be performed, so that those applications may send useful information to other applications for the purposes of allowing applications to communicate through the NAT device in the absence of statically defined rules for specific channels of communication.
Claims26
A network address translation device for facilitating message packet communication between a first application having an internal address valid in an internal address realm and one or more applications in an external address realm, said internal address realm having available to it a set of available addresses valid for use in the external address realm, comprising:
- an address translator for translating addresses included in the headers of message packets incoming to and outgoing from the internal address realm in accordance with translation rules that resolve the incompatibility of the internal and external address realms;
- an address manager for establishing and storing the translation rules, said address manager having access to the set of available addresses valid for use in the external address realm;
- and
- a control channel communicating with the address manager for receiving from the first application a service request message for establishing in response to the first application's service request a translation rule specified by the first application.
A method for facilitating message packet communication between a first application having an internal address valid in an internal address realm and one or more applications in an external address realm, said internal address realm having available to it a set of addresses valid for use in the external address realm, comprising:
- providing the internal address realm with a network address translation device having an address translator for translating addresses included in the headers of message packets incoming to and outgoing from the internal address realm in accordance with translation rules that resolve the incompatibility of the internal and external address realms;
- providing an address manager for establishing and storing the translation rules, said address manager having access to the set of available addresses valid for use in the external address realm;
- and
- providing a control channel communicating with the address manager for receiving from the first application a service request message for establishing in response to the first application's service request a translation rule specified by the first application.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.