Dynamic network address translation system and method of transparent private network device

• US 20040100976A1
• Filed: 05/21/2003
• Published: 05/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Tsai, Hung-Ming, Chang, Hung-Chun, Tseng, Chien-Chao, Hsieh, Ming-Deng
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2582 through control of the NAT server, e.g. using universal plug and play [UPnP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]

Abstract

The present invention provides a dynamic network address translation system and method of transparent private network device. With the NAT approach, the first device in a public network can be connected to a second device in a private network. The first packet for the connection is sent from the first device in the public network to the second device in the private network. Before establishing the connection, the first device exchanges information between the NAPT router of the private network. The NAPT router maintains its translation table according to the information. Then, the first device sends a connection request to a specific port of the NAPT router, and the packet will be transformed and routed properly to the second device.

Claims

1. A dynamic network address translation method of transparent private network device for allowing a first device in a public network to connect to a second device in a private network via a NAPT router, comprising:

(A) the first device in the public network sending a domain name request packet to inquiry an IP address corresponding to domain name of the second device;

(B) the NAPT router intercepting the domain name request packet and responding a domain name reply packet having an outer IP address;

(C) the first device using the outer IP address as destination address to send a connection registration request packet having a service port corresponding to the second device to the NAPT router;

(D) after receiving the connection registration request packet, the NAPT router selecting a data port corresponding to the service port, thereby establishing a translation relation between the outer IP address/data port and the private IP address/service port; and

(E) the first device and second device performing bi-directional communication by using the translation relation.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (B), the outer IP address is the IP address of an outer interface of the NAPT router.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (B), the connection registration request packet further has a requested effective time for defining the time period in which connection-related data remains.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (B), the connection registration request packet is an UDP packet whose IP address is the outer IP address and whose destination port is the registration port of the NAPT router.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in step (D), the data port is randomly selected from free data ports in an outer interface of the NAPT router.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein step (D) further comprises:

(E) the NAPT router responding a connection registration reply packet;

(F) after receiving the connection registration reply packet, the first device using the outer IP address and data port as destination IP address and destination port to send a connection request packet, so that the NPT router translates the destination IP address and destination port into the private IP address and service port of the second device, thereby routing the translated connection request packet to the second device; and

(G) the second device responding a connection reply packet to the first device.

7. A dynamic network address translation system of transparent private network device comprising:

at least one first device located in a public network and having a public IP address;

a private network having at least one public IP address;

at least one second device located in the private network and having a domain name, a private IP address and a service port; and

a NAPT router located between the public network and the private network for translating public IP address and port of a packet into private IP address and port of the private network,

wherein when desiring to connect to the second device, the first device inquiries an IP address corresponding to domain name, and the NAPT router responds a public outer IP address;

the first device then uses the outer IP address to register to the NAPT table, so as to select a data port in the NAPT router and establish a translation relation between the outer IP address/data port and the private IP address/service port to enable the first device and second device perform bi-directional communication.

8. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the data port is randomly selected from free data ports in an outer interface of the NAPT router.

9. The system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the NAPT router has a NAPT table for storing network address translation data to translate the destination IP address and destination port of the packet transmitted from the first device into private IP address and service port of the second device.