Network address and port translation gateway with real-time media channel management
First Claim
1. A gateway for exchanging IP frames with remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the gateway comprising:
- a wide area network interface coupled to the communication link for exchanging the IP frames with the remote IP devices;
a local area network interface for receiving outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising a local IP header and payload;
the IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device; and
a router module coupled between the local area network interface and the wide area network interface, the router module receiving each outbound IP frame from the local area network interface and providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface;
the translated outbound IP frame comprising a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket and;
the payload if the outbound IP frame is a data frame; and
translated payload if the outbound IP frame is a media session signaling frame.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A gateway comprises a router module coupled between a local area network interface and a wide area network interface. The router module receives an outbound IP frame from the local area network interface and provides a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface. The router module comprises a transport layer translation module for performing network address and port translation on an IP header of the outbound IP frame. The router module further comprises an application layer translation module for detecting the presence of media session signaling information within payload of the outbound IP frame and performing network address translation and port translation of source network address information identified in the media session signaling information. Both the network address and port translation of the IP header and the network address and port translation of the source network address information are recorded in a translation table such that inbound frames may be reverse translated.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A gateway for exchanging IP frames with remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the gateway comprising:
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a wide area network interface coupled to the communication link for exchanging the IP frames with the remote IP devices;
a local area network interface for receiving outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising a local IP header and payload;
the IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device; and
a router module coupled between the local area network interface and the wide area network interface, the router module receiving each outbound IP frame from the local area network interface and providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface;
the translated outbound IP frame comprising a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket and;
the payload if the outbound IP frame is a data frame; and
translated payload if the outbound IP frame is a media session signaling frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A gateway for exchanging IP frames with remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the gateway comprising:
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a wide area network interface coupled to the communication link for exchanging the IP frames with the remote IP devices;
a local area network interface for receiving outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising a local IP header and payload;
the IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device; and
the payload comprising;
a media session socket comprising the client IP address and a media port number of the IP client;
a router module coupled between the local area network interface and the wide area network interface, the router module receiving each outbound IP frame from the local area network interface and providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface, the translated outbound IP frame comprising both a global IP header and translated payload;
the global IP global header comprising a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket;
the translated payload comprising a translated media session socket comprising the gateway IP address and a translated media port number that uniquely associates with the media session socket; and
the router module comprising a translation table for recording both;
the IP client socket in association with the global port number; and
the media session socket in association with the global media port number.
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7. A gateway for exchanging IP frames with remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the gateway comprising:
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a wide area network interface coupled to the communication link for exchanging the IP frames with the remote IP devices;
a local area network interface for receiving outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising an IP header and payload, the local IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device;
a router module coupled between the local area network interface and the wide area network interface, the router module receiving each outbound IP frame from the local area network interface and providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface, the router module comprising;
an IP layer translation module for;
generating the translated outbound IP frame in response to receiving an outbound IP frame, the translated outbound IP frame comprising a global IP header and payload, the global IP global header comprising;
a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket; and
the destination socket; and
recording the IP client socket in association with the global port number in a translation table;
an application layer translation module for;
generating translated payload in response to detecting that the outbound IP frame comprises at least one of a media session socket and a signaling contact socket, the translated payload comprising;
a translated media session socket if the media session signaling frame includes a media session socket, the translated media session socket comprising the gateway IP address and a translated media port number that uniquely associated with the media session socket; and
a translated signaling contact socket if the media session signaling frame includes a signaling contact socket, the translated signaling contact socket comprising the gateway IP address and a translated signaling port number that uniquely associated with the signaling contact socket. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10)
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11. A method of operating a gateway that supports multiple IP clients to effect the exchange of IP frames between a plurality of IP clients and remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the method comprising:
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receiving an outbound IP frame from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising a local IP header and payload;
the local IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device; and
providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface, the translated outbound IP frame comprising a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket and;
the payload if the outbound IP frame is a data frame; and
translated payload if the outbound IP frame is a media session signaling frame. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of operating a gateway that supports multiple IP clients to effect the exchange of IP frames between a plurality of IP clients and remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the method comprising:
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receiving each outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising a local IP header and payload;
the IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device; and
the payload comprising;
a media session socket comprising the client IP address and a media port number of the IP client;
providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface, the translated outbound IP frame comprising both a global IP header (152) and translated payload;
the global IP global header comprising a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket;
the translated payload comprising a translated media session socket comprising the gateway IP address and a translated media port number that uniquely associates with the media session socket; and
recording, in a translation table, both;
the IP client socket in association with the global port number; and
the media session socket in association with the global media port number.
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17. A method of operating a gateway that supports multiple IP clients to effect the exchange of IP frames between a plurality of IP clients and remote IP devices over a communication link to a frame switched network, the method comprising:
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receiving each outbound IP frames from each of a plurality of IP clients, each outbound IP frame comprising an IP header and payload, the local IP header comprising;
an IP client socket comprising a client IP address and a client port number of the IP client; and
a destination socket comprising a remote device IP address and a port number of a remote IP device;
providing a corresponding translated outbound IP frame to the wide area network interface by a process of;
generating the translated outbound IP frame in response to receiving an outbound IP frame, the translated outbound IP frame comprising a global IP header and payload, the global IP global header comprising;
a translated IP client socket comprising a gateway IP address and a global port number of the gateway that uniquely associates with the IP client socket; and
the destination socket; and
generating translated payload in response to detecting that the outbound IP frame comprises at least one of a media session socket and a signaling contact socket, the translated payload comprising;
a translated media session socket if the media session signaling frame includes a media session socket, the translated media session socket comprising the gateway IP address (156) and a translated media port number (164) that uniquely associated with the media session socket (127); and
a translated signaling contact socket (155) if the media session signaling frame includes a signaling contact socket (124), the translated signaling contact socket (155) comprising the gateway IP address (156) and a translated signaling port number (166) that uniquely associated with the signaling contact socket (154). - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification