COMMUNICATION APPARATUS, COMMUNICATION METHOD AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20090313386A1
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hamamoto, Moe, Kokado, Takeshi
• Application Number:
  US12/373,864
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313386A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2578 without involvement of the NAT server

Abstract

A communication apparatus (10) transmits to a server (001) three address information, check requests 1 to 3 whose destination port numbers are set to be [SP1] and whose source port numbers are set to be respective [LP1] to [LP3] different from each other. The communication apparatus (10) also transmits a P2P communication preparation packet whose source port number is set to be one of [LP1] to [LP3], to a destination different from the server (001), between the address information check requests 1 and 3. The communication apparatus (10) determines the NAT characteristic of a router (101) based on port numbers [GP11], [GP12] and [GP14] of the router (101) notified of by address information check responses 1 to 3.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus which is connected to a server via a first relay apparatus having a NAT (Network Address Translation) function, comprising:

an address information check request transmitting unit for transmitting a plurality of address information check request packets whose source port numbers are set to be local port numbers different from each other of the communication apparatus and whose destination port numbers are set to be the same port number as that of each other, the same port number being a port number of the server, to the server, on a one-by-one basis;

a communication preparation request transmitting unit for transmitting a communication preparation packet whose source port number is set to be the same port number as the source port number of any of the plurality of address information check request packets, to a destination different from the server, after the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the first address information check request packet and before the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the final address information check request packet; and

an address information receiving unit for receiving the same number of address information check response packets as the number of the address information check request packets, the address information check response packets being returned from the server in response to the address information check request packets, and including relay port numbers translated from the source port numbers of the address information check request packets in the first relay apparatus.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a relay characteristic determining unit for determining a NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus based on the relay port numbers included in the respective address information check response packets received by the address information receiving unit.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the address information check request transmitting unit transmits, one for each:

a first address information check request packet whose destination port number is set to be the port number of the server and whose source port number is set to be a first local port number of the communication apparatus;

a second address information check request packet whose destination port number is the same as that of the first address information check request packet and whose source port number is set to be a second local port number of the communication apparatus different from the first local port number; and

a third, address information check request packet whose destination port number is the same as that of the first address information check request packet and whose source port number is set to be a third local port number of the communication apparatus different from the first and second local port numbers,

the address information receiving unit receives;

a first address information packet returned from the server in response to the first address information check request packet and including a first relay port number of the first relay apparatus;

a second address information packet, returned from the server in response to the second address information check request packet and including a second relay port number of the first relay apparatus; and

a third address information packet returned from the server in response to the third address information check request packet and including a third relay port number of the first relay apparatus, and

the relay characteristic determining unit calculates a first difference value from the first and second relay port numbers and a second difference value from the second and third relay port numbers, and based on comparison of the first and second difference values, determines the NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the server is connected to a connection-destination communication apparatus via a second relay apparatus having the NAT function, and

the communication apparatus further comprises:

a relay information transmitting unit for predicting a first P2P relay port number which the first relay apparatus assigns to peer-to-peer communication with the connection-destination communication apparatus, based on the NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus determined by the relay characteristic determining unit, and transmitting a first relay information packet including the predicted first P2P relay port number to the server;

a relay information receiving unit for receiving from the server a second relay information packet including a second P2P relay port number which the second relay apparatus assigns to peer-to-peer communication with the connection-destination communication apparatus; and

a communication control unit for transmitting a start request packet whose destination port number is set to be the second P2P relay port number included in the second relay information packet so as to request for the connection-destination, communication apparatus to start, peer-to-peer communication.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the relay information transmitting unit, when the relay characteristic determining unit determines that the first and second difference values are equal to each other, transmits the first relay information packet including one of the first to third relay port numbers as the first P2P relay port number, and when the relay characteristic determining unit determines that the first and second difference values are not equal to each other, transmits the first relay information packet including as the first P2P relay port number a value obtained by summing the third relay port number and the smaller of the first and second, difference values.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the relay information transmitting unit, when the relay characteristic determining unit determines that the first relay port number matches the first local port number, transmits the first relay information packet including any local port number as the first P2P relay port number.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the communication preparation request transmitting unit adjusts a TTL (Time To Live) value included in a header of the communication preparation packet so that the communication preparation packet reaches the first relay apparatus and does not reach the second relay apparatus.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

a storage unit for holding the first and second difference values,

wherein, before start of peer-to-peer communication at the second time and thereafter, the relay characteristic determining unit determines the NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus based on the first and second difference values held in the storage unit.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the address information check request transmitting unit transmits a fourth address information check request packet whose destination port number is set to be the port number of the server and whose source port number is set to foe a fourth local port number of the communication apparatus,

the address information receiving unit receives a fourth address information packet returned from the server in response to the fourth address information check, request packet and including a fourth relay port number of the first relay apparatus, and

the relay information transmitting unit, when the relay characteristic determining unit determines the first and second difference values held in the storage unit are equal to each other, transmits the first relay information packet including the fourth relay port number as the first P2P relay port number, and when the relay characteristic determining unit determines that the first and second difference values held in the storage unit are not equal to each other, transmits the first relay information packet including as the first P2P relay port number a value obtained by summing the fourth relay port number and the smaller of the held first and second difference values.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the communication apparatus, when determining that the first relay port number and the first local port number match each other, stores, into the storage unit, information indicating that the first relay port number and the first local port number match each other,

before start of peer-to-peer communication at the second time and thereafter, when the relay characteristic determining unit determines that the storage unit holds the information indicating that the first relay port number and the first local port number match each other, the relay information transmitting unit transmits the first relay information packet including any local port number as the first P2P relay port number.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a storage unit for previously holding information about correspondence between an interval between the relay port numbers included in the respective address information check response packets and a NAT characteristic varying depending on the interval,

wherein the address information check request transmitting unit transmits, one for each;

a first address information check request packet whose destination port number is set to be the port number of the server and whose source port number is set to be a first local port number of the communication apparatus; and

a second address information check request packet whose destination port number is the same as that of the first address information check request packet and whose source port number is set to be a second local port number of the communication apparatus different from the first local port number,

the address information receiving unit receives;

a first address information packet returned from the server in response to the first address information check request packet and including a first relay port number of the first relay apparatus; and

a second address information packet returned from the server in response to the second address information check request packet and including a second relay port number of the first relay apparatus, and

the relay characteristic determining unit determines a SAT characteristic corresponding to an interval between the received first and second relay port numbers, in the correspondence information, as the NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus.

12. A communication method for allowing a communication apparatus which is connected to a server via a first relay apparatus having a NAT (Network Address Translation) function, to communicate with the server to determine a NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus, the method comprising:

an address information check request transmitting step of transmitting a plurality of address information check request packets whose source port numbers are set to be local port numbers different from each other of the communication apparatus and whose destination port numbers are set to be the same port number as that of each other, the same port number being a port number of the server, to the server, on a one-by-one basis;

a communication preparation request transmitting step of transmitting a communication preparation packet whose source port number is set to be the same port number as the source port number of any of the plurality of address information check request packets, to a destination different from the server, after the first address information check request packet is transmitted and before the final address information check request packet is transmitted in the address information check request transmitting step;

an address information receiving step of receiving the same number of address information check response packets as the number of the address information check request packets, the address information check response packets being returned from the server in response to the address information check request packets, and including relay port numbers translated from the source port numbers of the address information check request packets in the first relay apparatus; and

a relay characteristic determining step of determining the NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus based on the relay port numbers included in the respective address information check response packets received in the address information receiving step.

13. A communication system comprising:

a server;

a first relay apparatus having a NAT (Network Address Translation) function;

a second relay apparatus having the NAT function;

a first communication apparatus connected via the first relay apparatus to the server; and

a second communication apparatus connected via the second relay apparatus to the server,

wherein each of the first and second communication apparatuses comprising;

an address information check request transmitting unit for transmitting a plurality of address information check request packets whose source port numbers are set to be local port numbers different from each other of the each of the communication apparatuses and whose destination port numbers are set to be the same port number as that of each other, the same port number being a port number of the server, to the server, on a one-by-one basis;

a communication preparation request transmitting unit for transmitting a communication preparation packet, whose source port number is set to be the same port number as the source port number of any of the plurality of address information check request packets, to a destination different from the server, after the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the first address information check request packet and before the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the final address information check request packet;

an address information receiving unit for receiving the same number of address information check response packets as the number of the address information check request packets, the address information check response packets being returned from the server in response to the address information check request packets, and including relay port numbers translated from the source port numbers of the address information check request packets in the relay apparatus connected to the each of the communication apparatuses; and

a relay characteristic determining unit for determining a NAT characteristic of the first relay apparatus based on the relay port numbers included in the respective address information check response packets received by the address information receiving unit, and

the server comprises;

an address information checking unit for extracting the relay port numbers included in the address information check request packets transmitted from the first and second respective communication apparatuses; and

an address information transmitting unit for transmitting address information check request response packets including the extracted relay port numbers.

14. A communication system comprising:

a server;

a first relay apparatus having a NAT (Network Address Translation) function;

a second relay apparatus having the NAT function;

a first communication apparatus connected via the first relay apparatus to the server; and

a second communication apparatus connected via the second relay apparatus to the server,

wherein each of the first and second communication apparatuses comprising;

an address information check request transmitting unit for transmitting a plurality of address information check request packets whose source port numbers are set to be local port numbers different from each other of the each of the communication apparatuses and whose destination port numbers are set to be the same port number as that of each other, the same port number being a port number of the server, to the server, on a one-by-one basis; and

a communication preparation request transmitting unit for transmitting a communication preparation packet whose source port number is set to be the same port number as the source port number of any of the plurality of address information check request packets, to a destination different from the server, after the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the first address information check request packet and before the address information check request transmitting unit transmits the final address information check request packet, and

the server comprises an address information checking unit for determining NAT characteristics of the first and second respective relay apparatuses based on relay port numbers translated from the source port numbers of the address information check request packets in the first and second respective relay apparatuses.