Method and system for distributed network address translation for mobile network devices

• US 6,697,354 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1998
• Issued: 02/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: 3Com Corporation (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Sidhu, Ikhlaq, Grabelsky, David, Borella, Michael S., Mahler, Jerry
• Primary Examiner(s): HO, DUC CHI
• Application Number:
  US09/136,484
• Time in Patent Office: 2,015 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/466, 370/467, 370/474, 370/331, 370/351, 370/352, 370/349, 370/389, 370/392, 370/393, 370/356, 455/432-436, 455/422, 709/245, 709/220, 709/238, 709/202, 709/317, 709/230
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2517 using port numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2532 Clique of NAT servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• 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 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263

Abstract

A method and system for distributed network address translation for mobile network devices. A mobile network device requests one or more locally-unique ports with a Port Allocation Protocol from a second network device on a first network to identify the first network device on the first network if the mobile first network device roams to a second external network. One or more default or ephemeral ports on the mobile network device are replaced with one or more locally-unique ports obtained with the Port Allocation Protocol. The one or more locally-unique ports allow distributed network address translation to be used with the mobile network device. A combination network address is created for the mobile network device with a locally unique port and an external network address for the first network to identify the mobile first network device if the mobile first network device roams to a second external network.

Claims

1. A method of distributed network address translation, comprising:

requesting from a mobile first network device on a first network with a first protocol, one or more locally-unique ports, from a second network device on the first network, to identify the first network device if the mobile first network device roams to a second external network;

replacing one or more default or ephemeral ports on the mobile first network device with one or more locally-unique ports; and

creating a combination network address for the mobile first network device with a locally unique port and an external network address for the first network to identify the mobile first network device if the mobile first network device roams to a second external network,

wherein the first protocol is a Port Allocation Protocol comprising, a port allocation protocol request message, a port allocation invalidate message, and a plurality of combination network addresses including a locally unique port and an external network address for the first network, for distributed network address translation.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising periodically sending a keep-alive message from the mobile first network device to the second network device to indicate that the first network device is still located on the first network.

3. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the Method of claim 1.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the mobile first network device is a Mobile Internet Protocol mobile node and the second network device is a Mobile Internet Protocol home agent.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the external network address is an Internet Protocol address and the one or more locally-unique ports are Port Allocation Protocol ports.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more locally unique ports allow distributed network address translation to be used on the first network device.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the second network device communicates with the mobile first network device using Mobile Internet Protocol.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the default or ephemeral ports are Transmission Control Protocol ports or User Datagram Protocol ports.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the first network is a Mobile Internet Protocol home subnet with distributed network address translation and the second external network is a Mobile Internet Protocol foreign subnet.

10. A method of distributed network address translation, comprising:

roaming a mobile first network device from a first network to a second external network, wherein the mobile first network device is identified by a combination network address obtained with a first protocol, the combination network address including a locally-unique port and an external network address for the first network;

registering the mobile first network device with a third network device on the second external network;

receiving a temporary foreign network address for the mobile first network device from the third network device to identify the mobile first network device on the second external network;

sending the temporary foreign network address and the combination network address from the mobile first network device to a second network device on the first network to indicate that the mobile first network device has roamed to the second external network, wherein the combination network address is for distributed network address translation and to identify the mobile first network device,

wherein the first protocol is a Port Allocation Protocol comprising, a port allocation protocol request message, port allocation protocol response message, a port allocation invalidate message, and a plurality of combination network addresses including a locally unique port and an external network address for the first network, for distributed network address translation.

11. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the method of claim 10.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the mobile first network device is a Mobile Internet Protocol mobile node using distributed network address translation, the second network device is a Mobile Internet Protocol home agent using distributed network address translation, and the third network device is a Mobile Internet Protocol foreign agent.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the first network is a Mobile Internet Protocol home subnet using distributed network address translation and the second external network is a Mobile Internet Protocol foreign subnet.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of registering the mobile first network device includes registering the mobile first network device using Mobile Internet Protocol registration messages.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of registering the mobile first network device includes registering the combination network address for the Mobile first network device with the third network device.

16. The method of claim 10 wherein the sending step includes sending network address from the mobile first network device to a second network device on the First network with Mobile Internet Protocol messages.

23. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining from the third network device, a temporary local address on the second network assigned to the mobile first network device, using the combination network address to identify the mobile first network device;

forwarding the data from the third network device on the second network to the mobile first network device using the temporary local address assigned to the mobile first network device on the second network.

24. The method of claim 10 wherein the forwarding step includes forwarding the data in a virtual tunnel.

25. The method of claim 10 wherein the mobile first network device is a mobile node, the second network device is a home agent, and the third network device is a foreign agent, used with the Mobile Internet Protocol.

17. A method of distributed network address translation, comprising:

receiving data for a mobile first network device on a second network device on a first network; and

determining whether the mobile first network device currently resides on the first network, and if not,

forwarding the data to a third network device on a second external network using a combination network address from a first protocol to identify the mobile first network device on the second network, wherein the combination network address includes a locally-unique port on the first network and an external network address for the first network to identify the mobile first network device to the second external network,

wherein the port allocation protocol request message is a Port Allocation Protocol comprising a port allocation protocol request message, a port allocation response message, a port allocation invalidate message, and a plurality of combination network addresses including a locally-unique port and an external network address for the first network, for distributed network address translation.

18. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a central processing unit to execute the method of claim 17.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein the step of forwarding the data to a third network device includes forwarding the data to a third network device on a second network with a virtual tunnel.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the external network address is an Internet Protocol address and the locally-unique port is a Port Allocation Protocol port.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the locally unique port allows distributed network address translation to be used on the mobile first network device.

22. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining whether the mobile first network device currently resides on the first network, and if so,

forwarding the data to the mobile first network device at a local network address on the first network using distributed network address translation.