Communicating method between IPv4 terminal and IPv6 terminal and IPv4-IPv6 converting apparatus

• US 6,920,136 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Ken, Yasue, Toshikazu, Atarashi, Yoshifumi, Sumikawa, Munechika, Hamamoto, Shinichi, Miyamoto, Takahisa, Higuchi, Hidemitsu, Tsuchiya, Kazuaki, Ikeda, Naoya
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/983,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20020024960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• Field of Search: 370/400, 370/338, 370/401, 370/402, 370/389, 370/392, 370/465, 370/466, 370/475, 709/229, 709/249, 709/227, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/251 between different IP versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2542 involving dual-stack hosts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In an apparatus, there are provided an IP transmitting and receiving unit for transmitting and receiving an IPv4 packet and an IPv6 packet; an IP header converting unit for performing a mutual conversion of the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet by an IP header conversion; a DNS substituting unit for receiving a domain information capturing request sent from an IPv4 terminal or an IPv6 terminal and substituting its process; an IPv4 address capturing unit for capturing an IPv4 address from a DHCP server; and an IP address conversion information holding unit for holding an IPv6 address of the IPv6 terminal and the IPv4 address captured by the IPv4 address capturing unit in correspondence to each other. Thus, a communication with the IPv4 terminal can be executed without preliminarily fixedly allocating the IPv4 address to the IPv6 terminal.

Claims

1. A method for notifying a first apparatus using IPv4 as a communication protocol of an IP address of a second apparatus using IPv6 as a communication protocol, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first message requesting an IPv4 address as an IP address of said second apparatus, said first message being sent from said first apparatus;

sending a second message inquiring of an IP address of said second apparatus to a manager apparatus which manages address information;

when receiving a third message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus, said third message being sent from said manager apparatus in response to said second message, performing recognition that the IPv6 address thus received of said second apparatus differs in a protocol version from the IPv4 address requested by said first apparatus;

converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending a fourth message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first apparatus as an IP address of said second apparatus, the IPv4 address thus converted having a same protocol version as that of the IP address requested by said first apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to said manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to said manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information and IPv6 address information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein:

in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to a first manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information, and

if it is decided that said third message is not received from said first manager apparatus, said second message is sent to a second manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said manager apparatus is a DNS apparatus.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

holding at least one IPv4 address; and

in said converting step, allocating one IPv4 address of said at least one IPv4 address thus held to the IPv6 address of said second apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said converting step comprises the following substeps of:

sending a fifth message requesting an IPv4 address to an allocating apparatus which allocates IPv4 addresses;

receiving a sixth message containing one IPv4 address, said sixth message being sent from said allocating apparatus in response to said fifth message; and

converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into said one IPv4 address.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

9. A method for notifying a first apparatus using IPv4 as a communication protocol of an IP address of a second apparatus using IPv6 as a communication protocol, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first message requesting an IPv4 address as an IP address corresponding to a domain name of said second apparatus, said first message being sent from said first apparatus;

sending a second message inquiring of an IP address corresponding to the domain name of said second apparatus to a DNS apparatus which manages IPv4 domain information or IPv6 domain information;

when receiving a third message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus, said third message being sent from said DNS apparatus in response to said second message, converting the IPv6 address thus received of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address, in order to notify said first apparatus of an IP address having a same protocol version as that of the IP address requested from said first apparatus; and

sending a fourth message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first apparatus as an IPv4 address of said second apparatus.

10. A method for notifying a first apparatus connected to an IPv4 network of an IP address of a second apparatus connected to an IPv6 network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first message inquiring of an IPv4 address as an IP address corresponding to a domain name of said second apparatus, said first message being sent from said first apparatus;

sending a second message inquiring of an IP address of said second apparatus to a manager apparatus which manages address information;

when receiving a third message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus, said third message being sent from said manager apparatus in response to said second message, performing recognition that the IPv6 address thus received of said second apparatus differs in a protocol version from an IPv4 address requested by said first apparatus;

converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending a fourth message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first apparatus as an IPv4 address of said second apparatus.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to said manager apparatus connected to an IPv4 network.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to said manager apparatus connected to an IPv6 network.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein:

in said step of sending said second message, said second message is sent to a first manager connected to an IPv4 network, and

if it is decided that said third message is not received from said first manager apparatus, said second message is sent to a second manager apparatus connected to an IPv6 network.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein said manager apparatus is a DNS apparatus.

15. The method according to claim 10, further comprising the steps of:

holding at least one IPv4 address; and

in said converting step, allocating one IPv4 address of said at least one IPv4 address thus held to the IPv6 address of said second apparatus.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein said converting step comprises the following substeps of:

sending a fifth message requesting an IPv4 address to an allocating apparatus which allocates IPv4 addresses;

receiving a sixth message containing one IPv4 address, said sixth message being sent from said allocating apparatus in response to said fifth message; and

converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into said one IPv4 address.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

18. A method for notifying a first apparatus connected to an IPv4 network of an IP address of a second apparatus connected to an IPv6 network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a first message requesting an IPv4 address as an IP address corresponding to a domain name of said second apparatus, said first message being sent from said first apparatus;

sending a second message inquiring of an IP address corresponding to the domain name of said second apparatus to a DNS apparatus which manages domain information of an IPv4 network or domain information of an IPv6 network;

when receiving a third message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus, said third message being sent from said DNS apparatus in response to said second message converting the IPv6 address thus received of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address, in order to notify said first apparatus of IP address having a same protocol version as that of the IP address requested from said first apparatus; and

sending a fourth message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first apparatus as an IPv4 address of said second apparatus.