Address converter for gateways interconnecting networks of different address formats

• US 6,950,433 B1
• Filed: 09/28/1999
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Okamoto, Tsugio
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): MEHRA, INDER P
• Application Number:
  US09/406,803
• Time in Patent Office: 2,191 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370392-393, 370/397, 370/401, 370466-467, 370/399, 370/390, 370/402, 370/474, 370/475, 370/351, 370/352, 709/311, 379/207, 379/219, 379220-221, 379229-230
• 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 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• 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 61/255 Maintenance or indexing of mapping tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2585 through application level gateway [ALG]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

In a gateway, a packet received from a first network contains first address data conforming to the first network in the packet header and second address data conforming to a second network in an auxiliary header. The first address data of the packet is then rewritten with the second address data of the packet and transmitted from the gateway to the second network.

Claims

1. A method of transmitting packets between first and second networks of different address formats, comprising:

receiving, from a first network, a packet containing first address data conforming to said first network address format and second address data conforming to said second network address format, said first address data being contained in a packet header of the packet and said second address data being contained in an auxiliary header of the packet;

swapping said first address data and said second address data within the packet; and

transmitting the packet to said second network based on the second address data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said auxiliary header further contains auxiliary information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein both said first address data and said second address data are used for routing purposes by said first network and said second network, respectively.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein both said first address data and said second address data are used for routing the packet to or from a gateway.

5. A method of transmitting packets between first and second networks of different address formats comprising:

receiving, from a first network, a plurality of packets, at least one of the packets containing first address data conforming to said first network address format and second address data conforming to said second network address format, said first address data being contained in a packet header of the at least one of the packets and said second address data being contained in an auxiliary header of the at least one of the packets;

making a search through a received packet to determine whether the received packet includes the auxiliary header;

examining a database if said auxiliary header is not contained in the received packet to identify address data mapped to said first address data;

converting the first address data with the identified address data; and

transmitting the received packet to said second network based on the identified address data.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining whether the auxiliary header includes the second address data when the received packet includes the auxiliary header;

searching a memory to identify address data mapped to the first address data when the auxiliary header does not include the second address data; and

converting the first address data to the identified address data.

7. An address converter within a gateway connected between first and second networks with first and second network address formats, respectively, comprising:

receive means for receiving, from said first network, a packet containing first address data conforming to said first network address format and second address data conforming to said second network address format, said first address data being contained in a packet header of the packet and said second address data being contained in an auxiliary header of the packet;

control means for swapping said first address data and said second address data; and

transmit means for transmitting the packet to said second network based on the second address data.

8. The address converter of claim 7, wherein said auxiliary header further contains auxiliary information.

9. The address converter of claim 7, wherein both said first address data and said second address data are used for routing purposes by said first network and said second network, respectively.

10. The address converter of claim 9, wherein both said first address data and said second address data are used for routing the packet to or from the gateway.

11. An address converter within a gateway connected between first and second networks with first and second network address formats, respectively, comprising:

means for receiving, from said first network, a plurality of packets, at least one of the packets containing first address data conforming to said first network address format and second address data conforming to said second network address format, said first address data being contained in a packet header of the at least one of the packets and said second address data being contained in an auxiliary header of the at least one of the packets;

means for searching through a received packet to determine whether the received packet includes the auxiliary header;

means for examining a database if said auxiliary header is not contained in the received packet to identify address data mapped to said first address data;

means for converting the first address data with the identified address data; and

means for transmitting the received packet to said second network based on the identified address data.

12. The address converter of claim 11, further comprising:

means for determining whether the auxiliary header includes the second address data when the received packet includes the auxiliary header;

means for searching a memory to identify address data mapped to the first address data when the auxiliary header does not include the second address data; and

means for converting the first address data to the identified address data.

13. A gateway connected between first and second networks with first and second network address formats, respectively, comprising:

a first interface to receive, from the first network, a packet that includes first address data conforming to the first network address format and second address data conforming to the second network address format, the first address data being contained in a packet header of the packet and the second address data being contained in an auxiliary header of the packet;

means for swapping the first address data and the second address data within the packet; and

a second interface to transmit the packet to the second network based on the second address data.

14. A gateway connected between first and second networks with first and second network address formats, respectively, comprising:

a first interface to receive, from the first network, a plurality of packets, at least one of the packets including first address data conforming to the first network address format in a packet header of the at least one of the packets and second address data conforming to the second network address format in an auxiliary header of the at least one of the packets;

an address converter to;

determine whether a received packet includes the auxiliary header,

identify address data mapped to the first address data when the received packet does not include the auxiliary header, and

convert the first address data to the identified address data; and

a second interface to transmit the received packet to the second network based on the identified address data.

15. The gateway of claim 14, wherein the address converter is further configured to:

determine whether the auxiliary header includes the second address data when the received packet includes the auxiliary header,

search a memory to identify address data mapped to the first address data when the auxiliary header does not include the second address data, and

convert the first address data to the identified address data.