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

• US 6,985,485 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2001
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Yasue, Toshikazu, Atarashi, Yoshifumi, Sumikawa, Munechika, Miyamoto, Takahisa, Higuchi, Hidemitsu, Tsuchiya, Kazuaki, Ikeda, Naoya, Hamamoto, Shinichi, Watanabe, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Duc
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US09/983,147
• Publication Number:
  US 20020021706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,540 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/400, 370/401, 370/402, 370/389, 370/465, 370/466, 370/475, 709/227, 709/229, 709/245, 709/249
• 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 terminal using IPv4 as a communication protocol of an IP address of a second terminal using IPv6 as a communication protocol, comprising the steps of:

sending a first message inquiring of an IP address of said second terminal to a manager apparatus which manages address information, said first message being created by said first terminal;

receiving a second message containing an IPv6 address of said second terminal sent from said manager apparatus in response to said first message;

converting said IPv6 address of said second terminal into an IPv4 address; and

sending a third message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first terminal,

wherein said first message sending step further comprises the substeps of;

sending said first message to a first manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information; and

sending said first message to a second manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information, if said second message is not received from said first manager apparatus within a predetermined time.

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

3. 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 said IPv6 address of said second terminal.

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

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

receiving a fifth message containing one of the IPv4 addresses from said allocating apparatus sent in response to said fourth message; and

converting said IPv6 address of said second terminal into said one of the IPv4 addresses.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

6. A method for notifying a first terminal connected to an IPv4 network of an address of a second terminal connected to an IPv6 network, comprising the step of:

sending a first message inquiring of an IP address of said second terminal to a manager apparatus which manages address information, said first message being created by said first terminal;

receiving a second message containing an IPv6 address of said second terminal sent from said manger apparatus in response to said first message;

converting said IPv6 address of said second terminal into an IPv4 address; and

sending a third message containing the IPv4 address thus converted to said first terminal,

wherein said first message sending step further comprises the substeps of;

sending said first message to a first manager apparatus connected to an IPv4 network, and

sending said first message to a second manager apparatus connected to an IPv6 network, if said second message is not received from said first manager apparatus within a predetermined time.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said manager apparatus is a DNS apparatus.

8. The method according to claim 6, 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 said IPv6 address of said second terminal.

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein said converting step comprises the substeps of:

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

receiving a fifth message containing one of the IPv4 addresses from said allocating apparatus sent in response to said fourth message; and

converting said IPv6 address of said second terminal into said one of the IPv4 addresses.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

11. 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 message inquiring of an IP address of said second apparatus, said message being sent from said first apparatus;

sending said message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information;

sending said message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information, if a response message containing an IP address of said second apparatus is not received within a predetermined time;

if a response message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus is received, converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending a notice message containing said IPv4 address to said first apparatus.

12. The method according to claim 11, 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.

13. 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:

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

sending said inquiry message to a DNS apparatus which manages IPv6 domain information, if a response message containing an IP address of said second apparatus is not received within a predetermined time;

if a response message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus is received, converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending a notice message containing said IPv4 address to said first apparatus.

14. The method according to claim 13, 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.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein said converting step further comprises the substeps of:

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

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

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

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

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

when receiving a message inquiring of an IP address of said second apparatus, said message being sent from said first apparatus, sending said message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information;

sending said message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information, if a response message containing an IP address of said second apparatus is not received within a predetermined time;

if a response message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus is received, converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending a message notifying of said IPv4 address as an IP address of said second apparatus to said first apparatus.

18. The method according to claim 17, 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.

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

when receiving, from said IPv4 network, an inquiry message inquiring of an IP address corresponding to a domain name of said second apparatus, sending said inquiry message to a DNS apparatus which manages domain information of said IPv4 network;

sending said inquiry message to a DNS apparatus which manages domain information of said IPv6 network, if a response message containing an IP address of said second apparatus is not received within a predetermined time;

if a response message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus is received, converting the IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

sending, to said IPv4 network, a message notifying of said IPv4 address as the IP address of said second apparatus.

20. The method according to claim 19, 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.

21. The method according to claim 19, wherein said converting step further comprising the substeps of:

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

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

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

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein said allocating apparatus is a DHCP apparatus.

23. A method for notifying a first apparatus connected to a network and using IPv4 as a communication protocol of an IP address of a second apparatus connected to a network, comprising the steps of:

when receiving an inquiry message inquiring an IP address corresponding to a domain name of said second apparatus, said inquiry message being sent from said first apparatus, sending said inquiry message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv4 address information;

sending said inquiry message to a manager apparatus which manages IPv6 address information, if a response message containing an IPv4 address of said second apparatus is not received within a predetermined time;

if a response message containing an IPv6 address of said second apparatus is received, converting an IPv6 address of said second apparatus into an IPv4 address; and

notifying said first apparatus of said IPv4 address as an IPv4 address of said second apparatus.