Device, method and program for protocol translation

• US 7,203,757 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2002
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Murakami, Takuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ford; Grant M.
• Application Number:
  US10/145,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20020174233A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: 370/464, 370/466, 709230-231, 709/236, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A protocol translation device realizes the merit of communications via the T/TCP protocol even if only one of devices in communication is compatible with T/TCP. The protocol translation device conducts protocol translation to relay communication packets sent and received between a TCP channel and a T/TCP channel, including a means for translating a T/TCP packet into a TCP packet by deleting a CC option and a CCnew option from the T/TCP packet, a means for translating a TCP packet into a T/TCP packet by adding CC, CCnew and/or CCecho options to the TCP packet and setting a CC value, and a means for assigning a value that is 16 bytes less than the maximum size of the packet to an MSS option for a communication device that communicates by the TCP protocol and instructing the communication device to transmit data with a packet that is 16 bytes or more smaller than the maximum size of the packet.

Claims

1. A protocol translation device connected to a client device through a T/TCP communications channel and to a server through a TCP communication channel, said translation device deleting CC components included in T/TCP messages, recording communication termination and DATA components from the T/TCP messages received from said client device over the T/TCP communication channel, sending connection request components to said server over the TCP communication channel as part of a three-way handshake (3WHS) to establish communication with said server, and after receipt of an ACK message from said server, adding the ACK message to the communication termination and DATA components for transmission to said server over the TCP communication channel.

2. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1,

wherein the connection request components are SYN components and the communication termination components are FIN components.

3. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1, wherein the device assigns a value that is 16 bytes less than the maximum size of the packet to an MSS option for a communication device that communicates by the TCP protocol, and instructs the communication device to transmit data with a packet that is 16 bytes or more smaller than the maximum size of the packet.

4. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1, wherein the device computes a check sum value included in a header of a packet to compensate the value when translating the packet and updates the check sum value.

5. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1, further including:

a means for uniquely identifying devices that send and receive packets in reference to an address of each of the respective devices and a port number; and

a means for recording a setting to specify whether protocol translation is necessary and a setting to specify a type of translation when protocol translation is necessary;

wherein

the protocol translation device conducts protocol translation to relay packets based on protocol translation settings of a sender and a receiver.

6. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1, further including a means for automatically detecting whether a protocol applied to a communication channel is the T/TCP protocol or the TCP protocol, and establishing communication by the detected protocol.

7. The protocol translation device claimed in claim 1, which has a built-in NAT capability, and updates a CC value included in CC, CCnew and/or CCecho options of a received T/TCP packet to a CC value generated by the translation device itself.

18. The device of claim 1, wherein said translation device adds CC components to TCP messages received from said server for transmission to said client device over the T/TCP communication channel.

8. A protocol translation method for conducting protocol translation to relay communication packets to a server through a TCP channel and to a client device through a T/TCP channel, comprising the steps of:

deleting CC components included in T/TCP messages;

recording communication termination and DATA components from the T/TCP messages received from said client device over the T/TCP communication channel;

sending connection request components to said server over the TCP communication channel as part of a three-way handshake (3WHS) to establish communication with said server; and

adding an ACK message to the communication termination and DATA components for transmission to said server over the TCP communication channel after receipt of the ACK message from said server.

9. The protocol translation method claimed in claim 8,

wherein the connection request components are SYN components and the communication termination components are FIN components.

10. The protocol translation method claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

assigning a value that is 16 bytes less than the maximum size of a packet to an MSS option for a communication device that communicates by the TCP protocol; and

instructing the communication device to transmit data with a packet that is 16 bytes or more smaller than the maximum size of the packet.

11. The protocol translation method claimed in claim 8, further comprising the steps of:

uniquely identifying devices that send and receive packets in reference to an address of each device and a port number; and

recording a setting to specify whether protocol translation is necessary and a setting to specify a type of translation when protocol translation is necessary;

wherein

protocol translation to relay the packets is conducted based on the protocol translation settings of a sender and a receiver.

19. The method of claim 8, further comprising the steps of adding CC components to TCP messages received from said server for transmission to said client device over the T/TCP communication channel.

12. A protocol translation program stored in a tangible memory for conducting protocol translation to relay communication packets to a server through a TCP channel and to a client through a T/TCP channel, causing a computer to execute the steps of:

deleting CC components included in T/TCP messages;

recording communication termination and DATA components from the T/TCP messages received from said client device over the T/TCP communication channel;

sending connection request components to said server over the TCP communication channel as part of a three-way handshake (3WHS) to establish communication with said server; and

adding an ACK message to the communication termination and DATA components for transmission to said server over the TCP communication channel after receipt of the ACK message from said server.

13. The protocol translation program claimed in claim 12,

wherein the connection request components are SYN components and the communication termination components are FIN components.

14. The protocol translation program claimed in claim 12, further causing the computer to execute the steps of:

assigning a value that is 16 bytes less than the maximum size of a packet to an MSS option for a communication device that communicates by the TCP protocol; and

instructing the communication device to transmit data with a packet that is 16 bytes or more smaller than the maximum size of the packet.

15. The protocol translation program claimed in claim 12, further causing the computer to execute the steps of:

uniquely identifying devices that send and receive packets in reference to the address of each device and a port number; and

recording a setting to specify whether protocol translation is necessary and a setting to specify a type of translation when protocol translation is necessary;

wherein

protocol translation to relay the packets is conducted based on the protocol translation settings of the devices at a sender and a receiver.

20. The program of claim 12, further causing the computer to execute the step of adding CC components to TCP messages received from said server for transmission to said client device over the T/TCP communication channel.

16. A protocol translation system, comprising:

a client device that communicates using T/TCP messages containing SYN, FIN, DATA and CC components;

a server that communicates using TCP messages that establish communication with a three-way handshake (3WHS); and

a translation device that is connected to said client device through a T/TCP communication channel and that is connected to said server through a TCP communication channel, said translation device deleting the CC component, recording the FIN and DATA components from the T/TCP messages received from said client device over the T/TCP communication channel, sending the SYN component to said server over the TCP communication channel as part of the 3WHS to establish communication with said server, and after receipt of an ACK message from said server, adding the ACK message to the FIN and DATA components for transmission to said server over the TCP communication channel.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said translation device adds further CC components to the TCP messages received from said server for transmission to said client device over the T/TCP communication channel.