Peer to peer network communication

• US 7,676,579 B2
• Filed: 08/08/2002
• Issued: 03/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Gordon, Jeremy Joseph, Jacob, Mark, Harris, Adam Pierce
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THUONG
• Application Number:
  US10/215,899
• Publication Number:
  US 20030212795A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,770 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/245, 709/250, 709/246, 709/220, 463/36, 463/38, 463/39, 713/151
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0853 by actively collecting configuration information or by backing up configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0856 by backing up or archiving configuration information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0866 Checking the configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/50 Testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2532 Clique of NAT servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2553 Binding renewal aspects, e.g. using keep-alive messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for peer to peer network communication. In one implementation, a method of communicating between a first client system and a second client system includes: discovering first address information for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device; sharing the first address information with a second client system; receiving second address information for the second client system; and establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system using the second address information.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a first client system and a second client system, comprising:

discovering first address information for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device by sending a first address request from the first client system to an address server in communication with the first network address translation device;

establishing a mapping between the first client system and a first network address by registering said first address information to a matching server,

said first network address including an address number and a port number associated with said first client system attached to said first network address translation device, said port number mapped to said first client system using port address translation;

sharing the first address information with a second client system;

screening incoming data to the first client system,

authorizing second address information to be received by the first client system;

receiving authorized second address information, at the first client system, for the second client system,

wherein the only second address information that is authorized and received is second address data that originates from a second client system that

1) selected first client system to communicate with, and

2) shared the second address information with a matching server, and

3) received a test message from the first client system after the matching server sent the first client system the second address information of the second client system; and

establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system using the second address information.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a first mapping in the first network address translation device between the first client system and the first network address.

3. The method of claim 1, where the first address information and the second address information each include a public network address and a local network address.

4. The method of claim 3, where each public network address includes an address number and a port number.

5. The method of claim 4, where the address number of the first public network address is the address number for the network address translation device and the port number of the first public address indicates the first client system.

6. The method of claim 3, where each local network address includes an address number and a port number.

7. The method of claim 1, where discovering first address information includes:

discovering a first local network address for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device; and

discovering a first public network address for the first client system.

8. The method of claim 7, where discovering the first local network address for the first client system includes

retrieving the first local network address from an address stack within the first client system.

9. The method of claim 7, where discovering the first public network address for the first client system includes:

receiving a first address report from the address server at the first client system,

where the first address report includes the first public network address.

10. The method of claim 1, where sharing the first address information with the second client system includes

sending a registration request from the first client system to a matching server connected to the network, where the registration request includes the first address information.

11. The method of claim 1, where establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system includes:

sending one or more outgoing test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second address information;

receiving an incoming test message from the second client system at the first client system,

where the incoming test message includes an origin network address indicating the network address from which the incoming test message was sent;

recording the origin network address;

sending an outgoing confirmation message from the first client system to the second client system using the recorded origin network address; and

receiving an incoming confirmation message from the second client system at the first client system.

12. The method of claim 11, where the first address information includes a first public network address and a first local network address and the second address information includes

a second public network address and a second local network address.

13. The method of claim 12, where sending one or more outgoing test messages includes:

sending one or more outgoing public address test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second public network address; and

sending one or more outgoing local address test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second local network address.

14. The method of claim 12, where the incoming test message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first public network address.

15. The method of claim 12, where the incoming test message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first local network address.

16. The method of claim 12, where the origin network address is the second public network address.

17. The method of claim 12, where the origin network address is the second local network address.

18. The method of claim 12, where the incoming confirmation message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first public network address.

19. The method of claim 12, where the incoming confirmation message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first local network address.

20. A method of peer to peer network communication, comprising:

discovering a first network address for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device by sending a first address request from the first client system to an address server in communication with the first network address translation device;

establishing a mapping between the first client system and a first network address by registering said first address information to a matching server,

said first network address including an address number and a port number associated with said first client system attached to said first network address translation device, said port number mapped to said first client system using port address translation;

discovering a second network address for a second client system connected to a second network address translation device;

sharing the first network address with the second client system;

sharing the second network address with the first client system;

screening incoming data to the first client system,

authorizing data to be received by the first client system,

wherein the only data that is authorized and received is second network address data that originates from a second client system that

1) selected first client system to communicate with, and

2) shared the second address network information with a matching server, and

3) received a test message from the first client system after the matching server sent the first client system the second address information of the second client system; and

establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system using the first network address and the second network address.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising

maintaining a first mapping in the first network address translation device between the first client system and the first network address and maintaining a second mapping in the second network address translation device between the second client system and the second network address.

22. A computer program, stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in communicating between a first client system and a second client system, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

discover first address information for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device by sending a first address request from the first client system to an address server in communication with the first network address translation device;

establishing a mapping between the first client system and a first network address by registering said first address information to a matching server,

said first network address including an address number and a port number associated with said first client system attached to said first network address translation device,

said port number mapped to said first client system using port address translation;

share the first address information with a second client system;

screen incoming data to the first client system,

authorizing second address information to be received by the first client system;

receive authorized second address information, at the first client system, for the second client system,

wherein the only second address information that is authorized and received is second address data that originates from a second client system that;

1) selected first client system to communicate with, and

2) shared the second address information with a matching server, and

3) received a test message from the first client system after the matching server sent the first client system the second address information of the second client system; and

establish communication between the first client system and the second client system using the second address information.

23. The computer program of claim 22, further comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to

maintain a first mapping in the first network address translation device between the first client system and the first network address.

24. The computer program of claim 22, where the first address information and the second address information each include

a public network address and a local network address.

25. The computer program of claim 24, where each public network address includes an address number and a port number.

26. The computer program of claim 25, where the address number of the first public network address is the address number for the network address translation device and the port number of the first public address indicates the first client system.

27. The computer program of claim 24, where each local network address includes an address number and a port number.

28. The computer program of claim 22, where discovering first address information includes:

discovering a first local network address for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device; and

discovering a first public network address for the first client system.

29. The computer program of claim 27, where discovering the first local network address for the first client system includes

retrieving the first local network address from an address stack within the first client system.

30. The computer program of claim 27, where discovering the first public network address for the first client system includes:

receiving a first address report from the address server at the first client system,

where the first address report includes the first public network address.

31. The computer program of claim 22, where sharing the first address information with the second client system includes

sending a registration request from the first client system to a matching server connected to the network,

where the registration request includes the first address information.

32. The computer program of claim 22, where establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system includes:

sending one or more outgoing test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second address information;

receiving an incoming test message from the second client system at the first client system,

where the incoming test message includes an origin network address indicating the network address from which the incoming test message was sent;

recording the origin network address;

sending an outgoing confirmation message from the first client system to the second client system using the recorded origin network address;

receiving an incoming confirmation message from the second client system at the first client system.

33. The computer program of claim 32, where the first address information includes a first public network address and a first local network address and the second address information includes

a second public network address and a second local network address.

34. The computer program of claim 33, where sending one or more outgoing test messages includes:

sending one or more outgoing public address test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second public network address;

sending one or more outgoing local address test messages from the first client system to the second client system using the second local network address.

35. The computer program of claim 33, where the incoming test message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first public network address.

36. The computer program of claim 33, where the incoming test message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first local network address.

37. The computer program of claim 33, where the origin network address is the second public network address.

38. The computer program of claim 33, where the origin network address is the second local network address.

39. The computer program of claim 33, where the incoming confirmation message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first public network address.

40. The computer program of claim 33, where the incoming confirmation message received from the second client system at the first client system is addressed using the first local network address.

41. A system for communicating between a first client system and a second client system, comprising:

means for discovering first address information for a first client system connected to a first network address translation device by sending a first address request from the first client system to an address server in communication with the first network address translation device, establishing a mapping between the first client system and a first network address by registering said first address information to a matching server, said first network address including an address number and a port number associated with said first client system, said port number mapped to said first client system using port address translation;

means for sharing the first address information with a second client system;

means for receiving second address information for the second client system;

means for screening incoming data to the first client system,

means for authorizing second address information to be received by the first client system,

wherein the only second address information that is authorized and received is second address data that originates from a second client system that;

1) selected first client system to communicate with, and

2) shared the second address information with a matching server, and

3) received a test message from the first client system after the matching server sent the first client system the second address information of the second client system; and

means for establishing communication between the first client system and the second client system using the second address information.