Address translator, message processing method and equipment

• US 8,131,863 B2
• Filed: 08/09/2010
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Takeda, Yukiko, Inouchi, Hidenori
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tammy
• Application Number:
  US12/852,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20100325292A1
• Time in Patent Office: 575 Days
• Field of Search: 709/228, 709/237, 709/238, 414/400, 702/170
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/741 Routing in networks with a plurality of addressing schemes, e.g. with both IPv4 and IPv6
• 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 61/2564 for a higher-layer protocol, e.g. for session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2585 through application level gateway [ALG]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• 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 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An address translator includes an SIP message detecting function. Upon detection of an SIP message, the address translator sends the SIP message to an SIP address translator. The SIP address translator extracts addresses for translation, and makes a query to the address translator. The SIP address translator translates an IP address included in the SIP message, using translation information of the address translator. Thus, an SIP communication is accomplished between terminals belonging to different regions in association of the address translator and the SIP address translator.

Claims

1. An address translator to be coupled to a first network utilizing a global address, and to be coupled to a second network utilizing a private address, said address translator comprising:

an address translating unit which translates, in a Layer 3 region of communication data the global address into the private address, or translates, in a Layer 3 region of communication data, the private address into the global address;

a detecting unit which detects that the communication data conforms to a particular protocol based on a port number contained in a header corresponding to a Layer 4 region of the communication data;

a creating unit which creates translation information including a correspondence relationship between the global address and the private address for translating a Layer 3 address contained in a region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region, when the detecting unit detects that the communication data conforms to the particular protocol, and

a communicating unit which communicates with a server device, and

wherein said address translator sends said translation information and the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region to said server device, and receives information including said Layer 3 address described in the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region which has been translated by said server device,

wherein said region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region comprises a parameter which requires translation of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region,

wherein said address translator sends to said region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region with a tag added to said parameter by said address translator, and

wherein said server device extracts the parameter which requires the translation from the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region based on said tag which requires the translation of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region.

2. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region is described by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and includes the Layer 3 address.

3. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein the particular protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

4. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein a port number is described in a Transport layer as Layer 4.

5. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein a port number is described by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) as Layer 4.

6. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein a port number is described by User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as Layer 4.

7. The address translator according to claim 1, wherein a port number is an identifier, indicating that the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region described by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

8. An address translating system comprising:

an address translator, which is connected to a first network utilizing a global address and second network utilizing a private address; and

a server device,

wherein the address translator comprises;

an address translating unit which translates, in a Layer 3 region of communication data, the global address, or translates, in a Layer 3 region of communication data, the private address into the global address;

a detecting unit which detects that the communication data conforms to a particular protocol based on a port number contained in a header corresponding to a Layer 4 region of the communication data;

a creating unit which creates translation information including a correspondence relationship between the global address and the private address for translating a Layer 3 address contained in a region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region, when the detecting unit detects that the communication data conforms to the particular protocol, and

a communicating unit which communicates with a server device, wherein said address translator sends said translation information and the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region to said server device, and receives information including said Layer 3 address described in the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region which has been translated by said server device,

wherein the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region, which is sent from the address translator to the server device, comprises a parameter which requires translation of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region of the communication data,

wherein the address translator sends the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region with a tag added to the parameter which requires the translation of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region, and

wherein the server device extracts the parameter which requires the translation from the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region based on the tag.

9. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein at least a portion of the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region is described by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and includes the Layer 3 address.

10. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein the server device receives the translation information and the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region from the address translator, and translates the global address described in the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region to the private address based on the translation information, and sends information including the Layer 3 address described in the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region which has been translated by the server device.

11. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein the particular protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).

12. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein the port number described in a Transport layer as Layer 4.

13. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein a port number described by Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) as Layer 4.

14. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein a port number described by User Datagram Protocol (UDP) as Layer 4.

15. The address translating system according to claim 8, wherein a port number is an identifier indicating that the region of the communication data higher than the Layer 3 region is described by Session Initiation Protocol (SIP).