System and method for traversing a NAT device for peer-to-peer hybrid communications

• US 8,139,578 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2009
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaturvedi, Sivakumar, Gundabathula, Satish
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, MINH TRANG T
• Application Number:
  US12/494,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20090262742A1
• Time in Patent Office: 994 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/745 Address table lookup; Address filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2567 for reachability, e.g. inquiring the address of a correspondent behind a NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2578 without involvement of the NAT server
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication

Abstract

An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method enables an endpoint to traverse a NAT device using a stateless reflector.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a peer-to-peer first endpoint to communicate with a peer-to-peer second endpoint and a peer-to-peer third endpoint, wherein the first endpoint is associated with a first network address translation (NAT) device, the second endpoint is associated with a second NAT device, and the third endpoint is associated with a third NAT device, the method comprising:

performing, by the first endpoint, a login process with an access server, wherein the login process sends to the access server an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first NAT device, an external port number of the first NAT device, and a NAT type of the first NAT device;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a profile directly from the access server in response to the login process, wherein the profile includes;

a status of the second endpoint, an IP address of the second NAT device, an external port number of the second NAT device, and a NAT type of the second NAT device, wherein the NAT type of the second endpoint indicates that the second endpoint can only be contacted by the first endpoint via a stateless reflector; and

a status of the third endpoint, an IP address of the third NAT device, an external port number of the third NAT device, and a NAT type of the third NAT device;

sending, by the first endpoint, a first notification message via the stateless reflector to the second endpoint, wherein the first notification message informs the second endpoint that the first endpoint is online;

sending, by the first endpoint, a second notification message directly to the third endpoint, wherein the second notification message informs the third endpoint that the first endpoint is online;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a status message from the second endpoint that the second endpoint is going offline; and

updating, by the first endpoint, the profile on the first endpoint to indicate that the second endpoint is offline.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, an acknowledgement message from the second endpoint via the stateless reflector.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, an acknowledgement message directly from the second endpoint, wherein the acknowledgement message does not pass through the stateless reflector.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising capturing, by the first endpoint, a port number of the second endpoint from the acknowledgement message.

5. The method of claim 3 further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, additional messages directly to the second endpoint, wherein the additional messages do not pass through the stateless reflector.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the first and third NAT devices include a pinhole maintained between the first and third NAT devices, respectively.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the profile further includes an IP address of the stateless reflector.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, from one of the second and third endpoints, a request for a communication session with the first endpoint.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a status message from a fourth endpoint via the stateless reflector, wherein the status message indicates that the fourth endpoint is online; and

updating, by the first endpoint, the profile on the first endpoint to indicate that the fourth endpoint is online.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, a request to the fourth endpoint for a communication session.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the request is sent from the first endpoint to the fourth endpoint via the stateless reflector.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the request is sent directly from the first endpoint to the fourth endpoint.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending, by the first endpoint to the second endpoint via the stateless reflector, a third notification message that the first endpoint is going offline;

sending, by the first endpoint directly to the third endpoint, a fourth notification message that the first endpoint is going offline; and

sending, by the first endpoint directly to the access server, a fifth notification message that the first endpoint is going offline.

14. A method for enabling a peer-to-peer first endpoint to communicate with a peer-to-peer second endpoint and a peer-to-peer third endpoint, wherein the first endpoint is associated with a first network address translation (NAT) device, the second endpoint is associated with a second NAT device, and the third endpoint is associated with a third NAT device, the method comprising:

performing, by the first endpoint, a login process with an access server, wherein the login process sends to the access server an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first NAT device, an external port number of the first NAT device, and a NAT type of the first NAT device;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a profile directly from the access server in response to the login process, wherein the profile includes;

a status of the second endpoint, an IP address of the second NAT device, an external port number of the second NAT device, and a NAT type of the second NAT device, wherein the NAT type of the second endpoint indicates that the second endpoint can only be contacted by the first endpoint via a stateless reflector; and

a status of the third endpoint, an IP address of the third NAT device, an external port number of the third NAT device, and a NAT type of the third NAT device;

sending, by the first endpoint, a first notification message via the stateless reflector to the second endpoint, wherein the first notification message informs the second endpoint that the first endpoint is online;

sending, by the first endpoint, a second notification message directly to the third endpoint, wherein the second notification message informs the third endpoint that the first endpoint is online;

sending, by the first endpoint to the second endpoint via the stateless reflector, a third notification message that the first endpoint is going offline;

sending, by the first endpoint directly to the third endpoint, a fourth notification message that the first endpoint is going offline; and

sending, by the first endpoint directly to the access server, a fifth notification message that the first endpoint is going offline.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, an acknowledgement message from the second endpoint via the stateless reflector.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, an acknowledgement message directly from the second endpoint, wherein the acknowledgement message does not pass through the stateless reflector.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising capturing, by the first endpoint, a port number of the second endpoint from the acknowledgement message.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, additional messages directly to the second endpoint, wherein the additional messages do not pass through the stateless reflector.

19. The method of claim 14 wherein the first and third NAT devices include a pinhole maintained between the first and third NAT devices, respectively.

20. The method of claim 14 wherein the profile further includes an IP address of the stateless reflector.

21. The method of claim 14 further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, from one of the second and third endpoints, a request for a communication session with the first endpoint.

22. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a status message from the second endpoint that the second endpoint is going offline; and

updating, by the first endpoint, the profile on the first endpoint to indicate that the second endpoint is offline.

23. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a status message from a fourth endpoint via the stateless reflector, wherein the status message indicates that the fourth endpoint is online; and

updating, by the first endpoint, the profile on the first endpoint to indicate that the fourth endpoint is online.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, a request to the fourth endpoint for a communication session.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the request is sent from the first endpoint to the fourth endpoint via the stateless reflector.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the request is sent directly from the first endpoint to the fourth endpoint.