Patent ID: 6343083
Filing Date: 2002-01-29
Classification: H04L,H04Q

Abstract:
A method for managing connections on a connection-oriented network having a plurality of points-of-presence including first and second points-of-presence, for use with a plurality of devices communicating according to an overall communication protocol, said overall communication protocol comprising a first connectionless sub-protocol having a first addressing scheme, said first connectionless sub-protocol cooperable with a second connectionless sub-protocol in said overall communication protocol, said second connectionless sub-protocol having a second addressing scheme, comprising the steps of:receiving an address resolution request message transmitted by a first one of said devices via said first point-of-presence, for resolving an address specified according to one of said first and second connectionless sub-protocols to an address according to the other of said first and second connectionless sub-protocols, a second device having said specified address being reachable through said connection-oriented network via said second point-of-presence; controlling said connection-oriented network, in response to said address resolution request message, to establish a connection between said first point-of-presence and said second point-of-presence; and controlling said connection-oriented network to tear down said connection in response to a period of inactivity over said connection exceeding a first predetermined timeout, wherein said first device caches translations from said addressing scheme according to said first connectionless sub-protocol to said addressing scheme according to said second connectionless sub-protocol and ages out cache translations after a predetermined second timeout period of inactivity between said first and second devices, and wherein said first timeout period is chosen to be very likely to exceed said second timeout period.