Patent ID: 6886103
Filing Date: 2005-04-26
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving a request from a client at a network address translator (NAT) that defines for a protocol not directly supported by the NAT a generalized port number (GPN) associated with that unsupported protocol and its location in each packet, the location comprising an indication of a bit position within a packet of where the GPN begins and a length of the GPN; creating an entry in a translation table of the NAT that defines for that protocol an association between a client's private IP address and GPN, a NAT's assigned global IP address and GPN, and a foreign IP address, said entry being used for translating in outgoing packets received by the NAT from the client using that protocol and having the foreign IP address as their destination, the client's private source IP address and GPN to the NAT's global IP address and GPN, respectively, and for translating in incoming packets sent from the foreign IP address using that protocol to the NAT's global destination IP address and GPN, the NAT's global destination IP address and GPN to the client's private destination IP address and GPN, respectively.