Patent ID: 7411967
Filing Date: 2008-08-12
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method in a gateway coupled to a first private IPv4 network and an IPv6 network, the method including: receiving by the gateway a first IPv4 packet from a first IPv4 node in the first private IPv4 network, the first IPv4 packet having a source address field specifying a first private IPv4 address having been dynamically assigned to the first IPv4 node, and a request for initiating a communication with a second IPv4 node identified in the request and outside the first private IPv4 network; sending by the gateway the request into the IPv6 network for locating the second IPv4 node, including creating a first IPv6 address for the first IPv4 node based on prepending the first private IPv4 address with a prescribed IPv6 prefix assigned to the gateway; obtaining by the gateway from the IPv6 network a response that specifies the first IPv6 address, and a second IPv6 address for reaching the second IPv4 node identified in the request via the IPv6 network; creating by the gateway a network address translation-protocol translation (NAT-PT) state entry for enabling communication between the first IPv4 node and the second IPv4 node, the NAT-PT state entry specifying the first private IPv4 address for identifying the first IPv4 node in the first private IPv4 network, the first IPv6 address for identifying the first IPv4 node via the IPv6 network, the second IPv6 address for identifying the second IPv4 node via the IPv6 network, and a determined unique private IPv4 address for identifying the second IPv4 node within the first private IPv4 network; and establishing communications by the gateway between the first IPv4 node and the second IPv4 node via the first private IPv4 network and the IPv6 network, based on translation of the first private IPv4 address and the unique private IPv4 address specified in a data packet received from the first IPv4 node, into the respective first IPv6 address and the second IPv6 address for transmission of the data packet to the second IPv4 node via the IPv6 network as an IPv6 packet; wherein the sending includes sending the request to a prescribed locator resource in the IPv6 network, the method further including: receiving by the gateway a registration request from the first IPv4 node for registration in the prescribed locator resource; modifying by the gateway the registration request to identify the first IPv4 node based on the first IPv6 address; and outputting by the gateway to the prescribed locator resource, via the IPv6 network, the registration request following the modifying, the registration request specifying a host name of the first IPv4 node and the first IPv6 address.