Patent ID: 7924832
Filing Date: 2011-04-12
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: receiving, at a proxy, a request from a client, wherein the request includes a host name, and wherein the request is embodied in a packet having a first network layer address, associated with the client, corresponding to a first network layer protocol; accessing one or more data stores of mappings between host names and network layer addresses to identify one or more network layer addresses associated with the host name identified in the request, wherein one or more of the network layer addresses in the one or more data stores correspond to the first network layer protocol and other ones of the network layer addresses correspond to a second network layer protocol; and generating a response to the request, wherein the response includes a second network layer address corresponding to the first network layer protocol, wherein the second network layer address is selected from the one or more identified network layer addresses mapped to the host name or a third network layer address based on application of one or more policies; and forwarding the response to the client, wherein application of the one or more policies comprises determining whether one or more of the identified network layer addresses corresponds to the second network layer protocol and selecting the third network layer address if at least one of the one or more identified network layer addresses corresponds to the second network layer protocol; and wherein the method further comprises caching, in a mapping data structure, one of the one or more identified network layer addresses in association with the host name identified in the request, if the third network layer address is selected based on the application of the one or more policies.