Patent ID: 7957382

Claim:
A method of sending data having an embedded address or port from the first host to a second host, comprising: at the first host, prior to sending data having an embedded address or port embedded in a payload of the data or a translation of the embedded address or port to a second host, sending a network address translation (NAT) Probe through a plurality of NAT devices towards the second host, wherein the NAT Probe includes the embedded address or port and a type indicating that the embedded address or port is to be translated by the plurality of NAT devices for a plurality of private networks if needed; and at the first host, when a NAT Probe Reply is received in response to the NAT Probe, wherein the NAT Probe Reply contains a translated embedded address or port that was formed by translation of the embedded address or port of the NAT Probe by the NAT devices and is usable in the second host's address space, sending data having the translated embedded address or port embedded in the payload of the data to the second host.