Patent ID: 7139828

Claim:
A method for communicating among network entities, comprising: establishing a persistent connection between a first entity in a private network and a second entity outside said private network to enable access to the first entity by entities outside of the private network, said establishing a persistent connection includes associating a public address with the first entity and communicating the public address associated with the first entity to the second entity, the second entity having an associated public address which is different than the public address associated with the first entity; providing the public address of the second entity to a third entity outside said private network; initiating communication with said first entity, said communication is initiated by said third entity from outside said private network providing an identification associated with said persistent connection and data for the first entity to said second entity, said identification and said data being provided to said second entity using the public address of the second entity as a destination address, said second entity identifying said public address associated with said first entity based on the identification and forwarding the data to said first entity via said persistent connection using said public address associated with said first entity; and exchanging subsequent communication between said first entity and said third entity through a device associated with said private network using a private address of the first entity.