Patent ID: 7653745

Claim:
A method of distributing network address translation (NAT) processing within a private network, comprising: initiating a request for assignment of a first address; receiving an assignment of a first address; receiving an assignment of a second address, wherein the first and second address are both assigned to an intermediary router; receiving, at the intermediary router, a notification of an outside address and a port range that outside devices use to communicate with one or more devices of the intermediary router's network segment of the private network, wherein the outside address and the port range belong to an outside address pool to be utilized for translating IP traffic that is being sent between a first device that is in the intermediary router's network segment and a second device that is outside the private network, and wherein the port range is apportioned from the outside address pool to the intermediary router so as to distinguish the one or more devices of the intermediary router's network segment from one or more devices of other intermediary routers' other network segments of the private network; prior to routing traffic to its destination, performing NAT on such traffic using the outside address and port range when such traffic is received by the intermediary router's second address; and routing traffic to its destination without performing NAT on such traffic when such traffic is received by the intermediary router's first address.