Patent ID: 7188191

Claim:
A method of operating an interface between a first network and a second network, the first network having network addresses in accordance with a first addressing convention, herein referred to as first type addresses, and transmitting messages in accordance with a first transmission protocol, herein referred to as first type messages, and the second network having network addresses in accordance with a second addressing convention, herein referred to as second type addresses, and transmitting messages in accordance with a second transmission protocol, herein referred to as second type messages, the method comprising: examining the destination address of a first type message received from the first network; and if the destination address of that received first type message is of a first predetermined format in accordance with the first addressing convention, protocol converting that received first type message; and if not, encapsulating that received first type message in accordance with the second transmission protocol, using, as the destination address of a resulting encapsulating second type message, a second type address derived, directly or indirectly, from the destination address of that received first type message.