Patent ID: 7159242

Claim:
A system for providing IPsec authentication of a machine accessible via a gateway implementing network address translations (NAT), said system comprising: means for establishing an interface address of said machine corresponding to an IPsec identification (D) utilized to route an IPsec packet to said gateway; means for receiving an IPsec packet at said gateway; means for routing said received IPsec packet from said gateway to said machine; and means for completing said IPsec authentication of said machine utilizing said interface address, wherein an IKE tunnel is established between a sender of said packet and said machine via said gateway, wherein said means for completing said IPsec authentication includes: means for comparing a destination IPsec ID encoded within said received IPsec packet against a set of interface addresses associated with said machine within an IPsec/IKE database; and means, when said IPsec ID is found within the IPsec/IKE database, for generating a reply code within said received IPsec packet to create a modified IPsec packet.