Patent ID: 6961336

Claim:
A method in a first node within a first network for establishing contact with a second node outside the first network, the first node having a physical address, comprising: detecting an address resolution request broadcast within the first network, the address resolution request containing a logical target address; determining whether an address resolution response to the detected address resolution request is transmitted from a node in the first network other than the first node; if it is determined that no address resolution response to the detected address resolution request is transmitted from a node in the first network other than the first node; transmitting an address resolution response to the detected address resolution request containing the physical address of the first node; and adopting the logical target address contained by the detected address resolution request as the logical address of the first node, wherein it is determined that no address resolution response to the detected address resolution request is transmitted from a node in the first network other than the first node if at least a threshold period of time elapses after the address resolution request is detected without a response to the detected address resolution request being detected.