ISATAP router for tunneling packets and method thereof

Abstract

An Intra-Site Automatic Tunnel Address Protocol (ISATAP) router for tunneling packets and a method thereof are provided. A private IP address of an ISATAP host and public IPv4 address information are stored in a mapping table, a public IPv4 address of a Network Address Translator (NAT), to which an IPv6 packet received from the IPv6 host is to be transmitted, is checked using the IPv6 packet and the mapping table, and the IPv6 packet is encapsulated within an IPv4 header whose destination address is the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT), and tunneled to the Network Address Translator (NAT). Thus, the ISATAP host and the IPv6 network can be connected without changing the Network Address Translator (NAT).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A more complete appreciation of the invention, and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an IPv4/IPv6 transition mechanism using a tunneling scheme;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an IPv4/IPv6 transition mechanism using an Intra-Site Automatic Tunnel Address Protocol (ISATAP) tunneling scheme;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an address format of an IPv6 packet used in an ISATAP tunneling scheme;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of transmitting and receiving a data packet between an ISATAP host and an IPv6 host through an ISATAP router;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a problem occurring when RS/RA (Router Solicitation/Router Advertisement) messages are transmitted and received using a general ISATAP router in a network in which a Network Address Translator (NAT) is used;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a problem occurring when data packets are transmitted using a general ISATAP router in a network in which a Network Address Translator (NAT) is used;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing an internal configuration of an ISATAP router in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which an ISATAP router configures a mapping table using an Router Solicitation (RS) message;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a mapping table configured according to a mapping table configuration method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a process whereby an ISATAP router transmits an Network Address Translator (NAT) message to an ISATAP host in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method by which an ISATAP router transmits an IPv6 packet to a Network Address Translator (NAT) in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating steps where an ISATAP host in a Network Address Translator (NAT) area transmits and receives data packets to and from an IPv6 host in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for configuring tunneling in an IP network, comprising the steps of: transmitting, at an IPv4 host, to a Network Address Translator (NAT) a first router solicitation message including at lease one of an IPv4 header including a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a public IPv4 address of a router, and an IPv6 header including private IPv4 address information of the IPv4 host;transmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), to the router a second router solicitation message in which the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host included in the IPv4 header of the first router solicitation message is replaced by a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT); andreceiving, at the router, the second router solicitation message and store the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) included in the second router solicitation message.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the IPv6 header of the first router solicitation message comprises a source address which is an ISATAP IPv6 address of the IPv6 host and a destination address which contains IPv6 address information of the router.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the IPv4 header of the first router solicitation message comprises a source address which is a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a destination address which contains public IPv4 address information of the router.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of: transmitting, at the router, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a first router advertisement message including at least one of the IPv4 header including the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) and the public IPv4 address of the router, and the IPv6 header including the private IPv4 address information of the IPv4 host; andtransmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), to the IPv4 host a second router advertisement message in which the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) included in the IPv4 header of the first router advertisement message is replaced by the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the IPv6 header of the first router advertisement message comprises a source address which is an IPv6 address of the router and a destination address which contains ISATAP IPv6 address information of the IPv4 host.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the IPv4 header of the first router advertisement message comprises a source address which is the public IPv4 address of the router and a destination address which contains IPv4 address information of the Network Address Translator (NAT).

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: storing, at the router, an expiration time of the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) corresponding to the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host.

8. A method for tunneling a packet from an IPv6 host to an IPv4 host, comprising the steps of: storing, at a router, a private IPv4 address of at least one IPv4 host and public IPv4 address information of a Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the IPv4 host in a mapping table;mapping, at the router, the IPv4 address of a receiving IPv4 host included in a header of a first IPv6 packet which is received from a transmitting IPv6 host to the mapping table and to obtain a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the receiving IPv4 host;transmitting, at the router, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a first IPv4 packet which is formed by encapsulating a header including the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) of the first IPv6 packet; andtransmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), the first IPv4 packet to the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the step of obtaining, at the router, the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) comprises the steps of: extracting, at the router, the last 32 bits of an IPv6 header destination address of the first IPv6 packet; andsearching for, at the router, an entry having the same private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host as the extracted IPv4 address in the mapping table, and obtain a Network Address Translator (NAT) public IPv4 address included in the searched entry.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising the sub-step of: when there is no entry having the same private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host as the extracted IPv4 address, encapsulating, at the router, the header of the first IPv6 packet including the extracted IPv4 address.

11. The method according to claim 8, further comprising the steps of: transmitting, at the IPv4 host, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a second IPv4 packet including at least one of the IPv4 header including a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a public IPv4 address of the router, an IPv6 header including the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and the IPv6 address of the IPv6 host, and data;replacing, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), the public IPv4 address of the IPv4 host included in the second IPv4 header by the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) and transmit the public IPv4 address to the router; andtransmitting, at the router, a second IPv6 packet which is made by decapsulating the second IPv4 header to the IPv6 address of the IPv6 host included in the second IPv6 header (?).

12. A method for tunneling a packet from an IPv6 host to an IPv4 host, comprising the steps of: transmitting, at an IPv4 host, to a Network Address Translator (NAT) a first router solicitation message including at lease one of an IPv4 header including a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a public IPv4 address of a router, and an IPv6 header including private IPv4 address information of the IPv4 host;transmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), to the router a second router solicitation message in which the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host included in the IPv4 header of the first router solicitation message is replaced by a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT);receiving, at the router, the second router solicitation message and store the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) included in the second router solicitation message in a mapping table;transmitting, at the router, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a first router advertisement message including at least one of the IPv4 header including the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) and the public IPv4 address of the router, and the IPv6 header including the private IPv4 address information of the IPv4 host;transmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), to the IPv4 host a second router advertisement message in which the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) included in the IPv4 header of the first router advertisement message is replaced by the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host;storing, at a router, a private IPv4 address of at least one IPv4 host and public IPv4 address information of a Network Address Translator (NAT) which controls the IPv4 host in a mapping table;mapping, at the router, the IPv4 address of a receiving IPv4 host included in a header of a first IPv6 packet which is received from a transmitting IPv6 host to the mapping table and to obtain a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the receiving IPv4 host;transmitting, at the router, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a first IPv4 packet which is formed by encapsulating a header including the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) of the first IPv6 packet; andtransmitting, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), the first IPv4 packet to the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising the steps of: transmitting, at the IPv4 host, to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a second IPv4 packet including at least one of the IPv4 header including an IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a public IPv4 address of the router, the IPv6 header including the private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and the IPv6 address of the IPv6 host, and data;replacing, at the Network Address Translator (NAT), the public IPv4 address of the IPv4 host included in the second IPv4 header by the public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) and transmit the public IPv4 address to the router; andtransmitting, at the router, a second IPv6 packet which is made by decapsulating the second IPv4 header to the IPv6 address of the IPv6 host included in the second IPv6 header.

14. A router for managing at least one IPv4 host and a Network Address Translator (NAT), comprising: a mapping table including at least one entry including a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host and a public IPv4 address of a Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the IPv4 host;a mapping module for extracting an IPv4 address of a destination IPv4 host from a first IPv6 packet received from an IPv6 host, and searching for a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the destination IPv4 host in the mapping table;a packet conversion module for encapsulating the first IPv6 packet within an IPv4 header including the searched Network Address Translator (NAT) public IPv4 address and converting the encapsulated first IPv6 packet into a first IPv4 packet; anda communication module for transmitting the converted first IPv4 packet to the public IP address of the Network Address Translator (NAT).

15. The router according to claim 14, wherein the packet conversion module receives the second IPv4 packet to be transmitted from the IPv4 host to the IPv6 host from the Network Address Translator (NAT), decapsulates the second IPv4 header included in the second IPv4 packet and converts the decapsulated IPv4 header into the second IPv6 packet; and wherein the communication module transmits the converted second IPv6 packet to the IPv6 address of the IPv6 host included in the second IPv6 packet.

16. The router according to claim 14, wherein the mapping table additionally stores an expiration time of each entry.

17. The router according to claim 16, further comprising a mapping table management module for checking whether the expiration time stored in the mapping table has lapsed, and deleting an entry whose expiration time has lapsed.

18. An IP network having an IPv4 host used to communicate with an IPv6 host, comprising: a router for storing a private IPv4 address of at least one IPv4 host and public IPv4 address information of a Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the IPv4 host in a mapping table, mapping the IPv4 address of a destination IPv4 host included in a first IPv6 header of a first IPv6 packet which is received from the IPv6 host to the mapping table, obtaining a public IPv4 address of the Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the destination IPv4 host, and transmitting to the Network Address Translator (NAT) a first IPv4 packet which is formed by encapsulating the first IPv6 packet within an IPv4 header including the Network Address Translator (NAT) public IPv4 address; anda Network Address Translator (NAT) for transmitting a second IPv4 packet whose address is replaced by a private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host included in the first IPv6 header of the first IPv4 packet to the IPv4 host.

19. The IP network according to claim 18, wherein the router extracts the last 32 bits of an IPv6 header destination address from the received first IPv6 packet, and stores a private IPv4 address of at least one IPv4 host and public IPv4 address information of a Network Address Translator (NAT) which manages the IPv4 host in a mapping table, searches for an entry having the same private IPv4 address as the extracted IPv4 address in the mapping table, and obtains a Network Address Translator (NAT) public IPv4 address which manages the IPv4 host.

20. The IP network according to claim 19, wherein when there is no entry having the same private IPv4 address of the IPv4 host as the extracted IPv4 address, the router encapsulates the header of the first IPv6 packet including the extracted IPv4 address.