Global Address Pair Routing for IPv4-IPv6 Transition
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing number of devices on the Internet is leading to IPv4 address exhaustion, and while IPv6 offers a larger address space, its deployment is slow due to costs and compatibility issues with existing IPv4 infrastructure, necessitating a method to efficiently route between both protocols.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using global address pairs, where a sending side address processing module modifies network packets with both an outer and inner address header, allowing routing between sites using site public and node private IP addresses, and encoding IPv4 addresses into IPv6 for transparency to IPv6 applications.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If IPv6 is deployed to provide a larger address space, then IPv4 address exhaustion is delayed, but deployment costs increase and compatibility issues arise with existing IPv4 infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an address processing module as an intermediary component that sits between the application layer and the network stack. This module transparently handles address translation and packet modification, mediating between IPv4 and IPv6 protocols without requiring changes to existing applications or infrastructure. The module can encode IPv4 addresses within IPv6 address spaces, enabling dual-stack operation and gradual transition while maintaining compatibility with both protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the network communication stack by introducing a separate address processing layer that operates independently from both the application layer and the standard network protocol stack. This segmentation allows the address processing module to handle protocol translation and address encoding/decoding operations without interfering with the core networking functionality, enabling incremental deployment and reducing overall system complexity.
2Loss of energy
If organizations continue to operate established IPv4 infrastructure, then return on existing infrastructure is maximized, but compatibility with IPv6 becomes increasingly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The address processing module is designed to be multi-functional, supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 protocols simultaneously. It can perform address encoding, decoding, translation, and packet modification operations for both protocol versions, making it a universal solution that works with existing IPv4 infrastructure while enabling IPv6 compatibility. This allows organizations to maintain their IPv4 investments while gaining IPv6 capabilities through a single integrated component.
3Quantity of substance
If IPv4 address allocation is reduced to delay exhaustion, then address space utilization becomes inefficient, but NAT and address translation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter representation of IPv4 addresses by encoding them within the IPv6 address space. Instead of using traditional IPv4 address allocation and NAT mechanisms, the system represents IPv4 addresses as embedded structures within IPv6 addresses. This parameter transformation eliminates the need for complex NAT devices and address translation tables, reducing translation complexity while preserving address space efficiency.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention extends to methods, systems, and computer program products for routing using global address pairs. Embodiments of the invention use publicly routable Internet Protocol (“IP”) addresses to represent sites rather than individual hosts. Hosts can be represented by a global address pair, including site public IP address and a node private IP address. Nodes route packets to address processing modules using IP-in-IP encapsulation. An outer header contains a site public IP address and is destined to a site on inter-site links. An inner header contains a node private IP address and is destined to a private endpoint in intra-site links. In some embodiments, a site public IPv4 address and a node private IPv4 address are encoded into an IPv6 address. Use of an IPv6 address makes encoding of the two IPv4 address transparent to IPv6 applications.