Address Resolution System for IPv4 Address Sharing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The scarcity of IPv4 addresses poses challenges for network expansion, as existing solutions like NAT compromise security and are costly to implement, especially when trying to support a large number of end-hosts, and the adoption of IPv6 is hindered by complexity and cost.
Innovation Solution
An address resolution system that allows network devices to share a common public network address using an address resolution table, port management agent, and address resolution service, which manages source ports and hardware addresses to uniquely identify devices, enabling efficient IPv4 address sharing without compromising security.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If NAT is used to allow multiple end-hosts to share IPv4 addresses, then address sharing capability is improved, but security is compromised and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an address resolution service as an intermediary between end-hosts and the NAT device. This service maintains an address resolution table that maps public IPv4 addresses to multiple private addresses and port combinations, allowing the system to share addresses while preserving security through controlled resolution rather than direct NAT modification of all packets
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the address sharing function into two parts: the NAT device handles address translation, while a separate address resolution service handles the mapping of public addresses to multiple private addresses. This segmentation allows security policies to be applied at the resolution service level while maintaining address sharing capability
2Adaptability or versatility
If NAT devices are deployed to support address sharing, then address sharing capability is improved, but cost and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The address resolution service can be implemented as a software component on existing network infrastructure devices such as routers or servers, making the address sharing capability universal and not dependent on specialized NAT hardware appliances. This multi-functional approach allows existing devices to provide address sharing services
3Adaptability or versatility
If NAT modifies IP addresses in packets, then address sharing is enabled, but traceability and security tracking are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The address resolution service provides feedback mechanisms by maintaining detailed mapping information in the address resolution table, which records the relationship between public addresses and private addresses. This feedback enables traceability of packets back to their original sources through the resolution service, even though NAT modifies the addresses
Data Source
AI summary
An address resolution system is provided where network devices are arranged to share a common public network address in a public network environment. The address resolution system includes: an address resolution table residing at a router and configured to store a public network address and a source port assigned to each network device registered with the router in connection with a hardware address that uniquely identifies each of the registered network devices; a port management agent residing on a given network device that is configured to receive a request to assign a source port to an application residing on the given network device and transmit the assignment request to the router; and an address resolution service residing at the router that is configured to query the address resolution table in response to the assignment request from the agent and transmit a reply to the agent based on results from the query of the address resolution table.