VNIC IP Address Sharing Across Transport Stacks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for integrating third-party applications with vendor-provided platforms are inefficient and restrictive, often requiring modifications or using virtualized environments or network address translation (NAT), which hinders seamless and scalable operation across different transport stacks.
Innovation Solution
A system that allows third-party applications to share interface-based Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and routing information across multiple transport stacks, utilizing a virtual network interface controller (VNIC) to dynamically provision IP addresses and enable seamless integration with platforms like Linux and Internetwork Operating System (IOS), facilitating sharing of interfaces and IP addresses without modification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a third party application is modified to run on a vendor platform, then the application can run on the platform, but the application requires modification which increases complexity and reduces ease of deployment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a network address translator (NAT) as an intermediary component that sits between the third-party application and the vendor platform. The NAT performs address translation and protocol adaptation, allowing the application to run without modification. This mediator handles the complexity of integration internally, preserving application compatibility while enabling platform integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the integration functionality into a separate NAT component, isolating the complexity of platform adaptation from the third-party application. By dividing the system into distinct functional modules (application layer, NAT layer, platform layer), the patent enables independent deployment and modification of each component without affecting others.
2Ease of operation
If a virtualized environment is used to run third party applications, then the applications can run without modification, but the solution becomes inefficient and restrictive
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using full virtualization, the patent employs a lightweight NAT intermediary that provides necessary address translation and protocol adaptation functions. This approach achieves the goal of running applications without modification while avoiding the overhead and restrictions of virtualized environments, thereby maintaining system efficiency.
3Adaptability or versatility
If network address translation (NAT) is used to enable third party applications, then applications can run without modification, but the solution is restrictive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The NAT component is designed to perform multiple functions including address translation, protocol adaptation, and routing. By consolidating these functions into a single multi-functional intermediary, the system achieves broad application compatibility without the need for multiple separate components, thereby improving efficiency and reducing system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a first transport stack, a virtual network interface controller (VNIC), and a second transport stack. The first transport stack is associated with an Internetwork Operating System (IOS), as well as with a plurality of interface-based Internet Protocol (IP) addresses and a plurality of IP addresses. The VNIC is configured to dynamically provision the plurality of interface-based IP addresses and the plurality of IP addresses. The second transport stack is associated with a kernel, and configured to communicate with a first application. The MS is configured to enable the first application to share the plurality of IP addresses and the plurality if IP addresses with a plurality of applications.