VPN Media Proxy for Address Translation and NAT Traversal
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing VPN solutions face challenges with network address translation (NAT) disrupting communication protocols, leading to increased complexity and costs due to the need for additional hardware like media proxies or protocols like STUN, which compromise the advantages of VPNs for voice and data traffic.
Innovation Solution
A VPN media proxy that translates source and destination addresses, enabling successful NAT traversal and allowing multiple VPNs to share infrastructure, reducing capital and maintenance costs by acting as a common target point for communication sessions and cooperating with call servers for centralized control and configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If NAT is used to allow private IP addressing and hide device addresses, then security and address scarcity are improved, but communication protocols are disrupted and media translation problems occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a media proxy as an intermediary component that sits between the NAT gateway and the media stream. This proxy receives media packets from the NAT gateway, translates the addresses to match the original private addressing scheme, and forwards them to the destination. This resolves the protocol disruption caused by NAT while maintaining the security benefits of address translation.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional hardware like media proxies is added to solve NAT problems, then protocol compatibility is improved, but equipment cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a media proxy that can serve multiple VPNs and support various communication protocols simultaneously. Rather than requiring separate dedicated hardware for each protocol or VPN, this universal proxy handles address translation for different protocols (SIP, H.323, MGCP, etc.) and multiple customer networks, reducing overall equipment cost while maintaining broad compatibility.
3Productivity
If STUN protocol is used to enable NAT traversal, then media transmission is improved, but all calls become public and VPN security advantages are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The media proxy acts as a private intermediary that enables media transmission through NAT without requiring public STUN calls. It maintains the security boundaries of the VPN by translating addresses privately rather than exposing the infrastructure to the public internet, thus preserving VPN security advantages while enabling successful media delivery.
4Adaptability or versatility
If separate media proxies are deployed for each VPN, then VPN-specific address translation is improved, but infrastructure sharing and cost reduction are prevented
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a single media proxy that serves multiple VPNs by maintaining separate translation tables and configuration contexts for each customer network. This universal proxy can simultaneously handle address translation for different VPNs using the same infrastructure, reducing hardware costs while maintaining VPN-specific translation accuracy through software-based differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
A VPN media proxy for communication between VPNs and external networks having different addressing schemes, has interfaces to the two or more VPNs, a configuration store, and an address translator arranged to translate the source and destination address of the information based on the configuration. Sharing of the proxy by many VPNs can keep costs down or enable more VPNs to be provided. A call server also shared by the VPNs is used to set up the session and to establish the configuration. The proxy can have an address within each VPN so that it appears to be a dedicated resource for each VPN.