Abstract: In one embodiment, excess committed network appliance resources are shared for providing services within a network appliance. One approach maintains service resources in a committed service resource pool and one or more other pools of service resources. Service resources are taken from a corresponding pool as needed. Service resources are reallocated to the committed resource pool as needed to ensure that service resources are available to service corresponding packet streams at their corresponding committed rate. Examples of such services provided by a network appliance include, but are not limited to, network address translation (NAT), firewall, Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), virtual private network (VPN), or deep packet inspection (DPI) services.

Abstract: In one embodiment, excess committed network appliance resources are shared for providing services within a network appliance. One approach maintains service resources in a committed service resource pool and one or more other pools of service resources. Service resources are taken from a corresponding pool as needed. Service resources are reallocated to the committed resource pool as needed to ensure that service resources are available to service corresponding packet streams at their corresponding committed rate. Examples of such services provided by a network appliance include, but are not limited to, network address translation (NAT), firewall, Internet Protocol Security (IPsec), virtual private network (VPN), or deep packet inspection (DPI) services.

Abstract: Communicating packets along a control channel and a media channel includes receiving at a network address translator a first message having a first internal address from a first communication device. The first internal address is translated to a first external control address operable to route a control packet along a control channel. A second message having a first embedded media address is received from the first communication device. The first embedded media address is translated to a first external media address operable to route a media packet along a media channel.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for facilitating reliable session based communication with a local host via a subnet of redundant network devices that also implement network address translation (NAT) or the like. In general, embodiments of the present invention include mechanisms for reestablishing access to a local host after the local host's active network device has failed and been replaced by a new active network device with an address space that differs from the failed network device. In this invention, the network devices associated with the same local host also implement NAT, or the like. In brief, for each of its associated local hosts, the new active network device causes an address server to be updated with a new public address that is assigned from its address space to the local host. This update allows other remote hosts access to the local hosts by obtaining the updated address information from the address server.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for facilitating translation of packet addresses (or ports) by one or more translation devices (e.g., Network Address Translation or NAT devices) using a specialized protocol to handle an address (or port) that is used to form part of a payload. In one implementation, this specialized protocol is referred to as Network Layer Signaling (NLS). As a packet traverses along a path containing one or more translation devices, each translation device is configured to translate an address (or port) of such packet's IP header if the packet is traversing between different domains (e.g., traversing between a private and public domain or between two different private domains). One or more of these translation devices may also be configured to implement the specialized protocol which includes translation device traversal mechanisms for detecting whether the traversal path contains a translation device that fails to implement such specialized protocol.

Abstract: A method for transparently sharing at least one IPv4 address among a plurality of hosts wherein at least a first host of the plurality of hosts uses the IPv4 protocol and wherein at least a second host of the plurality of hosts uses an IPv6 protocol is provided. A first data having a first source address and a first destination address is received. A network address translation with port address translation is performed, if the first data is in an IPv4 protocol. A network address translation protocol translation with port address translation is performed, if the first data is in an IPv6 protocol.

Abstract: A method for providing handling of data sent between a first network and at least a second network and a third network, wherein the first network is of a first protocol and the at least second and third networks are of a second protocol at least partially overlap is provided. A packet transmitted from the first network is received. The packet has a first address prefix if the packet is directed to the second network and has a second address prefix if the packet is directed to the third network. A destination address of the packet and a source address of the packet are translated from the first protocol to the second protocol. The packet is directed to the second network if the packet has the first address prefix. The packet is directed to the third network if the packet has the second address prefix.

Abstract: Disclosed are methods and apparatus for performing network address translation (NAT) in a fully connected mesh with NAT virtual interface (NVI). In general terms, mechanisms (e.g., within a combination router/NAT device) are provided for translating network addresses of traffic going between two private domains or realms. These mechanisms may also be used to translate traffic going between a private and public domain. When a particular private address is translated into a public address, a binding is formed between the pre-translation address, the post-translation address, and the interface associated with the private or public address (e.g., an interface of the router/NAT device). Since bindings of different interfaces are tracked, a private address and its associated particular interface may be associated with a particular public address.

Abstract: A method for transparently sharing at least one IPv4 address among a plurality of hosts wherein at least a first host of the plurality of hosts uses the IPv4 protocol and wherein at least a second host of the plurality of hosts uses an IPv6 protocol is provided. A first data having a first source address and a first destination address is received. A network address translation with port address translation is performed, if the first data is in an IPv4 protocol. A network address translation protocol translation with port address translation is performed, if the first data is in an IPv6 protocol.