Juniper Networks, Inc.
Customer-side and provider-side translation of Internet Protocol addresses without pre-shared prefixes

Abstract:

A network device may receive an IPv6 packet that includes an IPv6 source address and an IPv6 destination address. The network device may determine, based on the IPv6 packet including an extension header that includes an address prefix option, whether to translate the IPv6 packet into an IPv4 packet. Additionally, based on a determination to translate the IPv6 packet into the IPv4 packet, the network device generates an IPv4 packet that includes an IPv4 source address and an IPv4 destination address. Because the PLAT unit may make the determination whether to translate the IPv6 packet into an IPv4 packet based on the IPv6 packet including the address prefix option instead of based on the IPv6 source address including a customer-translation (CLAT) source prefix, it may be unnecessary to distribute the CLAT source prefix to the network device.