Techniques for binding communication flows to unique addresses and/or ports, and configuring networking devices internal to a network to apply policy without the need to further introspect a given stream. Further, by creating mappings of unique addresses and/or ports to flows, the network devices are able to enforce policy without needing to coordinate with an edge node of the network at which the communication session terminates. Further, the techniques may include providing an SDN controller with a mapping between a unique address/port and a network flow, determining flow-specific policy to enforce on the flow, and programming one or more network devices to enforce the flow-specific policy in the network using the unique address/port.

Some aspects of the methods and systems presented relate to performing stateless address translation between IPv4 capable devices to IPv6 capable networks and devices. Stateless address translation may form a new IPv6 addresses by combining the IPv4 address of a device with an IPv6 prefix address assigned to the translator. The translation may also combine the IPv4 destination address and UDP port information with the new IPv6 address. Existing Domain Name Systems (DNSs) may be leveraged for resolving the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses across different networks.

Some aspects of the methods and systems presented relate to performing stateless address translation between IPv4 capable devices to IPv6 capable networks and devices. Stateless address translation may form a new IPv6 addresses by combining the IPv4 address of a device with an IPv6 prefix address assigned to the translator. The translation may also combine the IPv4 destination address and UDP port information with the new IPv6 address. Existing Domain Name Systems (DNSs) may be leveraged for resolving the IPv4 and IPv6 addresses across different networks.

Some embodiments provide a novel method of tracking connections in a network. The method receives an identification of a first network endpoint and a second network endpoint. The method then determines that the first network endpoint cannot directly address a packet flow to the second network endpoint. The method identifies an address translation rule of a network device that translates an address of the second network endpoint into a translated address. The method then determines that the first network endpoint can directly address a packet flow to the translated address. The method then identifies a route from the first network endpoint to the second endpoint through the network device that translates the address and displays the route including an identifier of the network device.

Some embodiments provide a novel method of tracking connections in a network. The method receives an identification of a first network endpoint and a second network endpoint. The method then determines that the first network endpoint cannot directly address a packet flow to the second network endpoint. The method identifies an address translation rule of a network device that translates an address of the second network endpoint into a translated address. The method then determines that the first network endpoint can directly address a packet flow to the translated address. The method then identifies a route from the first network endpoint to the second endpoint through the network device that translates the address and displays the route including an identifier of the network device.

Some embodiments provide a novel method for performing network address translation to share a limited number of external source network addresses among a large number of connections. Instead of allocating an external source network address for an egressing packet just based on its internal source network address, the method of some embodiments allocates the external source network address based on the egressing packet's source network address and destination network address. This allows a limited number of external source network addresses to be re-used for different destination network address. For instance, in some embodiments, the method's network address allocation scheme allows the same 64K (e.g., 2{circumflex over ( )}16) external source ports to be used for 64K connections for each destination network address.

Presented herein are embodiments that provide mobile edge computing (MEC) with low latency traffic segregation within a packet data network (PDN) using dedicated bearers. Techniques are provided that are performed at an edge user plane entity and a control plane entity to coordinate the directing of low latency traffic over a dedicated bearer broken out at the edge, and to communicate normal latency traffic over a default bearer that is centrally broken out.

A method in a User Plane Function (UPF) comprising receiving from a Policy Control Function (PCF), an instruction to create a new Packet Detection Rule (PDR), the instruction comprising an IP address for the wireless device, a value of a ToS field, and a quality-of-service, QoS, reference or charging policy. The method further comprises storing the IP address, the value of the ToS field, and the QoS reference or charging policy as a predetermined PDR. The method further comprises subsequently receiving, from a wireless device, a first packet targeted to an application server, AS, mapping the first packet to the predetermined PDR, based on a value of a ToS, field in the first packet, and adding a 5-tuple associated with the first packet to the predetermined PDR. This serves to bind the new connection to the PDR.

A system and method for adaptive traffic path management, the method including: receiving at least one packet associated with a traffic flow; determining whether the traffic flow is a roaming traffic flow; determining application parameters associated with the at least one packet; determining attributes correlated with the traffic flow associated with the at least one packet; analyzing the application parameters and attributes to determine a Network Address Translation (NAT) pool for the traffic flow; determining if a modified NAT is needed based on the NAT pool for the traffic flow; if a modified NAT is needed, modifying the NAT for the at least one packet associated with the traffic flow; and sending the at least one packet and the traffic flow associated with the at least one packet to a path associated with the modified NAT.

In one embodiment, a method includes receiving a packet comprising a destination address in a destination address field of the packet, where the destination address including at least a first global identifier and a second global identifier, determining that the first global identifier corresponds to the first network apparatus, determining that a local identifier in the destination address is associated with the first global identifier, identifying one or more instructions associated with the local identifier, performing one or more functions instructed by the one or more instructions, updating the destination address in the destination field of the packet to an updated destination address, determining a forwarding rule associated with the packet, and forwarding the packet with the updated destination address based on the forwarding rule.