Network interface devices methods system and computer program products for connecting networks using different address domains through address translation

Abstract

A local network that includes one or more hosts and has a local address domain associated therewith may communicate with an external network having an external address domain associated therewith through a network interface device. The local addresses of the hosts on the local network may be learned and then external addresses may be obtained for each of the learned hosts. Information may be sent from the external network to a host on the local network using the external address associated with the host as a destination address. The external address used as the destination address for the host may then be translated into the local address for the host. Similarly, information may be sent from a host on the local network to the external network using the local address as the source address. The local address used as the source address by the host may then be translated into the corresponding network address that has been obtained for that host. The network interface device may serve as a proxy by translating local addresses into external addresses and vice versa for communication between hosts on the local network and entities in the external network. A unique, one-to-one correspondence may be established between the local addresses and the external addresses associated with the hosts. Thus, an external network administrator may monitor the number of hosts that are in service on the local network through the external addresses that are assigned to the hosts. This may allow the external network administrator to bill for their service based on the number of hosts on a customer's local network.