Gateway adapted for VOD
Some embodiments of the present application relate to the field of gateways for internet access, associated video service decoders and the methods for broadcasting video content by an operator through such a gateway intended for such a decoder. A virtual MAC address is dedicated to VOD on the decoder. This address is then recognized by the gateway. The gateway implements a direct circuit directly directing the traffic related to this virtual address between the interface for accessing the communications network and the gateway physical port to which the decoder is connected. Advantageously, the circuit is dynamically configured by intercepting the DHCP request used to configure this virtual address.
1. An information processing device used as a gateway between a local area communications network of a user and a wide area communications network, the information processing device comprising:
a plurality of interfaces for connecting equipment in the local area communications network of the user and an interface connected to the wide area communications network;
a router for routing data streams between the plurality of interfaces and the interface connected to the wide area communications network;
a Network Address Translation (NAT) processing module for translating layer-3 addresses,
a circuit management module for directly relaying without translation by means of the NAT processing module any traffic issued by a local area communications network of an operator furnishing a particular service to the equipment of the local area communications network of the user using said particular service and vice versa,
a local Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server for processing of any DHCP request, of any DHCP offer and of any DHCP configuration request from the equipment in the local area communications network of the user,
wherein any DHCP discovery request that is issued by one item of equipment in the local area communications network of the user adapted for using the particular service furnished by the operator via said wide area communications network, is relayed to a remote DHCP server of the wide area communications network in order to configure by said remote DHCP server said one item of equipment for the local area communications network of the operator,
wherein, when a DHCP discovery request has just been received from said item of equipment in the local area communication network of the user:
wherein, in said DHCP discovery request, a presence or not of a marker associated to any DHCP discovery request relating to said particular service is detected,
wherein, when said marker is detected, the circuit management module is configured, in order to establish for a response issued by the remote DHCP server to the relayed DHCP discovery request, for a DHCP configuration request issued by said item of equipment and any subsequent traffic in relation to the particular service, to manage a layer-2 direct circuit between the wide area communications network and said item of equipment based on a layer-2 address of said item of equipment that was included in said DHCP discovery request, and
wherein, when no marker has been detected in the received DHCP discovery request, said DHCP discovery request is furnished to the local DHCP server in order to configure said item of equipment for the local area communications network of the user, so that the subsequent traffic from said item of equipment to the wide area communications network and vice versa is transmitted for translation through the NAT processing module.
2. An information processing system comprising:
the information processing device of claim 1 , the information processing device being used as the gateway between the local area communications network of the user and the wide area communications network,
at least one item of equipment in the local area communications network of the user adapted to use the particular service furnished by the operator via the wide area communications network, wherein:
said at least one item of equipment in the local area communications network of the user comprises at least two layer-2 virtual addresses, one of which being dedicated to said particular service, and is adapted to mark with a marker relating to said particular service, any DHCP discovery request issued by said one item of equipment and containing said layer-2 virtual address dedicated to said particular service.
3. A method for configuring an information processing device used as a gateway between a local area communications network of a user and a wide area communications network, said method comprising:
providing information processing device comprising: a plurality of interfaces for connecting equipment in the local area communications network of the user and an interface connected to the wide area communications network; a router for routing data streams between the plurality of interfaces and the interface connected to the wide area communications network; a Network Address Translation (NAT) processing module for translating layer-3 addresses; a circuit management module for directly relaying without translation by means of the NAT processing module any traffic issued from a local area communications network of an operator furnishing a particular service via said wide area communications network to the equipment of the local area communications network of the user using said particular service and vice versa; and a local Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) server for processing any DHCP request, of any DHCP offer and of any DHCP configuration request in order to configure any equipment connected to said local area communications network of the user;
relaying to a remote DHCP server of the wide area communications network any DHCP discovery request issued by one item of equipment in the local area communications network of the user adapted for using said particular service furnished in order to configure by means of said remote DHCP server said one item of equipment for the local area communications network of the operator, wherein, when a DHCP discovery request has just been received from the said one item of equipment in the local area communications network of the user;
detecting, in said DHCP discovery request, of a presence or not of a marker associated to any DHCP discovery request relating to said particular service;
when said marker is detected, configuring the circuit management module in order to establish for a response issued by the remote DHCP server to the relayed DHCP discovery request, for a DHCP configuration request issued by said one item of equipment and any subsequent traffic in relation to the particular service, to manage a layer-2 direct circuit between the wide area communications network and said one item of equipment based on the layer-2 address of said one item of equipment that was included in said DHCP discovery request, and
when no marker has been detected in the received DHCP discovery request, furnishing said DHCP discovery request to the local DHCP server in order to configure said one item of equipment for the local area communications network of the user, so that the subsequent traffic from said one item of equipment to the wide area communications network and vice versa is transmitted for translation through the NAT processing module.