User device parameter allocation based on internet protocol version capabilities

• US 10,165,091 B1
• Filed: 04/03/2015
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile Innovations LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bittfield, Benjamin E., Rogers, Frederick C., Bennett, III, John H., Pavanasam, Chidambaram
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs, Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US14/678,661
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/686 using dual-stack hosts, e.g. in Internet protocol version 4 [IPv4]/Internet protocol version 6 [IPv6] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/251 between different IP versions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for allocating user device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a user device is capable of communicating. An indication is received that the user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network. It is determined that the user device is capable of communicating in the wireless communications network using IPv6 only. One or more configurable user device parameters, such as a DNS server, are assigned to the user device based, at least, on the user device being capable of communicating using IPv6 only and not IPv4 only or IPv6 and IPv4. This eliminates a need for a new APN to be configured on the user device.

Claims

1. A method carried out by at least one server having one or more processors for allocating user device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol (IP) versions with which a first user device is capable of communicating, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that the first user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network;

determining that the first user device is capable of communicating in the wireless communications network using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) only;

assigning a first set of configurable user device parameters to the first user device based on the first user device being capable of communicating using IPv6 only and not Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) only or IPv6 and IPv4;

assigning a second set of configurable user device parameters is assigned to a different second user device that is capable of communicating using IPv4 only and not IPv6, wherein the second set of configurable user device parameters is different from the first set of configurable user device parameters;

assigning an access point name (APN), wherein the APN assigned to the first user device is the same APN assigned to the second user device;

receiving a request from the first user device to access content from a website;

accessing an assigned Domain Name System (DNS) server to retrieve an IPv6 address for the first user device;

translating the IPv6 address of the first user device to an IPv4 address prior to communicating the request to access content to the website;

translating the translated IPv4 address of the first user device into the IPv6 address prior to communicating the content from the website to the first user device; and

communicating the content from the website to the first user device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set of user device parameters includes the DNS server, and wherein the translating is performed by a translating component.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the assigned DNS server is a DNS server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the DNS server assigned to the first user device is a different DNS server than that assigned to second user device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the DNS server assigned to the first user device is a different instance of a DNS server assigned to the second user device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the website is capable of IPv4 communications only.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein a network gateway assigns the first set of configurable user device parameters and the second set of configurable user device parameters to the first user device and the second user device, respectively.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon that, when executed, perform a method for allocating user device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol (IP) versions with which a first user device is capable of communicating, the method comprising:

receiving an indication that the first user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network;

determining that the first user device is capable of communicating in the wireless communications network using IP version 6 (IPv6) only, and assigning a first set of configurable user device parameters to the first user device capable of communicating in wireless communications network using IPv6 only;

assigning a Domain Name System (DNS) server to the first user device that is a different server or is a different instance of other DNS servers assigned to a second user devices that is capable of communicating using IP version 4 (IPv4) only or that are capable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4;

assigning an access point name (APN) to the first user device;

assigning the APN to the second user device, wherein the APN assigned to the first device is the same APN as is assigned to the second device;

receiving a request from the first user device to access content from a website;

accessing the assigned DNS server to retrieve a first set of configurable user device parameters including an IPv6 address for the first user device;

at a translating component, translating the IPv6 address assigned to the first user device by the assigned DNS server to an IPv4 address prior to communicating the request to access content to the website; and

communicating the content from the website to the first user device.

9. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein the IPv6 address is provided to the first user device based on the website from which the first user device is requesting the content.

11. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 8, wherein a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) assigns an Internet Protocol (IP) address server to the user device during authentication.

10. The one or more computer-readable storage media, wherein the website is capable of communicating using IPv4 only.

12. A system for allocating user device parameters based on one or more Internet Protocol versions with which a first user device is capable of communicating, the system comprising:

a processor; and

one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-useable instructions that, when used by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive an indication that the first user device is requesting to be authenticated in a wireless communications network,

determine that the first user device is capable of communicating in the wireless communications network using Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) only, and assign a first set of configurable user device parameters to the first user device capable of communicating in wireless communications network using IPv6 only,

assign a Domain Name Server (DNS) server to the first user device that is different than other DNS servers assigned to a second user devices that is capable of communicating using IP version 4 (IPv4) only or that are capable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4, and assign a second set of configurable user device parameters to the second user device capable of communicating in wireless communications network using IPv4 only or that are capable of communicating using both IPv6 and IPv4;

assigning an access point name (APN) to the first user device;

assigning the APN to the second user device, wherein the APN assigned to the first user device is the same as is assigned to the second device;

receiving a request from the first user device to access content from a website;

access an assigned DNS server to retrieve a first set of configurable user device parameters including an IPv6 address for the first user device;

translate the IPv6 address assigned to the first user device by the assigned DNS server to an IPv4 address prior to communicating the request to access content to the website;

translate the translated IPv4 address of the first user device into the IPv6 address prior to communicating the content from the website to the first user device.

13. The system of claim 12, further comprising a translating component that,

translates the IPv6 address assigned to the first user device by the assigned DNS server to the IPv4 address prior to communicating the request from the first user device to access content to the website, and

translates the translated IPv4 address of the first user device into the IPv6 address prior to communicating the content from the website to the first user device.