Internet protocol based communication system and method for setting host address and selecting source address therein

• US 20030204635A1
• Filed: 03/14/2003
• Published: 10/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Han, Young-Seop, Ko, Eun-Sook
• Granted Patent: US 7,330,486 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables

Abstract

A method for setting a host address in an Internet protocol based communication system, includes the steps of allowing a router to create a shorter label than a network prefix, the label being representative of the network prefix; allowing the router to incorporate the label instead of the network prefix in an RA (Router Advertisement) message and transmit the RA message to a host; allowing the host receiving the RA message to read the label and determine whether the read label matches a label in a prefix information table of the host; and, if the read label matches a label in the prefix information table, allowing the host to select and activate an interface ID (identifier) corresponding to the label of the prefix information table and acquire a global IPv6 (Internet Protocol, version 6) address corresponding to the activated interface ID as the host address.

Claims

1. A method for selecting a source address in an Internet protocol based communication system, comprising the steps of:

a) creating virtual interfaces corresponding to network prefixes received by a host connected to from routers included in the respective;

b) setting addresses directed to the networks corresponding to the created virtual interfaces; and

c) comparing by the host a prefix of a destination address to the prefixes of the created virtual interfaces in order to select a virtual interface address set to a prefix having a longest match as a basic address.

2. A method for selecting a source address in an Internet protocol based communication system, comprising the steps of:

a) designating areas near a host as a plurality of virtual cells and placing a router for transmitting and managing network information within each virtual cell;

b) visiting the plurality of virtual cells by the host to receive network prefixes for the plurality of virtual cells from routers in order to label the network prefixes and to configure a table;

c) setting by the host global IPv6 (Internet Protocol, version

     6) addresses corresponding to the network prefixes; and

d) selecting by the host an interface to which a global IPv6 address corresponding to a previously visited network among the global IPv6 addresses corresponding to the network prefixes configured in the table is set for a virtual cell being the previously visited network.

3. A method for setting a host address in an Internet protocol based communication system, comprising the steps of:

a) a router creating a shorter label than a network prefix, the label being representative of the network prefix;

b) the router transmitting an RA (Router Advertisement) message to a host that incorporates the label instead of the network;

c) a host that receives the RA message reading the label to determine whether the read label matches a label in a prefix information table of the host;

d) if the read label matches a label in the prefix information table, the host activating an interface ID (identifier) corresponding to the label of the prefix information table; and

e) the host acquiring a global IPv6 (Internet Protocol, version

     6) address corresponding to the activated interface ID as the host address.

4. The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

f) if there is no matching label, configuring the global IPv6 address through an AAC (Address Auto-Configuration) mechanism by analysis of an extension header of the RA message to read network prefix information; and

g) newly registering a record associated with the configured global IPv6 address in the prefix information table.

5. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the label is created by the router using a random number generator.

6. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the label is defined in an IPv6 packet header but contained in an unused 20-bit flow label field thereof.

7. The method as set forth in claim 6, wherein the label is of a 10-bit length.

8. The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the prefix information table comprises the label received from the router, an interface ID to which the global IPv6 address composed of the network prefix of the corresponding label is set, and lifetime information indicating a lifetime of the label.

9. A method for setting a host address in an Internet protocol based communication system, comprising the steps of:

a) a router periodically transmitting an RA (Router Advertisement) message containing network prefix information to a host connected by a network to the router;

b) in response to a request by the host to transmit the RA message containing only a label without the network prefix information, the router creating a shorter label than a network prefix, the label being representative of the network prefix, such that the router incorporates the label instead of the network prefix in the RA message and transmits the RA message to the host;

c) the host receiving the RA message reading the label to determine whether the read label matches a label in a prefix information table of the host; and

d) if the read label matches a label in the prefix information table, the host activating by an interface ID (identifier) corresponding to the read label of the prefix information table; and

e) the host acquiring a global IPv6 (Internet Protocol, version

     6) address corresponding to the activated interface ID as the host address.

10. An Internet protocol based communication system, comprising:

a plurality of routers for managing networks and advertising a network prefix of a corresponding network being managed; and

a host for receiving network prefixes from the routers of the networks, creating virtual interfaces corresponding to the network prefixes, setting addresses directed to the networks corresponding to the created virtual interfaces and selecting an address appropriate to a destination among the set addresses.