Communication control apparatus, firewall apparatus, and data communication method

• US 20040151135A1
• Filed: 11/19/2003
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitahama, Hideki, Ishida, So
• Application Number:
  US10/715,496
• Publication Number:
  US 20040151135A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0263 Rule management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/02 Protecting privacy or anonymity, e.g. protecting personally identifiable information [PII]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/10 between location register and external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A communication control system 1 according to the present invention is provided with a home agent apparatus 10, a plurality of firewall devices 20-40, and a mobile station 50. When the mobile station 50 is connected, for example, to the firewall device 20, the firewall device 20 receives identification information and a configuration file of the mobile station 50 from the home agent apparatus 10 and constructs a firewall for the mobile station 50, using the configuration file. When the firewall device 20 receives an IP packet, it selects a firewall suitable for the mobile station 50 being a destination of the packet and determines the propriety of passage thereof according to a filtering condition set in this firewall.

Claims

1. A communication control apparatus for implementing transmission and reception of data to and from a plurality of firewall devices connectible to a mobile station, the communication control apparatus comprising:

storing means for storing firewall configuration information suitable for the mobile station, in correspondence with identification information of the mobile station;

detecting means for detecting a firewall device connected to the mobile station; and

transmitting means for, in conjunction with the detection of the firewall device connected to the mobile station, transmitting the firewall configuration information corresponding to the identification information of the mobile station, to the firewall device.

2. A firewall apparatus for implementing relaying in transmission and reception of data between the communication control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and a plurality of mobile stations, the firewall apparatus comprising:

retaining means for retaining a filtering condition included in the firewall configuration information, in correspondence with identification information of each mobile station;

distinguishing means for distinguishing a mobile station being a destination of a packet transmitted from the communication control apparatus; and

determining means for determining the propriety of passage of the packet in accordance with the filtering condition corresponding to the mobile station distinguished by the distinguishing means.

4. A data communication method in which a firewall apparatus implements relaying in transmission and reception of data between the communication control apparatus as set forth in claim 1, and a plurality of mobile stations, the data communication method comprising:

a retaining step wherein retaining means of the firewall apparatus retains a filtering condition included in the firewall configuration information, in correspondence with identification information of each mobile station;

a distinguishing step wherein distinguishing means of the firewall apparatus distinguishes a mobile station being a destination of a packet transmitted from the communication control apparatus; and

a determining step wherein determining means of the firewall apparatus determines the propriety of passage of the packet in accordance with the filtering condition corresponding to the mobile station distinguished in the distinguishing step.

3. A data communication method in which a communication control apparatus comprising storing means for storing firewall configuration information suitable for a mobile station, in correspondence with identification information of the mobile station, implements transmission and reception of data to and from a plurality of firewall devices connectible to the mobile station, the data communication method comprising:

a detecting step wherein detecting means of the communication control apparatus detects a firewall device connected to the mobile station; and

a transmitting step wherein, in conjunction with the detection of the firewall device connected to the mobile station, transmitting means of the communication control apparatus transmits the firewall configuration information corresponding to the identification information of the mobile station, to the firewall device.