Internet protocol collaborative mobility

• US 20040202120A1
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Hanson, Norman L.
• Granted Patent: US 8,923,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for maintaining communications with mobile users within organizational logical network groups when transitioning between logical groups. A client mobility agent resides as part of a mobile communication unit and monitors link metrics to determine if a transition to another logical network group is desired. The client mobility agents and a server mobility agent collaborate to reassign or re-home a mobile communication unit to a new home logical network group, and provide the mobile communication unit with a new group address upon entering a new logical network. The server mobility agent collaborates with a server mobility agent of the previous logical group that the mobile communication unit was a member to transfer sessions and services associated with the mobile communication unit to the new logical network.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system comprising:

a mobile communication unit having a client mobility agent that monitors link metrics associated with communications between the mobile communication unit and logical network groups, the client mobility agent determines if a transition between logical networks is desirable based on the monitored link metrics; and

a server mobility agent that collaborates with the client mobility agent to transition the mobile communication unit from membership from an old logical network to a new logical network upon invocation from the client mobility agent, the mobile communication unit being assigned a new address corresponding to the new logical network.

2. The system of claim 1, the server mobility agent being a first server mobility agent residing on a network server of the new logical network.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second server mobility agent residing on a network of the old logical network, the first server mobility agent collaborating with the second server mobility agent to transfer services associated with the mobile communication unit from the old network to the new network.

4. The system of claim 3, the services being one of e-mail services and phone services.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second server mobility agent residing on a network of the old logical network, the first server mobility agent collaborating with the first server mobility agent to transfer a current communication session associated with the mobile communication unit from the old network to the new network.

6. The system of claim 5, the communication session being one of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) session and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) session.

7. The system of claim 1, the link metrics being source addressing associated with link connectivity of the logical networks, the client mobility agent utilizes the source addressing to determine if a transition between logical networks is desirable.

8. The system of claim 1, the link metrics being signal quality associated with link connectivity of the logical networks, the client mobility agent utilizing the signal quality to determine if a transition between logical networks is desirable.

9. The system of claim 1, the client mobility agent invoking a new address request from the new logical network upon selecting between logical networks.

10. The system of claim 9, the new address request being received and executed by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service residing on a network server of the new logical network, the DHCP service leasing a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new logical network to the mobile communication unit.

11. The system of claim 10, the client mobility agent receives the new IP address and registers a domain name and the new IP address with a Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) service.

12. The system of claim 11, a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Services (DS) replicating the registered domain name and the new IP address with logical networks.

13. The system of claim 9, the client mobility agent invoking a client agent to server agent coordination routine, the client agent to server agent coordination routine invokes a server agent to server agent coordination routine that transfers at least one of current session and current services from the old network to the new network.

14. A mobile communication unit comprising:

a link monitor that monitors link metrics associated with communications between the mobile communication unit and logical network groups, the link monitor determines if a transition between logical networks is desirable based on the monitored link metrics; and

a network initializer that invokes a new address request from a new logical network if it the link monitor determines that a transition between logical networks is desired.

15. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link metrics being source addressing associated with link connectivity of the logical networks, the link monitor using the source addressing to support a Break-before-Make mode transition between logical networks.

16. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link metrics being signal quality associated with link connectivity of at least one logical network, the link monitor using the signal quality to support a Make-before-Break mode transition between logical networks.

17. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link metrics being access point link connectivity of at least one logical network, the link monitor using the access point link connectivity to determine whether a transition between logical networks has occurred.

18. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the new address request being a request for a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new logical network.

19. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, further comprising a server agent to server agent coordination routine that is invoked prior to receipt of the new address associated with the new logical network to collaborate the transfer of current session information and is invoked after receipt of the new address associated with the new logical network to collaborate the transfer of current services to the new logical network.

20. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link monitor comprising a filter driver that monitors link connectivity via a Local Area Network (LAN) driver and a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that provides an interface with a network service process and the filter driver, the network service process determines whether a transition between logical networks is desirable based on the link connectivity.

21. A network server associated with a logical network for a mobile communication system that includes a plurality of mobile communication units, the server comprising:

a plurality of network services that provide new addresses associated with a logical network to mobile communication units requesting to join the logical network, the plurality of network services replicating the newly assigned address to other logical networks; and

a server mobility agent that collaborates with a client mobility agent of the mobile communication unit to facilitate the transition of the mobile communication unit to the logical network.

22. The server of claim 21, the server mobility agent collaborates with a server mobility agent of a previous logical network which the mobile communication unit was a member to transfer current session information from the previous logical network to the logical network.

23. The server of claim 21, the server mobility agent collaborates with a server mobility agent of a previous logical network which the mobile communication unit was a member to transfer current services for the mobile communication unit from the previous logical network to the logical network.

24. The server of claim 21, the plurality of network services comprising a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service that provides a requesting mobile communication unit with a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the logical network, a Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) service that is dynamically updates a domain name of a mobile communication unit with the new IP address and a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Service (DS) that replicates the domain name and new IP address to other logical networks.

25. A wireless communication system having a plurality of mobile communication units grouped into a plurality of logical network groups, the system comprising:

means for monitoring link metrics associated with communications between a mobile communication unit and logical network groups;

means for determining if a transition of a mobile communication unit between logical networks is desirable based on the monitored link metrics; and

means for providing a new address for a mobile communication unit desiring a transition of membership between logical networks, the new address associated with membership in a new logical network.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for replicating the newly assigned address to other logical networks.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for transferring services relating to a mobile communication unit to the new logical network.

28. The system of claim 25, further comprising means for transferring current session information relating to a mobile communication unit to the new logical network.

29. A method for transitioning a mobile communication unit between logical networks, the method comprising:

monitoring link metrics associated with communications between a mobile communication unit and logical network groups;

determining if a transition of the mobile communication unit between logical network groups is desirable based on the link metrics;

requesting a new address for the mobile communication unit associated with the new logical network upon determining a desirable transition;

associating the new address with a domain name of the mobile communication unit; and

replicating the new address and associated domain name to other logical network groups.

30. The method of claim 29, further comprising transferring current session information to the new logical network group.

31. The method of claim 29, further comprising transferring services associated with the mobile communication unit to the new logical network group.

32. The method of claim 29, the monitoring link metrics comprising monitoring source addresses associated with link connectivity of the logical networks.

33. The method of claim 29, the monitoring link metrics comprising monitoring signal quality associated with link connectivity of the logical networks.

34. The method of claim 29, the requesting a new address comprising executing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service residing on the new logical network, the DHCP service leasing a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new logical network to the mobile communication unit.

35. The method of claim 34, the associating a new address with the domain name comprising registering the new IP address and domain name with a Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) service.

36. The method of claim 35, the replicating the new address and associated domain name to other logical network groups by employing Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Service (DS) to replicate the registered domain name and the new IP address to other logical networks.