Policy based mobile IP

• US 20040208153A1
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Wenzel, Peter, Lauson, David J., Mizell, Jerry
• Granted Patent: US 7,230,951 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/308 Route determination based on user's profile, e.g. premium users
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A foreign agent routes data packets according to policy based routing information maintained by the home network. The policy may be network based or may be subscriber profile based as defined in an authentication, authorization, and accounting server. The policy routes data packets according to one of an address specified in the mobile IP header and an application type. The address specified in the mobile IP header is typically within a range of addresses within the home network. The foreign agent routes data packets of the specified policy type directly to the home agent server. Data packets that are not of the specified policy type are routed directly to an Internet access point.

Claims

1. A foreign agent (FA) for serving a mobile terminal having a defined home agent (HA), comprising:

a processor for executing computer instructions that define operational logic of the FA;

a bus coupled to the processor for transmitting computer instructions and control signals to and from the processor within the FA;

a bus controller for controlling communications and timing of communications thereon;

a network port for coupling the FA to a wireless communication network to enable the FA to communicate with the mobile terminal, the defined HA and a web server;

memory coupled to the bus, the memory including the computer instructions that define operational logic for routing data packets between the mobile terminal, the defined HA and a web server;

the memory further including computer instructions that define logic for communicating with an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server to receive routing policy information;

the memory further including computer instructions that define logic for creating a tunnel between the FA and the HA; and

wherein the FA determines whether to route data packets originating from the mobile terminal to the HA or to the web server.

2. The FA of claim 1 wherein the routing policy received from the AAA server is specific to the mobile terminal and includes subscriber profile information defining routing policies for the mobile terminal.

3. The FA of claim 1 wherein the routing policy received from the AAA server is a network policy defining routing according to application type.

4. The FA of claim 1 wherein the FA routes data packets of a specified application type directly to the web server.

5. The FA of claim 1 wherein the FA routes data packets of a specified application type directly to the HA.

6. The FA of claim 1 wherein the FA determines whether to route data packets either to the HA or to the web server according to a destination address.

7. The FA of claim 1 wherein the mobile terminal is one of a general radio packet services terminal (GPRS), a 1xEV-DO terminal, a 1xEV-DV terminal, a 1xRTT terminal, and a wireless local area network terminal.

8. A method in a foreign agent (FA) of a mobile IP network for routing data packets between a mobile terminal, a web server and a home agent (HA), comprising:

transmitting an agent advertisement to the mobile terminal;

transmitting an address of the FA to the mobile terminal;

receiving a registration request and transmitting the registration request to the HA;

receiving a registration response and forwarding the registration response to the mobile terminal;

receiving a routing policy from an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server; and

routing data packets received from the mobile terminal to one of a home network and the web server according to the routing policy.

9. The method of claim 8 further including establishing a tunnel between the FA and the HA for data packets that are to be routed from the FA to the HA.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein establishing the tunnel includes adding a second data packet header to a first data packet header to route the data packet to the HA for distribution to an address location specified by the mobile terminal in the first data packet header.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the routing policy prompts the FA to route the data packet to the HA according to an address specified by the mobile terminal.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein the routing policy prompts the FA to route the data packet to the HA according to an application type associated with the data packet.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the application type is an e-mail message.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the application type is a session initiation protocol (SIP).

15. The method of claim 12 wherein the application type is not specified for routing to the home network and wherein the data packet is routed to a web server location corresponding to the address specified by the mobile terminal.

16. The method of claim 8 wherein the routing policy specifies routing by address wherein the FA will only add a header to route the data packet to the HA if the address specified by the mobile terminal is for a location within a specified network.

17. A method in a foreign agent (FA) of a mobile IP network for routing data packets between a mobile terminal, a web server and a home agent (HA), comprising:

receiving a data packet from the mobile terminal with a header, the header including a first IP address;

determining whether to route the data packet to the HA or to the web server;

if the data packet is to be routed to the HA, adding a second header including a second IP address to the header wherein the second IP address is an address of the FA; and

forwarding the data packet to one of the first and second IP addresses.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the FA receives a routing policy from an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the FA routes data packets according to application type if the routing policy specifies that data packets are to be routed by application type.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein the FA routes data packets according to a destination address specified in the first IP address if the routing policy specifies that data packets are to be routed by destination.