Method to transport an internet packet and related network elements

• US 20060013190A1
• Filed: 09/22/2003
• Published: 01/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Leroy, Suresh Andre Jean-Marie, Bos, Lieve Marie Marcella Rosemarijn, De Vriendt, Johan Andre
• Application Number:
  US10/665,000
• Publication Number:
  US 20060013190A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/045 involving different protocol versions, e.g. MIPv4 and MIPv6
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/14 between access point controllers and backbone network device

Abstract

A method for use in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to transport an internet packet destined to a terminal from a gateway support node via a serving support node to a radio network controller. The method comprises for the downstream transportation the steps of: transforming the header into a backbone header; inserting in the backbone header an address of the serving support node and of the radio network controller; forwarding the internet packet after each insertion step to the radio network controller; and keeping track of the address of the terminal during the forwarding by use of an address extension header and by operations on the address extension header during and after forwarding. The upstream transportation is executed in the opposite direction, whereby steps executed during downstream transportation by the gateway support node are now executed during upstream transportation by the radio network controller and vice versa.

Claims

1. Method for use in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to downstream transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T) from a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to a radio network controller (RNC), said internet packet comprises a header that comprises an address (IP-T) of said terminal (T), characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

transforming said header of said internet packet into a backbone header, by said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN); and

inserting in a said backbone header by said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) and said serving GPRS support node (SGSN), respectively, an address of said serving GPRS support node and an address of said radio network controller; and

forwarding said internet packet after each said insertion from said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via said serving GPRS support node (SGNS) to said radio network controller (RNC) according to a respective address in said backbone header; and

keeping said address of said terminal (IP-T) during said forwarding by comprising by said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) in said internet packet an address extension header (EXT); and

inserting in said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T); and

by said radio network controller (RNC) transforming again said backbone header into said header of said original internet packet and extracting, after said forwarding, from said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T) for insertion of it again in said header in order to enable forwarding of said internet packet to said terminal (T) according to said address of said terminal (IP-T) in said header.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that said method further comprises the steps of, respectively, downstream and upstream, transporting said internet packet between said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and said radio network controller (RNC) according to the Internet Protocol Version 6 whereby said backbone header is an internet protocol header according to the internet protocol Version 6.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that said method further comprises the steps of, respectively, downstream transporting said internet packet from said radio network controller (RNC) to said terminal (T) and upstream transporting said internet packet from gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) to said terminal (T) according to the Internet Protocol Version 6 whereby said header is an Internet Protocol Version 6 header and whereby said step of transforming said header into said backbone header and said step of transforming said backbone header into said header becomes a step of equalizing both header definitions.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that said method further comprises the steps of, respectively, downstream transporting said internet packet from said radio network controller (RNC) to said terminal (T) and upstream transporting said internet packet from gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) to said terminal (T) according to the Internet Protocol Version 4 whereby said header is an Internet Protocol Version 4 header and whereby said step of transforming said header into said backbone header and said step of transforming said backbone header into said header becomes a step of mapping one header format onto another header format.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that said method further comprises defining said address extension header (EXT) as an Internet Protocol Version 4 address extension header being referred to in said backbone header of said internet packet and during said steps of transforming said header into said backbone header also inserting an Internet Protocol Version 4 source address of said internet packet in said address extension header (EXT).

7. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that said method further comprises defining said address extension header (EXT) as an Internet Protocol Version 6 address extension header and during said step of transforming said header into said backbone header, also mapping and inserting an Internet Protocol Version 4 source address of said internet packet in a source field of said Internet Protocol Version 6 backbone header.

8. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that said method further comprises defining said address extension header (EXT) as an Internet Protocol Version 6 address extension header and during said step of transforming said header into said backbone header also mapping and inserting an Internet Protocol Version 4 source address of said internet packet in said Internet Protocol Version 6 address extension header (EXT).

2. (Original Method for use in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to upstream transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T) from a radio network controller (RNC) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), said internet packet comprises a header that comprises an address (IP-T) of said terminal (T), characterized in that said method comprises the steps of:

transforming said header into a backbone header by said radio network controller (RNC); and

inserting in said backbone header by said radio network controller (RNC) and said serving GPRS support node (SGSN), respectively, an address of said serving support node and an address of said gateway support node; and

forwarding said internet packet after each said insertion from said radio network controller (RNC) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) according to a respective address in said backbone header; and

keeping said address of said terminal (IP-T) during said forwarding by comprising by said radio network controller (RNC) in said internet packet an address extension header (EXT); and

by inserting in said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T); and

by said gateway support node transforming said backbone header again into said header and extracting from said extension header (EXT) after said forwarding said address of said terminal (IP-T) in order to be inserted again in said header and to enable further forwarding to said terminal (T) according to said address of said terminal (IP-T) in header.

9. A gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to downstream transport and to upstream transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T), respectively, from said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to a radio network controller (RNC), and from said radio network controller (RNC) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), said internet packet comprises a header that comprises an address (IP-T) of said terminal (T), characterized in that said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) comprises for the event of downstream transporting of said internet packet:

first transforming means (TRANS1) to transform said header into a backbone header; and

first inserting means (INS1) to insert in said backbone header an address of said serving support node; and

first forwarding means (FORW1) to forward said internet packet from said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) to said serving GPRS support node (SGNS) according to a respective address in said backbone header being said address of said serving support node and to enable thereby said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to forward said internet packet to said radio network controller (RNC); and

first comprising means (COMPR1) to comprise in said internet packet an address extension header (EXT); and

first extension inserting means (EXT_INS1) to insert in said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T) thereby keeping said address of said terminal (IP-T) during said forwarding and enabling said radio network controller (RNC) to recuperate said address of said terminal and to further forward said internet packet to said terminal (T) according to said address of said terminal (IP-T);

and that said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) comprises for the event of upstream transport of said internet packet;

second transforming means (TRANS2) to transform said backbone header into said header; and

first extracting means (XTRACT1) to extract from said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T) and to insert said address of said terminal (IP-T) again in header in order to enable further forwarding of said internet packet to said terminal (T) according to said address of said terminal (IP-T) in said header.

12. A Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T) between a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and a radio network controller (RNC), characterized in that said Generic Packet Radio System backbone network comprises a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) according to claim 9.

10. A radio network controller (RNC) in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to downstream transport and to upstream transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T), respectively, from a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to said radio network controller (RNC), and from said radio network controller (RNC) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), said internet packet comprises a header that comprises an address (IP-T) of said terminal (T), characterized in that said radio network controller (RNC) comprises for the event of upstream transport of said internet packet:

third transforming means (TRANS3) to transform said header into a backbone header; and

second inserting means (INS2) to insert in said backbone header an address of said serving support node; and

second forwarding means (FORW2) to forward said internet packet from said radio network controller (RNC) to said serving support node (SGNS) according to a respective address in said backbone header being said address of said serving support node and to enable thereby said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to forward said internet packet to said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN); and

second comprising means (COMPR2) to comprise in said internet packet an address extension header (EXT); and

second extension inserting means (EXT_INS2) to insert in said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T) thereby keeping said address of said terminal (IP-T) during said forwarding and enabling said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) to recuperate said address of said terminal (IP-T) and to further forward said internet packet to said terminal (T); and

that said radio network controller (RNC) comprises for the event of downstream transport of said internet packet;

fourth transforming means (REPL4) to transform said backbone header into said header; and

second extracting means (XTRACT2) to extract from said address extension header (EXT) said address of said terminal (IP-T) and to insert said address of said terminal (IP-T) again in said header in order to enable further forwarding of said internet packet to said terminal (T) according to said address of said terminal (IP-T) in said header.

14. A Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T) between a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and a radio network controller (RNC), characterized in that said Generic Packet Radio System backbone network comprises a radio network controller according to claim 10.

11. A serving GPRS support node (SGSN) in a Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to downstream transport and to upstream transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T), respectively, from a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to a radio network controller (RNC), and from said radio network controller (RNC) via said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) to said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN), said internet packet comprises a header that comprises an address (IP-T) of said terminal (T), characterized in that said serving GPRS support node (SGSN) comprises:

third inserting means (INS3) to insert, upon reception of said internet packet, in a backbone header of said packet, for the event of downstream transport of said internet packet (IP), an address of said radio network controller (RNC); and

for the event of upstream transport of said internet packet an address of said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN); and

third forwarding means (FORW3) to forward said internet packet according to said respective address in said backbone header being for the event of downstream transport of said internet packet said radio network controller (RNC) and being for the event of upstream transport of said internet packet said gateway GPRS support node (GGSN).

13. A Generic Packet Radio System backbone network to transport an internet packet being destined to a terminal (T) between a gateway GPRS support node (GGSN) via a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) and a radio network controller (RNC), characterized in that said Generic Packet Radio System backbone network comprises a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) according to claim 11.