Method for automatic configuration of prefixes at maps in HMIPV6

• US 20070088708A1
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: R., Vijayarajan
• Granted Patent: US 7,788,405 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/18 for broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/085 involving hierarchical organized mobility servers, e.g. hierarchical mobile IP [HMIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

This invention relates to MIPv6 and HMIPv6. Specifically, it is related to the configuration of valid on-link prefixes at MAPs in HMIPv6. It is also related to DHCPv6. The invention explains a method for providing automatic configuration of prefixes at all MAPs in a communication system comprising Mobility Anchor Point (MAP) Domains and within each MAP Domain, a Leader MAP, a DHCPV6 Server and possibly other MAP(s). The method comprises configuring the anycast address of Leader MAP for that MAP Domain, configuring the list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs for that MAP Domain, configuring the anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP Domains, processing a request for MAP Domain Info option and sending a reply with MAP Domain Info option, at DHCPV6 Server.

Claims

1. A method for providing automatic configuration of prefixes at all MAPs in a communication system comprising Mobility Anchor Point (MAP) Domains and within each MAP Domain, a Leader MAP, a DHCPV6 Server and possibly other MAP(s), the method comprises:

at DHCPV6 Server,

configuring the anycast address of Leader MAP for that MAP Domain;

configuring the list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs for that MAP Domain;

configuring the anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP Domains;

processing a request for MAP Domain Info option and sending a reply with MAP Domain Info option;

at Leader MAPs,

requesting MAP Domain Info option from DHCPV6 server;

assigning itself anycast address obtained through DHCPV6;

sending the list of valid on-link prefixes to Leader MAPs in all neighboring MAP domains;

multicasting the prefix list, obtained through DHCPV6 or from other Leader MAPs, to all other MAPs within the domain; and

at other MAPs;

joining the well-known multicast address for its MAP Domain; and

receiving prefix lists from their Leader MAP and storing them.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein every MAP domain is assigned some anycast address and well-known MAP multicast address.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein one MAP in every MAP domain is designated as “

Leader MAP”

.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DHCP Info-Reply with MAP Domain Info option contains anycast address of“

Leader MAP”

.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DHCP Info-Reply with MAP Domain Info option contains list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs in the said MAP domain.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DHCP Info-Reply with MAP Domain Info option contains anycast addresses of “

Leader MAPs”

in neighboring MAP domains.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the “

Leader MAP”

assigns itself the anycast address, if not assigned already.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the “

Leader MAP”

then unicasts the list of prefixes to Leader MAPs in all neighboring MAP domains.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein Leader MAPs in neighboring domains, in turn, multicast the prefixes to their domain'"'"'s well-known MAP multicast address.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein all MAPs in neighboring MAP domain receive the list of prefixes as the said MAPs listen on their domain'"'"'s well-known multicast address.

11. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein all MAPs within a given MAP domain receive the list of valid on-link prefixes of ARs in all other neighboring MAP domains.

12. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein all MAPs combine all the prefixes to form the list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs in all neighboring MAP domains.

13. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DHCPv6 options are defined to carry all the configuration information from DHCPv6 server where the said options are MAP Domain Info Option, MAP Domain Anycast Option, MAP Domain Prefixes Option, Neighbor Domain Anycast Option, Prefix Option along with Security Considerations.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Info Option is used to carry Leader MAP'"'"'s anycast address, list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs and anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP domains.

15. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Info Option comprises fields such as MAP Domain Info Option Code which indicates OPTION_MDIOC, Option Len which indicates number of bytes in the option, excluding the Option Code and Option Len fields, MAP Domain Anycast Option which carries anycast address of Leader MAP, MAP Domain Prefixes Option which carries list of valid onlink prefixes of border ARs and Neighbor Domain Anycast Option which carries anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in all neighbor domains.

16. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Anycast Option is used to carry the Anycast Address of Leader MAP in a MAP Domain.

17. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Anycast Option comprises fields such as MAP Domain Anycast Option Code which indicates OPTION_MDAOC, Option Len which indicates the number of bytes in the option, excluding the Option Code and Option Len fields and Leader MAP'"'"'s anycast address which indicates Anycast address that Leader MAP should assign itself.

18. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Prefixes Option is used to carry the list of valid prefixes of border ARs in a MAP Domain.

19. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of MAP Domain Prefixes Option comprises fields such as MAP Domain Prefixes Option Code which indicates OPTION_MDPOC, Option Len which indicates the number of bytes in the option, excluding the Option Code and Option Len fields and plurality of Prefix which indicates Valid on-link prefix of border ARs in the MAP domain that is used by Mobile Nodes to configure LcoAs.

20. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of Neighbor Domain Anycast Option is used to carry anycast address of “

Leader MAPs”

in neighboring MAP Domains.

21. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of Neighbor Domain Anycast Option comprises fields such as Neighbor Domain Anycast Option Code which indicates OPTION_NDAOC, Option Len which indicates number of bytes in the option, excluding the Option Code and Option Len fields and plurality of Anycast address which indicates Anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP domains.

22. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of Prefix Option is used to carry an IPv6 prefix.

23. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said option of Prefix Option comprises fields such as Prefix Option Code which indicates OPTION_POC, Option Len which equals 18, Prefix Length which indicates Length for this prefix in bits, Reserved field which indicates reserved for future use and IPv6 Prefix which is an IPv6 prefix.

24. A method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the said Security Considerations comprises three message exchanges such as DHCPV6 Info-Req and Info-Response to get MAP-LCoA option, Unicast messages from “

Leader MAP”

to “

Leader MAPs”

in neighboring domains and Multicast message from “

Leader MAP”

in neighboring domains to other MAPs in the same domain.

25. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the DHCPv6 messages are secured through Delayed Authentication protocol and the DHCPV6 server is in the same administrative domain as the MAP obtaining information from it.

26. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said method further comprising, configuring the Leader MAP'"'"'s anycast address, list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs and anycast addresses of Leader MAPs of neighboring MAP Domains in MAP Domain Info option.

27. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said method further comprising configuring the anycast address of Leader MAP for that MAP Domain in MAP Domain Anycast option.

28. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said method further comprising, configuring the list of all valid prefixes of border ARs within the MAP Domain in MAP Domain Prefixes option.

29. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the said method further comprising configuring anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP Domains in Neighbor Domain Anycast option.

30. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the obtaining MAP Domain Info option comprises Leader MAP sending DHCPV6 Info-Request message and receiving DHCPV6 Info-Reply.

31. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the method further comprises Leader MAP assigning itself the anycast address contained in MAP Domain Anycast option.

32. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step of sending list of valid on-link prefixes comprises:

extracting anycast addresses of Leader MAPs in neighboring MAP Domains from Neighbor Domain Anycast option;

extracting the list of valid on-link prefixes of border ARs in the MAP Domain from MAP Domain Prefixes option; and

sending the prefix list to anycast addresses of Leader MAPs of neighbor MAP Domains.

33. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein in the communication system, a method wherein the Leader MAP is determined as one with largest distance in dist field of MAP option.

34. A method for providing automatic configuration of prefixes at all MAPs in a communication system substantially described particularly with reference to the accompanying drawings.