Method of performing tunnel signaling over IP tunneling path and apparatus using the method

• US 20070091897A1
• Filed: 10/18/2006
• Published: 04/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Sung-Hyuck, Bang, Jong-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,699,495 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/18 End to end
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• 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 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for performing tunneling signaling over an IP tunneling path connected to an end-to-end path on an IP network are provided, in which an end-to-end signaling flow is received from a sender or a receiver on the end-to-end path, a tunnel signaling flow is generated corresponding to the received end-to-end signaling flow, and the generated tunnel signaling flow is transmitted through the IP tunneling path, the end-to-end signaling flow is forwarded between an entry node and an exit node of the IP tunneling path, and the forwarded end-to-end signaling flow is transmitted to at least any one node on the end-to-end path, wherein the forwarding is simultaneously performed with the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow, and the transmitting of the end-to-end signaling flow is suspended until the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow is completed.

Claims

1. A method of performing tunnel signaling over an Internet Protocol (IP) tunneling path connected to an end-to-end path on an IP network, the method comprising:

receiving an end-to-end signaling flow from at least one of a sender and a receiver on the end-to-end path;

generating a tunnel signaling flow corresponding to the received end-to-end signaling flow, and transmitting the generated tunnel signaling flow through the IP tunneling path;

forwarding the end-to-end signaling flow between an entry node and an exit node of the IP tunneling path; and

transmitting the forwarded end-to-end signaling flow to at least one node on the end-to-end path,

wherein the forwarding is substantially simultaneously performed with the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow, and the transmitting of the end-to-end signaling flow is suspended until the transmitting the tunnel signaling flow is completed.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow comprises:

transmitting a tunnel signaling message to the exit node, passing from the entry node through at least one intermediate node on the IP tunneling path; and

transmitting a tunnel signaling response message in response to the tunnel signaling message, passing from the exit node through the intermediate node to the entry node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding comprises:

forwarding an end-to-end signaling query message from the entry node to the exit node as the end-to-end signaling flow, wherein the end-to-end signaling query message is received from the sender; and

forwarding an end-to-end signaling message from the exit node to the entry node as the end-to-end signaling flow, wherein the end-to-end signaling flow is received from the receiver in response to the end-to-end signaling query message transmitted from the exit node, and

the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow, in response to the forwarded end-to-end signaling message, transmits a tunnel signaling message from the entry node to the exit node, passing through at least one intermediate node on the IP tunneling path.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the forwarding of the end-to-end signaling flow configures a holding flag value corresponding to the forwarded end-to-end signaling flow,

whereby the exit node, receiving the end-to-end signaling flow, suspends the transmitting of the end-to-end signaling flow until the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow is completed, by referring to the holding flag value.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the tunnel signaling comprising at least one of a quality of service (QoS) signaling a network resource reservation signaling, and a network security signaling.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP tunneling path comprises at least one of an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) network and an Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) network.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the IP tunneling path comprises a mobile IP tunneling path connecting at least one of a mobile node (MN) and a foreign agent (FA) with a home agent (HA), wherein the MN, the FA, and the HA support mobile IP.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the sender is the MN, and the receiver is a corresponding node (CN).

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising searching for a crossover node (CRN) generated by a hand-off of the MN, from at least one node on the mobile IP tunneling path.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the searching for the CRN configures the discovery flag value for the end-to-end signaling flow when the CRN is discovered, and the searching for the CRN is completed when the discovery flag value is configured.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the discovery flag is configured by the HA.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the searching for the CRN configures a discovery flag value for the tunnel signaling flow when the CRN is discovered, and the searching for the CRN is completed when the discovery flag value is configured.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the discovery flag is configured by the CRN.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

transmitting a tunnel signaling message including a release flag to at least one node on a local tunneling path connecting the MN with the CRN prior to the hand-off; and

releasing at least one of an end-to-end signaling state and a tunnel signaling state of the CRN by referring to the release flag, wherein the releasing is performed by a node on the local tunneling path which has received the tunnel signaling message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the releasing is performed when a value of a tunnel flow identifier of the tunnel signaling flow associated with the tunnel signaling message is changed by the hand-off.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for implementing the method of performing tunnel signaling over an IP tunneling path connected to an end-to-end path on an IP network:

receiving an end-to-end signaling flow from at least one of a sender and a receiver on the end-to-end path;

generating a tunnel signaling flow corresponding to the received end-to-end signaling flow, and transmitting the generated tunnel signaling flow through the IP tunneling path;

forwarding the end-to-end signaling flow between an entry node and an exit node of the IP tunneling path; and

transmitting the forwarded end-to-end signaling flow to at least one node on the end-to-end path,

wherein the forwarding is substantially simultaneously performed with the transmitting of the tunnel signaling flow, and the transmitting of the end-to-end signaling flow is suspended until the transmitting the tunnel signaling flow is completed.

17. A network apparatus performing tunnel signaling over an IP tunneling path, the network apparatus comprising:

an end-to-end interface for transmitting and receiving an end-to-end signaling flow through an end-to-end path connected to the IP tunneling path;

a tunnel interface for transmitting and receiving a tunnel signaling flow through the IP tunneling path;

a tunnel signaling performing unit for performing operations associated with a tunnel signaling message, by referring to the tunnel signaling message included in the tunnel signaling flow; and

a tunnel signaling control unit for generating the tunnel signaling flow corresponding to the end-to-end signaling flow and controlling tunnel signaling over the IP tunneling path,

wherein the tunnel signaling control unit comprises;

a flow generation unit for generating the tunnel signaling flow; and

a flag management unit for maintaining flag values controlling the tunnel signaling.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the flow generation unit comprises:

a message generation unit for generating a tunnel signaling message of the tunnel signaling flow by referring to an end-to-end signaling message of the end-to-end signaling flow; and

an identifier generation unit for generating a tunnel flow identifier associated with the tunnel signaling flow.

19. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the flag management unit comprises:

an Internet Protocol (IP) packet extraction unit for extracting at least one of an IP packet from the tunnel signaling flow and the end-to-end signaling flow;

a flag reading unit for reading a flag value associated with the tunnel signaling from a data field of the IP packet;

a flag configuration unit for at least one of configuring and modifying the flag value stored in the data field of the IP packet; and

a flag control unit for controlling at least one of transmitting and receiving of the tunnel signaling flow by referring to the read flag value, and transmitting a flag value, to be at least one of configured and modified, to the flag configuration unit.

20. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program for implementing the method of performing tunnel signaling over an IP tunneling path, the method comprising:

transmitting and receiving an end-to-end signaling flow through an end-to-end path connected to the IP tunneling path;

transmitting and receiving a tunnel signaling flow through the IP tunneling path;

performing operations associated with a tunnel signaling message, by referring to the tunnel signaling message included in the tunnel signaling flow;

generating the tunnel signaling flow corresponding to the end-to-end signaling flow and controlling tunnel signaling over the IP tunneling path; and

maintaining flag values controlling the tunnel signaling.