Location-based address resolution

• US 20080137547A1
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Grunloh, Stephan, Opschroef, Jurgen, Delfs, Christoph, Kretschmer, Uwe, Musiol, Torsten, Hauenstein, Markus
• Granted Patent: US 8,144,607 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method that provides for advertising a network node to a managing node in a communication network. To this end, at the network node, position data of the network node are determined. At the managing node, at least one condition to be satisfied by the network node is set and a request message containing the at least one condition is transmitted by the managing node. Then, the request message containing the at least one condition is received at the network node and the at least one condition is evaluated at the network node. In case a specified combination of conditions is satisfied, the network node replies with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and the determined position data of the network node. The present invention further relates to a corresponding system and network entities involved.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

providing for advertising a network node to a managing node in a communication network;

determining, at the network node, position data of the network node;

setting, at the managing node, at least one condition to be satisfied by the network node;

transmitting, by the managing node, a request message containing the at least one condition;

receiving, at the network node, the request message containing the at least one condition;

evaluating, at the network node, the at least one condition contained in the request message; and

if a specified combination of conditions is satisfied,

replying, at the network node, with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and the determined position data of the network node.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving, at the managing node, the reply message.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising storing, at the managing node, at least the network protocol address and position data of the network node contained in the reply message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting further comprises defining a condition that the network node is located within a certain area.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting comprises defining a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the setting comprises defining a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the setting comprises determining the certain area, in which the network node is located, based on information related to the position of the network node that is stored in a memory of the managing node.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises broadcasting the request message to all network nodes that are to be managed by the managing node.

9. The method according to claim 2, wherein the receiving at the managing node further comprises creating a list of not yet commissioned network nodes, identified by their network protocol address and position data, upon receipt of reply messages from more than one network node.

10. The method according to claim 2, further comprising downloading configuration files from the managing node to the network nodes after receiving the reply message from the network nodes at the managing node.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the downloading to the network node is effected based on the received network protocol address of the network node.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acquiring, at the network node, the network protocol address for the network node.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein the network protocol address is an Internet Protocol address.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the acquiring comprises obtaining the network protocol address by means of one of a dynamic host configuration protocol DHCP, IPv6 stateless autoconfiguration protocol or IP zero-configuration protocol.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the position data of the network node is made by means of a positioning system.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the positioning system is a satellite-based positioning system.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting and replying is effected on a lower layer of communication layers and wherein the network protocol address is used for communication on a higher layer of the communication layers.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting and replying is effected on the same layer of communication layers to which the network protocol address belongs, and the transmitting is based on a multicast scheme.

19. A network node, comprising:

a determining unit configured to determine position data of the network node;

a transceiver configured to receive a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node;

an evaluating unit configured to evaluate the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node;

a reply unit configured to reply to the managing node with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and position data of the network node;

the transceiver being further configured to transmit the reply message to the managing node.

20. The network node according to claim 19, wherein the evaluating unit is further configured to evaluate whether the determined position is located within a certain area defined in the received request message.

21. The network node according to claim 19, wherein the evaluating unit is further configured to evaluate whether the network node is commissioned.

22. The network node according to claim 21, wherein the evaluating unit is further configured to evaluate whether the network node is commissioned by means of a flag, wherein the flag is set to a predetermined value and the flag is set to a value different from the predetermined value after the network node has been commissioned.

23. The network node according to claim 19, wherein the determining unit is a receiver of a positioning system.

24. A managing node comprising:

a setting unit configured to set at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node;

a generating unit configured to generate a request message containing the at least one condition;

a transceiver configured to transmit the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node,

the transceiver being further configured to receive a reply message from the network node.

25. The managing node according to claim 24, further comprising

a memory configured to store at least a network protocol address and the position data of the network node.

26. The managing node according to claim 24, wherein the setting unit is further configured to define a condition that the network node is located within a certain area.

27. The managing node according to claim 24, wherein the setting unit is further configured to define a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned.

28. The managing node according to claim 24, wherein the memory is further configured to store in advance position data of the network node.

29. The managing node according to claim 24, wherein the memory is further configured to store in advance configuration files.

30. The managing node according to claim 24, further configured to automatically download the configuration files to the network elements after receiving the reply message from the network element.

31. The managing node according to claim 24, further comprising input devices configured to input instructions from a network operator, and a display configured to display the position data and network protocol address received from the network node and other data stored in the memory.

32. A system, comprising:

a determining unit, at the network node, configured to determine position data of the network node;

a setting unit, at a managing node, configured to set at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node;

a generating unit, at the managing node, configured to generate a request message containing the at least one condition;

a transceiver, at the managing node, configured to transmit the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node;

a transceiver, at the network node, configured to receive a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node;

an evaluating unit, at the network node, configured to evaluate the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node;

a reply unit, at the network node, configured to reply to the managing node with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and position data of the network node,

the transceiver, at the network node, being further configured to transmit the reply message to the managing node, and

the transceiver, at the managing node, being further configured to receive the reply message from the network node.

33. The system according to claim 32, further comprising an acquiring unit, at the network node, configured to acquire a network protocol address.

34. The system according to claim 32, further comprising

a memory, at the managing node, configured to store the network protocol address and position data of the network node.

35. A network node, comprising:

a determining means for determining position data of the network node;

a transceiver means for receiving a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node;

an evaluating means for evaluating the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node;

a reply means for generating to the managing node with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and the determined position data of the network node,

the transceiver means further transmitting the reply message to the managing node.

36. A managing node comprising:

a setting means for setting at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node;

a generating means for generating a request message containing the at least one condition;

a transceiver means for transmitting the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node,

the transceiver means further receiving a reply message from the network node containing a network protocol address and position data of the network node; and

37. A computer program product,

configured for a client-server computer system and comprising processor implementable instructions stored as software code portions on a computer-readable medium loadable into an internal memory of the client-server computer, comprising:

providing for advertising a network node to a managing node in a communication network;

determining, at the network node, position data of the network node;

setting, at the managing node, at least one condition to be satisfied by the network node;

transmitting, by the managing node, a request message containing the at least one condition;

receiving, at the network node, the request message containing the at least one condition;

evaluating, at the network node, the at least one condition contained in the request message; and

if a specified combination of conditions is satisfied,

replying, at the network node, with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and the determined position data of the network node.