SUPPORT OF DISPARATE ADDRESSING PLANS AND DYNAMIC HA ADDRESS ALLOCATION IN MOBILE IP

• US 20080240033A1
• Filed: 04/07/2008
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: O'Neill, Alan
• Granted Patent: US 8,559,411 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2503 Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/065 involving selection of the user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for enhancing Mobile IP signaling and to support use of disparate addressing plans and dynamic Home Agent allocation in Mobile IP Regional Tunneling are described. The enhanced methods of signaling use an intermediate node, e.g., a Gateway Foreign Agent, straddling different addressing domains, when the signaling controls a process between the intermediate node and an upstream node. The specific intermediate node, its interfaces and upstream addresses can be dynamically selected. The Enhanced MIP signaling includes dynamic allocation of: a regional node at a Foreign Agent, the upstream address of a regional node by the regional node, a Home Agent for a regional node prior to dynamic allocation of the regional node. A method is supported to indicate to a Mobile Node that a dynamically allocated regional node has become invalid triggering enhanced MIP signaling dynamically allocating a new regional node and upstream interface address.

Claims

1. A communications method for use in a communications system including a first network address domain, a second network address domain, and an intermediate node, said intermediate node including first and second interfaces, said first interface having a first network address routable in the first network address domain, said second interface having a second network address routable in said second network address domain, said first and second network addresses being different, said system further including a downstream node and an upstream node, said downstream node having an interface and a network address in the first domain, said upstream node having an interface and a network address in the second domain, the method comprising the steps of:

operating the upstream node to receive a second message including a second message body and a second header, said second message body including at least one instruction from said downstream node and said second network address corresponding to said second interface, said second header including a destination address corresponding to said upstream node, said at least one instruction having been received by said intermediate node in a first message from said downstream node; and

operating the upstream node to use said second network address in a tunnel establishment operation implemented in accordance with said at least one instruction.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first and second messages are mobile IP messages.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one instruction is used in establishing a tunnel between the upstream node and the intermediate node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second message body includes the first network address of said first interface of said intermediate node.

5. The method of claim 1,

wherein the downstream node is a MIP (Mobile IP) foreign agent, the upstream node is a MIP home agent and the intermediate node is a Gateway Foreign Agent.

6. The method of claim 5,

wherein said second message includes an intermediate node downstream address that was dynamically allocated at the downstream node and an intermediate node upstream address which was generated at the intermediate node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said at least one instruction is an instruction used to control construction of a MIP tunnel between the MIP Home Agent and the Gateway Foreign Agent, the method further comprising:

operating the MIP Home Agent to send a third message, said third message being sent to the Gateway Foreign Agent as part of a MIP tunnel establishment process, said third message including the intermediate node downstream address that was dynamically allocated at the downstream node and the intermediate node upstream address which was generated at the intermediate node.

8. An upstream node for use in a communications system including a first network address domain, a second network address domain, and an intermediate node including first and second interfaces, said first interface having a first network address routable in the first network address domain, said second interface having a second network address routable in said second network address domain, said first and second network addresses being different, said system further including a downstream node and an upstream node, said downstream node having an interface and a network address in the first domain, said upstream node having an interface and a network address in the second domain, said upstream node comprising:

means for receiving a second message including a second message body and a second header, said second message body including at least one instruction from said downstream node and said second network address corresponding to said second interface, said second header including a destination address corresponding to said upstream node, said at least one instruction having been received by said intermediate node in a first message from said downstream node; and

means for processing said second message to use said second network address in a tunnel establishment operation implemented in accordance with said at least one instruction.

9. The upstream node of claim 8, wherein said at least one instruction is used in establishing a tunnel between said upstream node and said intermediate node.

10. The upstream node of claim 8, wherein the second message body includes the first network address of said first interface of said intermediate node.

11. An upstream node for use in a communications system including a first network address domain, a second network address domain, and an intermediate node including first and second interfaces, said first interface having a first network address routable in the first network address domain, said second interface having a second network address routable in said second network address domain, said first and second network addresses being different, said system further including a downstream node and an upstream node, said downstream node having an interface and a network address in the first domain, said upstream node having an interface and a network address in the second domain, said upstream node comprising:

a receiver for receiving a second message including a second message body and a second header, said second message body including at least one instruction from said downstream node and said second network address corresponding to said second interface, said second header including a destination address corresponding to said upstream node, said at least one instruction having been received by said intermediate node in a first message from said downstream node; and

a processing module for processing said second message to use said second network address in a tunnel establishment operation implemented in accordance with said at least one instruction.

12. The upstream node of claim 11, wherein said at least one instruction is used in establishing a tunnel between said upstream node and said intermediate node.

13. A computer program product comprising:

a machine readable medium embodying machine executable instructions for controlling an upstream node in a communications system including a first network address domain, a second network address domain, and an intermediate node including first and second interfaces, said first interface having a first network address routable in the first network address domain, said second interface having a second network address routable in said second network address domain, said first and second network addresses being different, said system further including a downstream node and an upstream node, said downstream node having an interface and a network address in the first domain, said upstream node having an interface and a network address in the second domain, the machine readable medium comprising;

instructions for causing the upstream node to process a second message received from the intermediate node, the second message including a second message body and a second header, said second message body including at least one instruction from said downstream node and said second network address corresponding to said second interface, said second header including a destination address corresponding to said upstream node, said at least one instruction having been received by said intermediate node in a first message from said downstream node; and

instructions for causing the upstream node to use said second network address in a tunnel establishment operation implemented in accordance with said at least one instruction.

14. An upstream node for use in a communications system including a first network address domain, a second network address domain, and an intermediate node including first and second interfaces, said first interface having a first network address routable in the first network address domain, said second interface having a second network address routable in said second network address domain, said first and second network addresses being different, said system further including and a downstream node and an upstream node, said downstream node having an interface and a network address in the first domain, said upstream node having an interface and a network address in the second domain, the upstream node comprising a processor configured to:

control said upstream node to process a second message received from the intermediate node, the second message including a second message body and a second header, said second message body including at least one instruction from said downstream node and said second network address corresponding to said second interface, said second header including a destination address corresponding to said upstream node, said at least one instruction having been received by said intermediate node in a first message from said downstream node; and

control said upstream node to use said second network address in a tunnel establishment operation implemented in accordance with said at least one instruction.