Mobile IP Over VPN Communication Protocol

• US 20100332821A1
• Filed: 09/10/2010
• Published: 12/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nortel Networks Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Khalil, Mohamed, Muhanna, Ahmad
• Granted Patent: US 8,179,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic
• 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

The present invention supports a communication protocol for transmission of information packets between a mobile node and a virtual private network. Information packets are encapsulated and decapsulated along the route as the information packet is forwarded among the various networks on its path to the destination address; either the mobile node on a foreign network or a correspondence node on a virtual private network. A home agent on the virtual private network supports transmitting the information packets, and the information packets are transmitted from the virtual private network from the home agent or a virtual private network gateway.

Claims

1. A packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a moble node, comprising:

a home network;

a foreign network connected to the home network; and

a virtual private network comprising;

a correspondence node operable to transmit on the virtual private network an information packet destined for a mobile node connected to the foreign net work;

a home agent coupled to the correspondence node and operable to receive the information packet from the correspondence node, to encapsulate the received information packet with an inner tunnel address, and to transmit the encapsulated information packet; and

a security gateway coupled between the virtual private network and the foreign network, associated with the inner tunnel address, and operable to receive the encapsulated information packet with the inner tunnel address and to forward the encapsulated information packet to the mobile node via the foreign network.

2. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway encrypts the information packet.

3. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway further encapsulates the information packet.

4. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the communication system does not use an external home agent for forwarding the information packet to the mobile node.

5. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the information packet includes an address for the security gateway.

6. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the information packet includes a virtual private network inner tunnel address.

7. The packet-based wireless communication system for communicating with a mobile node of claim 1 wherein the security gateway transmits the information packet to the home agent to forward outside the virtual private network to the mobile node.

8. A wireless communication system for packet-based communication, comprising:

a home network;

a foreign network;

a virtual private network having a public home address and comprising a home agent; and

a virtual private network gateway coupled to the home agent for receiving information packets entering and leaving the virtual private network, the virtual private network gateway having an inner tunnel address used for routing packets from the home agent to the virtual private network gateway and a virtual private network gateway address used for routing packets from at least one mobile node coupled to the foreign network outside the virtual private network to the virtual private network gateway.

9. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the information packet is forwarded outside the virtual private network from the virtual private network gateway using the care-of address for the mobile node.

10. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the information packet is forwarded outside the virtual private network from a home agent located on the virtual private net work using the care-of address for the mobile node.

11. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway encrypts the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

12. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the home agent appends the virtual private network tunnel inner address to the information packet to route the information packet to the virtual private network.

13. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway appends the care-of address to the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

14. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the home agent appends the care-of address to the information packet prior to transmitting the information packet from the virtual private network to the mobile node.

15. The wireless communication system utilizing an information packet transmitted in a packet-based communication of claim 8, wherein the virtual private network gateway appends the virtual private network gateway address to the information packet for routing the information packet to the virtual private network gateway.

16. A method for communicating with a mobile node connected to a foreign network from a node of a correspondence node of a virtual private network, the correspondence node being on a home network, the method comprising:

transmitting an information packet from the correspondence node to a home agent on the virtual private network;

encapsulating the information packet with an inner tunnel address corresponding to a security gateway at the home agent;

transmitting the encapsulated information packet to the security gateway using the inner tunnel address; and

forwarding the encapsulated packet from the security gateway to the mobile node via the foreign network without using an external home agent.

17. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

encrypting said information packet at the security gateway prior to transmitting said packet to the mobile node

18. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

encapsulating the information packet at the home agent with the inner tunnel ad dress to allow the correspondence node on the virtual private network to route packets to the security gateway.

19. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the information packet out of the virtual private network from the home agent.

20. The method for packet-based communication to a mobile node from a correspondence node on a virtual private network of claim 16, further comprising the step of:

transmitting the information packet out of the virtual private network from the security gateway.