Method For Enabling a Home Base Station to Choose Between Local and Remote Transportation of Uplink Data Packets

• US 20110182227A1
• Filed: 07/08/2009
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Rune, Johan
• Granted Patent: US 8,705,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/312
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/045 using private Base Stations, e.g. femto Base Stations, home Node B
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/105 PBS [Private Base Station] network H04W84/12 - H04W84/16 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention relates to methods and devices that allow for different types of transportation of data packets (6) in conjunction with a home base station (1). Traffic arriving in the home base station (1) from a mobile terminal (2) connected to the home base station (1) can be transported either via a core network (15) of a mobile telecommunications system or by means of local transportation, which implies that the traffic is forwarded to a local node (4) in a local network (20) without passing the core network (15). The home base station (1) examines data packets (6) that are received from the mobile terminal (1) and determines the appropriate type of transportation for each data packet (6). Thus it is not required for traffic that is destined for local nodes (4) to pass the core network (15), which allows for efficient traffic forwarding with several benefits such as offloading the core network (15).

Claims

1. A method in a home base station for forwarding of data packets, wherein said home base station has a connection to at least one mobile terminal over a radio interface, a connection to a number of local nodes of a local network, and a connection to a core network of a mobile telecommunications system via an access network, said method comprising:

receiving a number of uplink data packets from the mobile terminal over a number of bearers;

examining an address field of an uplink data packet received from the mobile terminal to identify a destination address associated with the uplink data packet;

choosing if the packet is to be subject to local transportation and/or core transportation based on the identified destination address, wherein local transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to a local node over the local network without passing the core network, and core transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the core network; and

forwarding the uplink data packet in accordance with the chosen type of transportation.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the home base station is a 3G Home Node B or an EPS/LTE Home eNode B, the core network is a 3GPP core network, the connection to the core network is a secure tunnel and wherein the step of examining the address field of the uplink data packet implies snooping the destination address in an IP header of the uplink data packet.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation if the destination address is identified as a multicast address, a broadcast address or a unicast address belonging to a predetermined address range of local addresses.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for both local transportation and core transportation if the destination address is identified as a multicast address or a broadcast address.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising;

checking if the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation, wherein the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation if the bearer over which the uplink data packet was received from the mobile terminal is not a best effort bearer or if the destination address belongs to a predetermined address range of addresses excluded from local transportation; and

forwarding the uplink data packet by means of core transportation if the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

configuring the home base station for local transportation, wherein said configuration step configuring includes communicating with an operation and maintenance system to receive configuration information regarding destination addresses that are to be subject to local transportation and/of destination addresses that are to be subject to core transportation.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein choosing further includes choosing if the uplink data packet is to be subject to direct Internet transportation based on the identified destination address, wherein direct Internet transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the Internet via the access network without passing the core network.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

configuring the home base station for direct Internet transportation, wherein said configuring includes communicating with an operation and maintenance system to receive configuration information regarding destination addresses that are to be subject to local transportation and/or destination addresses that are not to be subject to direct Internet transportation.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access network allocates one or several public IP addresses to the number of local nodes and wherein the home base station is connected to the access network and to the number of local nodes via a Layer 2 switch.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method further comprises:

classifying an address as a local address, which classifying includes identifying a source address of a data packet destined to the mobile terminal which is received in the home base station from one of said number of local nodes, and classifying the identified source address as a local address,

wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation if the destination address is identified as a previously classified local address.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access network allocates a single public IP address to each subscriber of the access network and wherein the home base station is connected to the access network and to the number of local nodes via a router with a network address translator.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation if the destination address is identified as belonging to an address range indicated by a network mask and an address allocated to the home base station.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation if the destination address is identified as belonging to a private range.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein the access network allocates a single public IP address to each subscriber of the access network and wherein the home base station includes an integrated router with a network address translator, and allocates IP addresses to the number of local nodes from a private range.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation if the destination address is identified as an address in the private range that the home base station has allocated to a local node.

16. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

performing network address translation including

replacing a source address of the uplink data packet with an address of the home base station, and creating a network address translation state in the home base station if the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation, and

replacing a destination address of a downlink data packet with an address of the mobile terminal using the network address translation state if the downlink data packet is destined for the mobile terminal and is received over the connection to the local network.

17. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

acquiring a dedicated IP address for the mobile terminal and storing the dedicated IP address in the home base station for use in forwarding data packets to and from the mobile terminal.

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the connection to the local network and the connection to the core network comprise at least one Ethernet/WLAN connection.

19. A home base station for forwarding of data packets, wherein said home base station comprises:

a radio interface adapted to connect to at least one mobile terminal;

an interface adapted to connect to a local network comprising a number of local nodes of a local network;

an interface adapted to connect to a core network of a mobile telecommunications system via an access network;

an input unit adapted to receive a number of uplink data packets from the mobile terminal over a number of bearers;

a processing unit adapted to examine an address field of an uplink data packet received from the mobile terminal to identify a destination address associated with the uplink data packet, and adapted to choose if the packet is to be subject to local transportation and/or core transportation based on the identified destination address, wherein local transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to a local node over the local network without passing the core network, and core transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the core network; and

an output unit adapted to forward the uplink data packet in accordance with the type of transportation chosen by the processing unit.

20. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station is a 3G Home Node B or an EPS/LTE Home eNode B, the core network is a 3GPP core network, the home base station is adapted to connect to the core network by means of a secure tunnel and the processing unit is adapted to examine the address field of the uplink data packet by snooping the destination address in an IP header of the uplink data packet.

21. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the processing unit is adapted to choose the uplink data packet for local transportation if the destination address is identified as a multicast address, a broadcast address or a unicast address belonging to a predetermined address range of local addresses.

22. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the processing unit is adapted to choose the uplink data packet for both local transportation and core transportation if the destination address is identified as a multicast address or a broadcast address.

23. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to check if the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation, wherein the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation if the bearer over which the uplink data packet was received from the mobile terminal is not a best effort bearer or if the destination address belongs to a predetermined address range of addresses excluded from local transportation;

and wherein the output unit is adapted to forwarding the uplink data packet by means of core transportation if the uplink data packet is excluded from local transportation.

24. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station is adapted to be configured for local transportation by an operation and maintenance system, wherein the configuration includes storing configuration information regarding destination addresses that are to be subject to local transportation and/or destination addresses that are to be subject to core transportation.

25. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to choose if the packet is to be subject to direct Internet transportation based on the identified destination address, wherein direct Internet transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the Internet via the access network without passing the core network.

26. The home base station according to claim 25, wherein the home base station is adapted to be configured for direct Internet transportation by an operation and maintenance system, wherein the configuration includes storing configuration information regarding destination addresses that are to be subject to direct Internet transportation and/or destination addresses that are not to be subject to direct Internet transportation.

27. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station is adapted to connect to the access network and to the number of local nodes via a Layer 2 switch.

28. The home base station according to claim 27, wherein the processing unit is further adapted to classify an address as a local address, which classification includes identifying a source address of a data packet destined to the mobile terminal which is received in the home base station from one of said number of local nodes, and classifying the identified source address as a local address, and adapted to choose the uplink data packet for local transportation if the destination address is identified as a previously classified local address.

29. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station is adapted to connect to the access network and to the number of local nodes via a router with a network address translator.

30. The home base station according to claim 27, wherein the processing unit is adapted to choose the uplink data packet for local transportation if the destination address is identified as belonging to an address range indicated by a network mask and an address allocated to the home base station.

31. The home base station according to claim 29, wherein the processing unit is adapted to choose the uplink data packet for local transportation if the destination address is identified as belonging to a private range.

32. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station includes an integrated router with a network address translator, and is adapted to allocate IP addresses to the number of local nodes from a private range.

33. The home base station according to claim 32, wherein the processing unit is adapted to choose the uplink data packet for local transportation if the destination address is identified as an address in the private range that the home base station has allocated to a local node.

34. The home base station according to claim 28, wherein the home base station further comprises:

a network address translator adapted to replace a source address of the uplink data packet with an address of the home base station and create a network address translation state in the home base station if the uplink data packet is chosen for local transportation, and adapted to replace a destination address of a downlink data packet with an address of the mobile terminal using the network address translation state if the downlink data packet is destined for the mobile terminal and is received over a connection to the local network.

35. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the processing unit is adapted to acquire a dedicated IP address for the mobile terminal and store the dedicated IP address in the home base station for use in forwarding data packets to and from the mobile terminal.

36. The home base station according to claim 19, wherein the home base station is adapted to connect to the local network and to the core network respectively via at least one Ethernet/WLAN connection.

37. An operation and maintenance node for use in an operation and maintenance system of a telecommunications system, the node comprising:

a configuration unit which is adapted to communicate with a home base station to configure the home base station for local transportation and/or direct Internet transportation, wherein configuration of the home base station involves providing the home base station with configuration information regarding which destination addresses that are to be subject to local transportation, direct Internet transportation and/or core transportation, wherein local transportation implies forwarding an uplink data packet, received in the home base station from a mobile terminal over a radio interface, to a local node over a local network without passing a core network of a mobile telecommunications system, direct Internet transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the Internet via the access network without passing the core network of the mobile telecommunications system, and core transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the core network of the mobile telecommunications system.

38. A method in an operation and maintenance node of an operation and maintenance system of a telecommunications system, of the method comprising:

configuring a home base station for local transportation and/or direct Internet transportation, which configuring configuration step includes communicating with the home base station to provide the home base station with configuration information regarding which destination addresses that are to be subject to local transportation, direct Internet transportation and/or core transportation, wherein local transportation implies forwarding an uplink data packet, received in the home base station from a mobile terminal over a radio interface, to a local node over a local network without passing a core network of a mobile telecommunications system, direct Internet transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the Internet via the access network without passing the core network of the mobile telecommunications system, and core transportation implies forwarding the uplink data packet to the core network of the mobile telecommunications system.