METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR ESTABLISHING A CONNECTION THROUGH A VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK

• US 20140298446A1
• Filed: 11/08/2012
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Alcatel-Lucent SA (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Grand, Jean-Yves
• Granted Patent: US 10,182,036 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 45/302 Route determination based on requested QoS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/24 Negotiating SLA [Service Level Agreement]; Negotiating QoS [Quality of Service]

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention refer to a method for establishing a connection through a virtual private network “VPN” (9) between a first (1) and a second (3) entities of a transport network, the said entities comprising a virtual private network “VPN” interface (5, 7), wherein, between the said interfaces, a bearer of a selected type, among a plurality of types corresponding to a plurality of quality of service “QoS”, is determined according to the quality of service “QoS” requested for the connection and wherein the parameters used by the virtual private network “VPN” interfaces (5, 7) for the establishment of the bearer are global routing parameters corresponding to global routing parameters of the transport network and wherein the said parameters comprise at least one parameter which is different from one bearer type to another so that the selected bearer type associated with the quality of service “QoS” requested for the connection is identified by the first and the second entities.

Claims

1. Method for establishing a connection through a virtual private network “

VPN”

between a first and a second entities of a transport network, the said entities comprising a virtual private network “

VPN”

interface, wherein, between the said interfaces, a bearer of a selected type, among a plurality of types corresponding to a plurality of quality of service “

QoS”

, is determined according to a quality of service “

QoS”

requested for the connection and wherein the parameters used by the virtual private network “

VPN”

interfaces for the establishment of the bearer are global routing parameters corresponding to global routing parameters of the transport network and wherein the said parameters comprise at least one parameter which is different from one bearer type to another so that the selected bearer type associated with the quality of service “

QoS”

requested for the connection is identified by the first and the second entities.

2. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the connection comprises the transmission of packets between the first and the second entities and wherein the global routing parameters of the virtual private network “

VPN”

corresponding to global routing parameters of the transport network are used to route the packets of the connection towards a bearer of a selected type corresponding to the quality of service “

QoS”

requested for the connection.

3. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the virtual private network “

VPN”

between a first and a second entities comprises the establishment of an encrypted tunnel between the said first and second entities.

4. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the parameters used by the virtual private network “

VPN”

interfaces for the establishment of the connection comprise parameters of the traffic flow template “

TFT”

.

5. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the transport network is based on an Internet protocol “

IP”

.

6. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the transport network uses a long term evolution “

LTE”

structure.

7. Method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first entity is a user equipment comprising a virtual private network “

VPN”

client interface and the second entity is an application function server or a list of application functions of the transport network accessible via a virtual private network “

VPN”

gateway interface.

8. Method in accordance with claim 6 wherein the bearer is a dynamic dedicated bearer so that upon request of a connection with the user equipment with a given quality of service “

QoS”

, the application function server establishes a new bearer of the type corresponding to the requested quality of service “

QoS”

by sending a request to the policy and charging rules function “

PCRF”

, the virtual private network “

VPN”

gateway acting as a proxy or a translator between the application function server and the policy and charging rules function “

PCRF”

.

9. Method in accordance with claim 8 wherein the sending of a request to the policy and charging rules function “

PCRF”

is achieved using a third generation partnership project “

3GPP”

normalized Rx interface.

10. Method in accordance with claim 7 wherein the bearer is established on a subscription base at the attachment of the user equipment through a mobility management entity “

MME”

.

11. User equipment (15) of a transport network comprising a virtual private network “

VPN”

interface for establishing a connection with another entity of the virtual private network “

VPN” and

transmitting packets through the said connection wherein the said interface is configured for;

selecting a bearer type among a plurality of types corresponding to different qualities of service “

QoS”

according to a requested quality of service “

QoS”

,

establishing a bearer of a selected type and,

using global routing parameters corresponding to the global routing parameters used in the transport network for routing packets associated with the requested quality of service “

QoS”

to the established bearer wherein at least one of the said parameters is different from one bearer type to another.

12. User equipment in accordance with claim 11 wherein the transport network is based on an. Internet protocol “

IP” and

wherein the configuration is also for achieving the correspondence between the global routing parameters used in the transport network and the global routing parameters used in the virtual private network.

13. User equipment in accordance with claim 12 configured for establishing a connection on a long term evolution “

LTE”

structure.

14. Application server comprising a virtual private network “

VPN”

interface for establishing a connection with another entity of the virtual private network “

VPN”

(9) in a transport network wherein the said interface is configured for;

selecting a bearer type among a plurality of types corresponding to different qualities of service “

QoS”

according to a requested quality of service “

QoS”

,

establishing a bearer of a selected type and,

using global routing parameters corresponding to the global routing parameters used in the transport network for routing the packets associated with the requested quality of service “

QoS”

to the established bearer wherein at least one of the said parameters is different from one bearer type to another.

15. Application server in accordance with claim 14 wherein the transport network is based on an Internet protocol “

IP” and

wherein the configuration is also for achieving the correspondence between the global routing parameters used in, the transport network and the global routing parameters used in the virtual private network “

VPN”

.

16. Application server in accordance with claim 15 configured for establishing a connection on a long term evolution “

LTE”

structure.

17. Application server in accordance with claim 15 wherein the virtual private network “

VPN”

interface comprises a virtual private network “

VPN”

gateway and a packet data network “

PDN”

gateway.