Packet radio system and methods for a protocol-independent routing of a data packet in packet radio networks

• US 5,970,059 A
• Filed: 07/09/1997
• Issued: 10/19/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Telecommunications Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Kari, Hannu, Ahopelto, Juha-Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Application Number:
  US08/875,464
• Time in Patent Office: 832 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/401, 370/402, 370/403, 370/404, 370/464, 370/465, 370/466, 370/503, 370/350, 370/338, 370/310, 370/312, 370/352, 370/392, 370/397, 370/351, 370/353, 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.33, 379/88.13, 379/88.2, 379/88.24, 379/142, 379/210, 379/211, 379/214, 455/403, 455/432, 455/517, 455/516, 455/524, 455/525
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/02 Inter-networking arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/24 between backbone network devices

Abstract

The present invention relates to a protocol-independent routing of data packets between a mobile station of a packet radio network and a party(Host) connected to an external network. In the invention, a data packet of an extraneous protocol(IPX) is transferred through a packet radio network using a second protocol as encapsulated in a data packet according to the second protocol. The transferring packet radio network does not thus need to understand the protocol of the transferred extraneous data packet or to be able to interpret the content of the data packet. A data packet network is connected to other packet radio networks, data networks or the backbone network between packet data networks via a gateway node(GPRS GSN), which uses the network-internal protocol towards the dedicated packet network and the protocol of each network towards other networks. When a data packet is transferred via a gateway node from a network into another network, the data packet is encapsulated in a packet according to the protocol of the new network. When the encapsulated data packet arrives in a node which supports the protocol of the encapsulated data packet, the encapsulation is stripped away and the data packet is routed forward according to the protocol of the data packet.

Claims

1. A packet radio network, comprising:

a plurality of support nodes;

an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes and providing a protocol-independent routing of data packets between a mobile station and a party connected to at least one external network; and

a database for maintaining information which maps at least one network address of said mobile station with dynamic roaming information, said dynamic roaming information being inserted into a mobile terminating data packet encapsulated according to said internal protocol of said packet radio network in order to enable routing of said mobile terminating data packet to said one of said support nodes within an area in which said mobile station is located, wherein

each of said plurality of support nodes uses an internal protocol of said packet radio network towards said internal packet network,

at least one of said plurality of support nodes, which serves at least one mobile station use a radio interface link protocol towards a radio interface,

a gateway support node, which interfaces said packet radio network to said at least one external network, uses a protocol of said external network towards said external network, and

during internal routing of said packet radio network, a data packet received from said mobile station or said external network is encapsulated according to said internal protocol of said packet radio network.

2. The packet radio network according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of support nodes and said internal packet network are within at least one computer.

3. The packet radio network according to claim 2, wherein said at least one external network is another packet radio network, a network interconnecting packet radio network, and/or data network.

4. The packet radio network according to claim 2 or 3, wherein said gateway support node encapsulates a data packet to be sent to said external network in a packet according to a protocol of said external network when said data packet is sent to an external backbone network, but does not encapsulate said data packet when said data packet is sent to a data network.

5. The packet radio network according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second database for maintaining information, which maps an identity data of each said mobile station with said at least one network address of said respective mobile station.

6. A method for a protocol-independent routing of packets between a mobile station and a party connected to an external network in a packet radio network, said packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

utilizing an internal protocol of said packet radio network towards said internal packet network at each of said plurality of support nodes;

utilizing at least one of said plurality of support nodes that serves at least one mobile station, which uses a radio interface link protocol towards a radio interface at said support nodes which serve said at least one mobile station;

utilizing a protocol of an external network towards said external network at a gateway support node, which interfaces said packet radio network to at least one said external network;

encapsulating data packets received from said mobile station or from said external network, according to a protocol of said packet radio network;

routing an encapsulated data packet in said packet radio network, according to said protocol of said packet radio network;

stripping said encapsulation according to said protocol of said packet radio network away, when said data packet is transferred from said packet radio network to said external network;

maintaining in a database, information which maps at least one network address of said mobile station with dynamic roaming information; and

inserting said dynamic roaming information into a mobile terminating data packet encapsulated according to an internal protocol of said packet radio network in order to enable routing of said mobile terminating data packet to one of said support nodes within an area in which said mobile station is located.

10. The method according to any one of claims 6, 7, 8, and 9 wherein said plurality of support nodes and the internal packet network are within at least one computer.

11. The method according to any one of claims 6, 7, 8, and 9, wherein said home support node is used as said gateway node towards said external network.

7. A method for routing a mobile terminated data packet when a mobile station is located outside its home packet radio network, and routing between packet radio networks is required, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

sending, by a sending party, a data packet according to a first protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said mobile station;

routing said data packet via at least one external network to a gateway support node of a home packet radio network of said mobile station by using a routing according to said first protocol;

encapsulating, by said gateway support node, said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said home network packet radio;

sending, by said gateway support node, said encapsulated data packet to a home support node of said mobile station;

determining by said home support node of said mobile stations a roaming number of said mobile station by said network address of said first protocol for said mobile station, said roaming number indicating a node of another packet radio network;

routing, by said home support node, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said home network;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said home network encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said home network, and encapsulating a data packet of said first protocol according to a protocol used in inter-network traffic between said home packet radio network and said another packet radio network;

routing, by said gateway support node of said home network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said other packet radio network;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said other packet radio network, encapsulation away according to an inter-network protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to said internal protocol of said other packet radio network;

routing, by said gateway support node of said other packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said support node indicated by said roaming number in said other packet radio network;

stripping, by said support node of said other packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said other packet radio network, and sending a data packet over a radio interface to said mobile station encapsulated according to a radio link protocol; and

stripping, by said mobile station encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol.

8. A method for routing a mobile originated data packet via an external data network to a receiving party when a mobile station is located outside a home packet radio network in a first packet radio network, which does not support a first protocol used by said mobile station, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

encapsulating, by said mobile stations a data packet of said first protocol according to a radio link protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said receiving party;

sending, by said mobile station, said data packet encapsulated according to said radio link protocol over a radio interface to a support node serving said mobile station in said first packet radio network;

stripping, by a serving node, encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said first packet radio network;

routing, by said serving node, said encapsulated data packet to a gateway support node of said first packet radio network, according to said internal protocol;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said first packet radio network, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an inter-network protocol used in inter-network traffic between said first packet radio network and said home packet radio network of said mobile station;

routing, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said home packet radio network;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said home packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said inter-network protocol, and

routing, by said gateway support node of said home packet radio network supporting said first protocol, said data packet to an external data network of said first protocol by using a routing mechanism according to said first protocol.

9. A method for routing a mobile originated data packet via a first packet radio network and an external data network to a receiving party when a mobile station is located outside a home packet radio network in said second packet radio network, which does not support a first protocol used by said mobile station, each packet radio network comprises a plurality of support nodes and an internal packet network interconnecting said plurality of support nodes, said method comprising:

encapsulating, by said mobile station, a data packet of said first protocol according to a radio link protocol, said data packet containing a network address according to said first protocol for said receiving party;

sending, by said mobile station, said data packet encapsulated according to a radio link protocol over a radio interface to a support node serving said mobile station in said first packet radio network;

stripping, by a serving node encapsulation away according to said radio link protocol, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an internal protocol of said first packet radio network;

routing, by said serving node, said encapsulated data packet to a gateway support node of said first packet radio network according to said internal protocol;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said internal protocol of said first packet radio network, and encapsulating said data packet of said first protocol according to an inter-network protocol used in inter-network traffic between said first packet radio network and said second packet radio network, said second packet radio network supporting said first protocol;

routing, by said gateway support node of said first packet radio network, said encapsulated data packet to said gateway support node of said second packet radio network;

stripping, by said gateway support node of said second packet radio network, encapsulation away according to said inter-network protocol and

routing, by said gateway support node of said second packet radio network, supporting said first protocol, said data packet to an external data network of said first protocol by using a routing mechanism according to said first protocol.