Method for allocating geographical identifier and network corresponding to movable hosts

• US 6,122,268 A
• Filed: 06/18/1997
• Issued: 09/19/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Okanoue, Kazuhiro, Osawa, Tomoki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chau
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, CHI HO A
• Application Number:
  US08/878,341
• Time in Patent Office: 1,189 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/338, 370/341, 370/349, 370/401, 455/435
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method for allocating a geographical identifier is executed in a network for supporting a plurality of movable hosts being moved among a plurality of sub networks as keeping communications therebetween. When movable hosts 100, 101 moves to a sub network 110, an agent 120 of the sub network 110 allocates the same geographical identifier depending on the sub network 110 to the movable hosts 100 and 101 and stores logical identifiers and link layer addresses of the movable hosts 100 and 101. The packets destined for the movable hosts 100 and 101 are sent to the agent 120. The agent gets to know the link layer address corresponding to the logical identifier of a destination movable host described in a network layer header of the received packet from the registration table, generates the link layer header of the destination movable host, and add the link layer header to the received packet before transferring the received packet.

Claims

1. A method for allocating a geographical identifier, implemented in a network, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a plurality of sub networks with one another;

maintaining a plurality of movable hosts each having a geographical identifier depending on the currently connected sub network and a logical identifier independent of the currently connected sub network and allowing said movable hosts to be moved among said sub networks while keeping communication therebetween, each of said movable hosts serving to conduct communications of packets, each having a header based on said geographical identifier and another header based on said logical identifier;

providing a node for supporting communication with said movable host in each of said sub networks, such that said node of each of said sub networks executes the steps of;

allocating a same geographical identifier to the plurality of movable hosts connected in one of said sub networks and storing the logical identifiers and data link layer addresses of said plurality of movable hosts in a registration table;

detecting a destination logical identifier of a packet if any packet is received and if said received packet is destined for the movable host to which said same geographical identifier is allocated by using said detected destination logical identifier and said registration table;

generating a data link layer header by using a data link layer address of the movable host identified by said destination logical identifier in said registration table; and

adding said generated data link layer header to said received packet before transferring said packet;

wherein the packets transmitted to a movable host are controlled to be transmitted through a node of a sub network having said movable host connected therewith based on a Proxy Address Resolution Protocol.

2. A method for allocating a geographical identifier, implemented in a network and including the steps of:

connecting a plurality of sub networks with one another;

maintaining a plurality of movable hosts each having a geographical identifier depending on the currently connected sub network and a logical identifier independent of the currently connected sub network and allowing the movable hosts to be moved among said sub networks while keeping communication therebetween, each of said movable hosts serving to conduct communications of packets, each having a header based on said geographical identifier and another header based on said logical identifier;

providing a node for supporting communication with said movable host in each of said sub networks,

said node of each of said sub networks executing the steps of keeping the same geographical identifiers of network layers of the plurality of movable hosts connected to said sub network and storing in a registration table the same geographical identifier and the logical identifier of said network layer of each of said movable hosts in linkage with a data link layer address of said movable host;

detecting a destination logical identifier from a received packet;

detecting if said received packet is destined for the movable host to which the same geographical identifier is allocated by using said detected destination logical identifier and said registration table;

retrieving said data link layer address of each of said movable hosts specified by said destination logical identifier from said registration table if said received packet is destined for said movable host to which said same geographical identifier is allocated;

generating a data link layer header based on said retrieved data link layer address; and

adding said generated data link layer header to said received packet and transferring said packet;

wherein said node executes a further step of transferring said received packet to the node specified by the same geographical identifier of said received packet, and based on a Proxy Address Resolution Protocol.