Mobile IP intra-agent mobility
First Claim
1. In a router supporting Mobile IP, a method of registering a mobile node with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent, the method comprising:
- receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;
ascertaining from the registration request packet whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router;
determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address associated with the router; and
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address associated with the router, registering the mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Methods and apparatus for enabling intra-agent mobility by a mobile node are disclosed, thereby permitting a mobile node to register with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent where the Home Agent and the Foreign Agent are provided in the same router. A method of registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent includes receiving a registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address. It is then determined whether the Home Address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Home Agent address associated with the router. In addition, it may be determined whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address advertised by the router. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the D bit specified in the registration request packet is set and the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is a collocated care-of address. The mobile node may then be registered with the Home Agent through the use of a physical interface on the router rather than creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node or the Home Agent.
248 Citations
31 Claims
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1. In a router supporting Mobile IP, a method of registering a mobile node with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent, the method comprising:
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receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;
ascertaining from the registration request packet whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router;
determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address associated with the router; and
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address associated with the router, registering the mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
updating a mobility binding table associated with the Home Agent of the router with an entry associated with the mobile node that has registered with the Home Agent of the router, wherein the entry in the mobility binding table identifies a care-of address associated with the mobile node; and
updating a visitor table associated with the Foreign Agent of the router that lists addresses of all mobile nodes being serviced by the Foreign Agent of the router such that the visitor table includes an entry for the mobile node that has registered with the Home Agent of the router.
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3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the care-of address is a foreign-agent address or a collocated care-of address.
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4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the mobility binding table further includes a physical interface field associated with the mobile node, the physical interface field specifying a physical interface on the router.
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5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the mobility binding table is created without specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.
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6. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the visitor table is created without specifying a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent of the router.
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7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein upon completion of registering the mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent of the router with the Home Agent of the router, the mobile node can visit the Foreign Agent of the router and receive packets addressed to the mobile node via the Home Agent of the router.
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8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Home Agent of the router is on a first interface of the router and the Foreign Agent of the router is on a second interface of the router.
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9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
maintaining a routing table, wherein the routing table includes a physical interface field associated with the mobile node that specifies a physical interface on the router, thereby enabling the Home Agent of the router to forward a packet to the mobile node.
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10. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the routing table is does not specify a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.
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11. The method as recited in claim 9, wherein the routing table includes a next hop field specifying a home address associated with the mobile node.
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12. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the mobility binding table identifies a physical interface on the router associated with the mobile node.
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13. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.
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14. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.
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15. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein determining comprises:
determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is advertised by the router as the Foreign Agent address associated with the router.
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16. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
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determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is a collocated care-of address;
determining whether a D bit in the registration request packet is set; and
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and if it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is a collocated care-of address and the D bit in the registration request packet is set, registering the mobile node via a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router.
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17. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein after registering the mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent of the router with the Home Agent of the router, packets addressed to the mobile node are forwarded by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface.
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18. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node comprises:
updating a routing table with a physical interface on the router to enable the router to forward a packet to the mobile node via the physical interface.
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19. The method as recited in claim 18, wherein updating the routing table is performed without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.
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20. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node comprises:
updating a mobility binding table of the Home Agent of the router with a care-of address associated with the mobile node and a physical interface associated with the mobile-node to indicate that the mobile node has registered with the Home Agent via the care-of address, the physical interface being an interface on the router.
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21. The method as recited in claim 20, wherein updating the mobility binding table is performed without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.
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22. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node comprises updating a visitor table of the Foreign Agent of the router to include an address of the mobile node to indicate that the mobile node is being serviced by the Foreign Agent of the router and an associated physical interface on the router without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent of the router.
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23. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
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receiving a packet addressed to the mobile node from a corresponding node; and
forwarding the packet to the mobile node via a physical interface on the router.
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24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein forwarding the packet is performed without encapsulating or tunneling the packet.
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25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein forwarding the packet is performed without creating a tunnel interface.
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26. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the Home Agent of the router is associated with a first interface of the router and the Foreign Agent of the router is associated with a second interface of the router.
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27. The router as recited in claim 26, wherein the first interface is the second interface.
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28. The router as recited in claim 26, wherein the first interface is different from the second interface.
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29. A computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions for registering a mobile node with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent in a router supporting Mobile IP, comprising:
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instructions for receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;
instructions for ascertaining from the registration request packet whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;
instructions for forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent;
instructions for determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address associated with the router; and
instructions for registering the mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address associated with the router.
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30. A router supporting Mobile IP adapted for registering a mobile node with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent, comprising:
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means for receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;
means for ascertaining from the registration request packet whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;
means for forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent;
means for determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address associated with the router; and
means for registering the mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address associated with the router.
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31. A router supporting Mobile IP adapted for registering a mobile node with a Home Agent via a Foreign Agent, the method comprising:
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a processor; and
a memory, at least one of the processor and the memory being adapted for;
receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;
ascertaining from the registration request packet whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the mobile node;
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router;
determining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to a Foreign Agent address associated with the router; and
if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router includes the Home Agent and it is determined that the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address associated with the router, registering the mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent of the router with a Home Agent of the router.
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Specification