Public mobile data communications network

• US 6,973,057 B1
• Filed: 01/18/2000
• Issued: 12/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Forslow, Jan E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Chi
• Assistant Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US09/484,426
• Time in Patent Office: 2,149 Days
• Field of Search: 370/389, 370/351, 370/392, 370/395.52, 370/328, 370/352, 370/401, 370/402, 370/403, 370464-465, 370/310, 370/901, 370/912, 370/400, 455414-415, 455432- 3, 455/435, 455/456, 455/461, 455/465, 455/432.1, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/50 using label swapping, e.g. multi-protocol label switch [MPLS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A public mobile access data network provides a mobile node data access to the Internet and data access to the mobile node from the Internet even when a point of attachment of the mobile node to the public mobile access data network changes. A public mobility management service is provided to locate mobile nodes so that the Internet is aware of the mobile node'"'"'s current point of attachment. Advantageously, this public mobility management service is provided independently of mobility services offered by radio access, technology-specific networks. The public mobile access service is implemented using a home agent/foreign agent model where the home and foreign agents transfer data packets over the public mobile access network via a data tunnel. In a preferred, example embodiment, mobile Internet protocol (IP) is used at the network protocol layer to provide the public mobility service. The mobile IP packets are carried using multi-protocol label path switching (MPLS) label switched paths (LSPs) which provide a number of benefits such as tunneling flexibility, configurability, and efficiency.

Claims

1. For use in an Internet, a public mobile access data network providing a mobile node data access to the Internet and data access to the mobile node from the Internet when a point of attachment of the mobile node to the public mobile access data network changes, comprising:

a home agent router coupled to a backbone of the Internet;

plural foreign agent routers coupled to the home agent router for communicating with one or more mobile nodes,

wherein the home agent and foreign agent routers communicate using a mobile internet protocol and a tunnel that includes a label switched path that uses multi-protocol label switching, and

wherein as the mobile node moves from one foreign agent to another foreign agent, the home agent is configured to inject an address associated with the mobile node into the label switched path.

2. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein one or more tunnels are established between ones of the plural home agent routers and ones of the plural foreign agent routers such that a mobile node communicating over one of the tunnels associated with a first foreign agent continues that communication over another of the tunnels associated with a second foreign agent.

3. The public mobile access data network of claim 2, wherein the first and second tunnels are established to be relatively static to handle different communications with different mobile nodes.

4. The public mobile access data network of claim 3, wherein a care-of address of the mobile node associated with the first foreign agent is changed when the communication is continued over the other tunnel associated with the second foreign agent.

5. The public mobile access data network of claim 1,

wherein the tunnel is dynamically established using one or more variable service parameters.

6. The public mobile access data network of claim 5, wherein the one or more variable service parameters used to configure the data tunnel include one or more of the following:

quality of service, bandwidth, primary and secondary paths, and a certain type of traffic limitation.

7. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein the radio access technology specific network includes GSM/GPRS.

8. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein the radio access technology specific network includes D-AMPS.

9. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein the public mobile access data network is operated by an Internet service provider (ISP).

10. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein one or more of the foreign agent routers is located at a local point of presence near a radio access point where the mobile node attaches to the public mobile access data network.

11. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein the mobile node de-attaches from the public mobile access data network at one of the foreign agents and re-attaches to the public mobile access data network at another one of the foreign agents.

12. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein the home agent router and one of the foreign agents are co-located.

13. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein one of the foreign agent routers serving the mobile node is configured to send registration messages to all home agent routers in the virtual home agent network.

14. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, further comprising:

plural home agents configured as a virtual home agent network for one of the mobile nodes,

wherein if one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network is dysfunctional, another of the home agents in the virtual home agent network is configured to forward data to and from the mobile node.

15. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, further comprising:

plural home agents configured as a virtual home agent network for one of the mobile nodes,

wherein one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network closest to a corresponding node sending data to the mobile node via the Internet is configured to forward data to and from the mobile node.

16. The public mobile access data network of claim 15, wherein the closest home agent has a smallest routing metric relative to the corresponding node.

17. The public mobile access data network of claim 1, wherein one of the home agents is configured to use a multi-exit discriminator parameter to advertise to the Internet a preferred entry point to the public mobile access data network.

18. A method comprising:

configuring a public mobile access data network to provide public data access between an Internet and a mobile node which is attachable to various points of the public mobile access data network over a radio interface;

providing multiple home agents coupled to a backbone of the Internet;

providing plural foreign agents coupled to the home agent for communicating with one or more mobile nodes;

configuring plural home agents as a virtual home agent network for one of the mobile nodes; and

one of the foreign agents serving the mobile node sending registration messages to all home agents in the virtual home agent network;

wherein the home agent and foreign agent routers communicate using a mobile internet protocol (IP) and a tunnel that includes a label switched path using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), wherein the home agent and foreign agent are label switched routers at the ends of the label switched path, and wherein the label switched routers encapsulate incoming data packets with a label, remove a label from outgoing data packets, and route data packets by swapping labels at each label switched router along the label switched path.

19. The method in claim 18,

wherein any one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network may forward data to and from the mobile node.

20. The method in claim 18, wherein if one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network is dysfunctional, another of the home agents in the virtual home agent network forwards data to and form the mobile node.

21. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

selecting one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network closest to a corresponding node sending data to the mobile node via the Internet to forward data to and from the mobile node.

22. The method in claim 18, wherein one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network is co-located with a foreign agent near a private data access network.

23. The method in claim 18 further comprising:

the home agent establishing the tunnel with the foreign agent using the care-of address and one or more desired tunnel attributes.

24. The method in claim 23, wherein the one or more desired tunnel attributes includes a class of service, bandwidth, traffic type, primary and secondary paths, or selective routing.

25. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

merging label switched paths from plural regional foreign agents toward the home agent.

26. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

aggregating label switched paths at the home agent for plural regional foreign agents.

27. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

determining the route of the label switched path corresponding to the tunnel to be something other than the shortest route through the public mobile access data network.

28. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

determining a primary label switched path and a redundant, secondary label switched path corresponding to the tunnel.

29. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

selecting one of two or more label switched paths to balance a traffic load in the public mobile data access data network.

30. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

offering in the public mobile access data network a public mobility service to locate current locations of mobile nodes so that the Internet is aware of a current point of attachment of one or more mobile nodes to the public mobile access data network.

31. The method in claim 30, wherein the public mobility service is provided independently of a mobility service offered by a radio access technology specific network.

32. The method in claim 18, wherein one or more of the foreign agents is located at a local point of presence near a radio access point where the mobile node attaches to the public mobile access data network.

33. The method in claim 18, wherein one of the home agents and one of the foreign agents are co-located.

34. The method in claim 33, wherein reciprocal signaling between the home and foreign agents is reduced when the home and foreign agents are co-located.

35. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

forwarding a mobile node registration to plural home agent routing nodes.

36. The method in claim 18, further comprising:

monitoring parameters relating to the tunnel.

37. The method in claim 18, wherein any one of the home agents in the virtual home agent network may forward data to and from the mobile node, the method further comprising:

one of the home agents using a multi-discriminator parameter to advertise to the Internet a preferred entry point to the public mobile access data network.

38. For use in a public mobile access data network providing a mobile node data access to the Internet and data access to the mobile node from the Internet, a first routing node comprising:

a control entity for establishing a label switched path across the public mobile access data network between the first routing node and a second routing node; and

a forwarding entity for processing and routing packets over the label switched path;

wherein the control entity includes a mobile internet protocol (IP) controller interfacing a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) controller for setting up and controlling the label switched path.

39. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a home agent and the second routing node is a foreign agent.

40. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the routing node is coupled to an authentication serving node to ensure the label switched path communications are authorized.

41. The routing node in claim 38, wherein mobile IP packets are transferred over an MPLS tunnel.

42. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a home agent and the second routing node is a foreign agent and wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to store a care-of IP address of the foreign agent hosting the mobile node.

43. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a foreign agent and the second routing node is a home agent and wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to store an IP address of the home agent for the mobile node.

44. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to determine the route of the label switched path to be something other than the shortest route.

45. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to determine a primary label switched path and a redundant, secondary label switched path.

46. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to select a label switched path to balance a traffic load in the public mobile data access data network.

47. The routing node in claim 38, further comprising:

a resource reservation protocol controller coupled to the MPLS controller.

48. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a foreign agent, the second routing node is a home agent, and the mobile IP controller is configured to request the MPLS controller to establish a table including the label switched path, an address of the home agent, and an address of the mobile node.

49. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the mobile IP controller in the home agent is configured to add one or more mobile node IP addresses to a label switched path having a destination address corresponding to a foreign agent care-of address.

50. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a foreign agent, and wherein the mobile IP controller is configured to forward a mobile node registration to plural home agent routing nodes.

51. The routing node in claim 38, wherein the first routing node is a foreign agent, and wherein the MPLS controller is configured to establish for a single communication with the mobile node plural label switched paths to plural home agent routing nodes.

52. The routing node in claim 38,

wherein the control entity configures the label switched path using one of more variable service parameters.

53. The routing node in claim 52, wherein the one or more variable service parameters used to configure the label switched path include the following:

quality of service, bandwidth, primary and secondary paths, and a certain type of traffic.