DHCP over mobile IP

• US 7,096,273 B1
• Filed: 12/26/2001
• Issued: 08/22/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Meier, Robert C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): TRAN, NGHI V
• Application Number:
  US10/035,954
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 709/222, 709/220, 709/230, 709/236
• US Class Current: 709/236
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A protocol that enables an 802 mobile host to obtain a “home IP address,” and other configuration parameters via DHCP or BOOTP, while attached to either its home subnet or a foreign subnet. Inner and outer encapsulation headers are used to forward DHCP messages from a DHCP server outbound through a “forward tunnel,” to a mobile host on a foreign subnet and are also used to forward DHCP messages from a mobile host on a foreign subnet inbound through a “reverse tunnel” to the home subnet. A mobile host must add an inner encapsulation header to inbound DHCP packets with the source IP address set to 0 to indicate that the packet is from a mobile host that does not have a registered home IP address. Outer encapsulation headers contain the home address and the care-of address for the mobile host.

Claims

1. A method for a DHCP client to send a DHCP request to a DHCP server via a BOOTP Relay Agent, the DHCP client contained in a Mobile Host having a MAC address and having MAC layer connectivity with a foreign agent having a MAC address and a care of IP address, the BOOTP Relay Agent being coupled to a home agent having an address, the step comprising:

A) sending a mobile IP Registration Request message and a Mobile IP Registration Reply message to establish a Mobile IP forward tunnel and a Mobile IP reverse tunnel, the Mobile IP Registration Request having a Mobile Host Identifier that is set to the MAC address of the Mobile Host, and the Mobile IP Registration Reply message having a Mobile Host Identifier that is set to the address of the Mobile Host, wherein the MAC address of the Mobile Host is used to identify mobility bindings for the Mobile Host;

B) generating a DHCP request, the DHCP request having a protocol field, a source IP address and a giaddr field, the protocol field containing the MAC address of the Mobile Host, the source IP address is zero, and the giaddr field is zero;

C) sending the DHCP request to the foreign agent;

D) adding an encapsulation header by the foreign agent;

E) sending the request to the home agent;

F) removing the encapsulation header; and

G) forwarding the request to a home subnet;

H) generating a DHCP reply, the DHCP reply having a protocol field, the protocol field containing the MAC address of the Mobile Host;

I) sending the DHCP reply across the home subnet to the home agent;

J) adding an encapsulation header to the reply by the home agent;

K) forwarding the reply to the foreign agent;

L) removing the encapsulation header by the foreign agent; and

M) forwarding the reply to the mobile host;

wherein the DHCP client obtains an IP address from a DHCP server on the home subnet via the Mobile IP forward tunnel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation header added to the DHCP request is an IP encapsulation header having a source field containing the IP address of the foreign agent and a destination field containing the IP address of the home agent.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the encapsulation header added to the DHCP reply is an IP encapsulation header having a source field containing the IP address of the home agent and a destination field containing the IP address of the foreign agent.

4. A method for a DHCP client for obtaining an IP address from a DHCP server, the DHCP client being connected to a foreign subnet having a foreign agent, the foreign agent having a care of address, a home subnet having a home agent, the home agent having an address, comprising the following steps in the sequence set forth:

A) sending a mobile registration request having a MAC address as a mobile host identifier;

B) generating a DHCP request by the client, the DHCP request having a protocol field, a source IP address field and a giaddr field, wherein the protocol field being set to the MAC address of the mobile host, the source IP address field is set to 0, and the giaddr field is set to 0;

C) adding a first inner IP encapsulation header and a first outer IP encapsulation header to the DHCP request;

D) sending the DHCP request to the home subnet;

E) removing the first inner IP encapsulation header and first outer IP encapsulation header from the DHCP request;

G) generating a reply to the DHCP request;

H) adding a second inner IP encapsulation and a second outer IP encapsulation header to the reply;

I) sending the reply to the foreign subnet;

J) removing the second outer encapsulation header and the second inner encapsulation header; and

K) forwarding the reply to the DHCP client;

wherein the DHCP server is on the home subnet and the DHCP client obtains an IP address from the reply sent by the DHCP server.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the DHCP request includes a giaddr field, the first inner IP encapsulation header having a source address and a destination address, the adding a first inner IP encapsulation header further comprising:

setting the first inner IP encapsulation header destination IP address to indicated that the DHCP client does not have an IP address.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the first outer IP encapsulation header has a source address and a destination address, the steps further comprises setting the first outer IP encapsulation header source address to the foreign agent care of address and the first outer IP encapsulation header destination address to the home agent address.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein step D) is performed by reverse Mobile IP tunnel.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the DHCP request having a giaddr field and a chaddr field, step E) further comprising:

1) obtaining the MAC address of the DHCP client from the chaddr field; and

2) inserting the BOOTP relay agent IP address into the giaddr field.

9. The method of claim 4, the second inner IP encapsulation header having a source IP address and a destination IP address, step H) further comprising setting the second inner IP encapsulation header destination IP address to indicate that the source mobile host does not have an IP address.

10. The method of claim 4, the second outer IP encapsulation header having a source IP address and a destination EP address, step H) further comprising setting the second outer IP encapsulation header source address to the home agent IP address, and setting the second outer IP encapsulation header destination IP address to the foreign agent care of IP address.

11. The method of claim 4, the reply having a chaddr field, step K) further comprising:

1) obtaining a MAC address for a mobile host coupled to the DHCP client from the chaddr field; and

2) forwarding the reply to the mobile host identified by the MAC address.