Method and apparatus for providing mobile and other intermittent connectivity in a computing environment

• US 7,293,107 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2000
• Issued: 11/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Netmotion Wireless Holdings, Inc. (NetMotion Software, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Netmotion Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Sturniolo, Emil A., Menn, Anatoly, Olson, Erik D., Savarese, Joseph T., Hanson, Aaron D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/660,500
• Time in Patent Office: 2,611 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-219, 709/245, 455/432, 455/422.1, 4554261-4262, 700/113
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A seamless solution transparently addresses the characteristics of nomadic systems, and enables existing network applications to run reliably in mobile environments. A Mobility Management Server coupled to the mobile network maintains the state of each of any number of Mobile End Systems and handles the complex session management required to maintain persistent connections to the network and to other peer processes. If a Mobile End System becomes unreachable, suspends, or changes network address (e.g., due to roaming from one network interconnect to another), the Mobility Management Server maintains the connection to the associated peer task—allowing the Mobile End System to maintain a continuous connection even though it may temporarily lose contact with its network medium. An interface-based listener uses network point of attachment information supplied by a network interface to determine roaming conditions and to efficiently reestablish connection upon roaming. The Mobility Management Server can distribute lists to Mobile End Systems specifying how to contact it over disjoint networks.

Claims

1. A method for maintaining communication over first and second disjoint networks between at least first and second computing devices, the second computing device comprising a mobile computing device, the method comprising:

using a first network identifier to identify the first computing device, communicating over a first network between the first computing device and said second, mobile computing device;

authenticating the second, mobile computing device for authorization to communicate with the first computing device over the second network before sending a further network identifier to the second, mobile computing device over the first network;

sending, to the second, mobile computing device over the first network, at least one further network identifier for use in at least in part identifying the first computing device on at least a second network disjoint from the first network, said at least one further network identifier being at least in part different from said first network identifier; and

using the at least one further network identifier to identify the first computing device, communicating between the first and second computing devices over the second network, thereby allowing communications between the first and second computing devices to continue even though said network identifier changes.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said sending comprises sending distributed interface data to the second, mobile computing device over the first network.

3. The method of claim 1 further including physically attaching a network interface adapter associated with said second, mobile computing device to at least one of said first network and said second network.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said first network provides a network point of attachment, and said communicating over the first network comprises establishing wireless communications between said second, mobile computing device and the network point of attachment.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said first and further network identifiers comprise network addresses, and wherein using the at least one further network identifier comprises using said further network address instead of said first network address to reach said first computing device via the second network, wherein said first and second disjoint networks do not share network address information therebetween.

6. A process for providing communications between mobile computing systems and a network computing system as the mobile computing systems roam between plural disjoint network segments, comprising:

establishing communications between the mobile computing systems and the network computing system via a first network segment;

sending to the mobile computing systems, via the first network segment, network identifier information for use in communicating with said network computing system via plural further network segments, at least some of said plural further network segments being disjoint from the first network segment;

authenticating at least some of the mobile computing device for authorization to communicate with the network computing system over at least one of said plural further network segments before sending the further network identifier information to said mobile computing system;

using said network identifier information to communicate between the mobile computing systems and the network computing system via any of said plural further network segments; and

conditioning access to communications over at least some of said plural further network segments with said network computing system and protecting at least some of said plural further network segments from unauthorized communications based at least in part on said network identifier information.

7. The process of claim 6 wherein said network identifier information comprises distributed interface data.

8. The process of claim 6 wherein said mobile computing systems each comprise a network interface adapter physically attachable to at least one of said plural further network segments.

9. The process of claim 6 wherein at least a first of said mobile computing systems shares at least one interface address with each of said plural further network segments so that if the first mobile computing system roams into any one of the plural further network segments and detects that it has roamed onto a different network segment, the first mobile computing system selects an applicable network address to communicate with the network computing system via said different network segment into which said first mobile computing system has roamed.

10. The process of claim 9 wherein mobile computing system selects said applicable network address based on a metric.

11. The process of claim 10 wherein said metric comprises speed.

12. The process of claim 10 wherein said metric comprises cost.

13. The process of claim 10 wherein said metric comprises availability.

14. The process of claim 10 wherein said metric comprises number of hops.

15. The process of claim 6 further including maintaining continued communications between said mobile computing systems and said network computing system even though said mobile computing systems use different network addresses to reach said network computing system via said plural further network segments, wherein said first network segment and said plural further network segments do not share network address information therebetween.

16. A system for facilitating communication over disjoint networks between first and second network devices at least one of which is mobile, the system comprising:

a first network;

a first network device coupled to the first network;

a second network device also coupled to the first network, said second network device using at least a first network identifier identifying the first network device on the first network to communicate with the first network device over the first network;

a data transmitter coupled to the first network, said data transmitter sending, to the second network device over the first network, a further network identifier at least in part identifying the first network device on at least a second network disjoint from the first network, said further network identifier being at least in part different from said first network identifier;

an authenticator that authenticates the second network device for authorization to communicate with the first network device over the second network before sending the further network identifier to the second device;

said second network device using the further network identifier at least in part identifying the first network device to communicate with the first network device over the second, disjoint network, thereby allowing communications between the first and second network devices to be maintained and to continue even though a network identifier said second network device uses to reach said first network device has changed.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the further network identifier comprises distributed interface data.

18. The system as in claim 16 wherein said second device comprises a network interface adapter that is physically attached to said first network.

19. The system as in claim 16 wherein the data transmitter comprises a network point of attachment, and said second device communicates wirelessly with the network point of attachment.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein said first and second identifiers comprise addresses, and said second network device uses the further network address instead of the first network address to reach said first network device over the second network, wherein said first and second networks are disjoint and do not share network address information therebetween.

21. A system for maintaining communications between mobile computing systems and a network device as the mobile computing systems roam between plural disjoint network segments, comprising:

a first network segment that establishes communications between mobile computing systems and the network device;

a data transmitter that sends the mobile computing systems, via the first network segment, identifying information for use in reaching said network device via plural further network segments at least some of which are disjoint from the first network segment;

an authenticator that authenticates at least one of the mobile systems for authorization to communicate with the network device over at least one of said plural further network segments before sending the identifying information to the at least one mobile system;

said mobile computing systems using said identifying information to communicate with the network device via at least a disjoint one of said plural further network segments; and

a policy manager that conditions access to communications with said network device over said at least some of said plural further network segments and protects at least some of said plural further network segments from unauthorized communications based at least in part on said identifying information.

22. The system of claim 21 wherein said identifying information comprises distributed interface data.

23. The process of claim 21 wherein at least one of said mobile systems comprises a network interface adapter physically attached to at least one of said plural further network segments.

24. The process of claim 21 wherein at least one of said mobile systems shares an interface address with each of said plural further network segments so that if the at least one mobile system roams into any one of the plural further network segments and detects that it has roamed, the at least one mobile end system selects an appropriate network address to communicate with the network device via said plural further network segment into which said at least one mobile system has roamed.

25. The process of claim 24 wherein at least one mobile system selects said network address based on a metric.

26. The process of claim 25 wherein said metric comprises speed.

27. The process of claim 25 wherein said metric comprises cost.

28. The process of claim 25 wherein said metric comprises availability.

29. The process of claim 25 wherein said metric comprises number of hops.

30. The system of claim 21 wherein said mobile computing systems maintain continued communications with said network device via said plural, further network segments even though said mobile computing systems use different network addresses to reach said network device via said plural further network segments, wherein said first and plural further network segments do not share network address information therebetween.