Mobile IP intra-agent mobility

• US 7,535,871 B1
• Filed: 07/24/2003
• Issued: 05/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leung, Kent K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore; Ian N
• Application Number:
  US10/627,366
• Time in Patent Office: 2,126 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370351-356, 370/328, 370/329, 370/331, 370/348, 455/403, 455/432.1, 455/433, 4554351-4353, 455436-442, 455/432.3, 455/435
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/087 for preserving data network PoA address despite hand-offs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

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.

Claims

1. In a router supporting Mobile IP, a method of registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent, the method comprising:

receiving by the router a registration request packet from the mobile node, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;

determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent that the mobile node is visiting by ascertaining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to an address of the router;

determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering;

if it is determined from the registration request packet that the router includes the Foreign Agent the mobile node is visiting and the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering, registering the mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent of the router with the Home Agent of the router;

receiving a packet addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node from a corresponding node by the Home Agent of the router; and

forwarding the packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet received from the corresponding node does not identify the physical interface.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router.

5. In a router supporting Mobile IP, a method of registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent, the method comprising:

receiving by the router a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;

determining from the Home Address and the care-of address specified in the registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent;

if it is determined that the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent, registering the mobile node with the Home Agent such that the care-of address and a physical interface are associated with the mobile node, thereby enabling packets addressed to the mobile node to be forwarded by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface;

receiving a packet addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node from a corresponding node by the Home Agent of the router; and

forwarding the packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet received from the corresponding node does not identify the physical interface.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein determining comprises:

ascertaining whether the router includes a Foreign Agent associated with the care-of address; and

ascertaining whether the router includes a Home Agent associated with the Home Address.

7. In a router including a Home Agent having a Home Agent address and a Foreign Agent advertising a Foreign Agent address, the router supporting Mobile IP, a method of registering a mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent with the Home Agent, the method comprising:

receiving by the router a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address, wherein the Home Address specified in the registration request packet is used to identify the Home Agent address associated with the router and the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to the Foreign Agent address advertised by the router;

registering the mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent of the router with the Home Agent of the router such that packets addressed to the Home Address that are received by the Home Agent can be forwarded to the Foreign Agent via the physical interface on the router;

receiving a packet addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node from a corresponding node by the Home Agent of the router; and

forwarding the packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet received from the corresponding node does not identify the physical interface.

8. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein registering the mobile node includes:

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.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein updating the routing table is performed without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

10. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein registering the mobile node includes:

updating a mobility binding table of the Home Agent 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.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein updating the mobility binding table is performed without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

12. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein registering the mobile node includes updating a visitor table of the Foreign Agent to include an address of the mobile node to indicate that the mobile node is being serviced by the Foreign Agent and an associated physical interface on the router without creating or specifying a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.

13. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein forwarding the packet is performed without encapsulating or tunneling the packet.

14. The method as recited in claim 7, wherein forwarding the packet is performed without creating a tunnel interface.

15. A computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions executable by a computer for registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent in a router supporting Mobile IP, comprising:

instructions for determining from a Home Address and a care-of address specified in a registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent;

instructions for registering the mobile node with the Home Agent such that the care-of address and a physical interface of the router are associated with the mobile node if it is determined that the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent, thereby enabling packets addressed to the mobile node to be forwarded by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface of the router;

instructions for forwarding a packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet is addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node and does not identify the physical interface on the router.

16. A router supporting Mobile IP and adapted for registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request packet, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;

means for determining from the Home Address and the care-of address specified in the registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent;

means for registering the mobile node with the Home Agent such that the care-of address and a physical interface of the router are associated with the mobile node if it is determined that the router includes the Foreign Agent and the Home Agent, thereby enabling packets addressed to the mobile node to be forwarded by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface of the router;

means for receiving a packet addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node from a corresponding node by the Home Agent of the router; and

means for forwarding the packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via the physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet received from the corresponding node does not identify the physical interface on the router.

17. A computer-readable medium storing thereon computer-readable instructions executable by a computer for registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent in a router supporting Mobile IP, comprising:

instructions for determining from a registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent that the mobile node is visiting by ascertaining whether a care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to an address of the router;

instructions for determining from a Home Address of the registration request packet whether the router includes the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering; and

instructions for registering the mobile node with the Home Agent of the router if it is determined from the registration request packet that the router includes the Foreign Agent the mobile node is visiting and the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering; and

instructions for forwarding a packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet is addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node and does not identify the physical interface on the router.

18. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

19. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.

20. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 17, further comprising:

instructions for forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router.

21. A router supporting Mobile IP adapted for registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent, comprising:

means for receiving a registration request packet from the mobile node, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;

means for determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent that the mobile node is visiting by ascertaining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to an address of the router;

means for determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering; and

means for registering the mobile node with the Home Agent of the router if it is determined from the registration request packet that the router includes the Foreign Agent the mobile node is visiting and the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering; and

means for forwarding a packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet is addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node and does not identify the physical interface on the router.

22. The router as recited in claim 21, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

23. The router as recited in claim 21, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.

24. The router as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

means for forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router.

25. A router supporting Mobile IP adapted for registering a mobile node visiting a Foreign Agent with a Home Agent, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being for;

receiving a registration request packet from the mobile node, the registration request packet specifying a Home Address and a care-of address;

determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Foreign Agent that the mobile node is visiting by ascertaining whether the care-of address specified in the registration request packet is equivalent to an address of the router;

determining from the registration request packet whether the router includes the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering;

if it is determined from the registration request packet that the router includes the Foreign Agent the mobile node is visiting and the Home Agent with which the mobile node is registering, registering the mobile node visiting the Foreign Agent of the router with the Home Agent of the router; and

receiving a packet addressed to the Home Address of the mobile node from a corresponding node by the Home Agent of the router, and forwarding the packet by the Home Agent of the router to the Foreign Agent of the router via a physical interface on the router;

wherein the packet received from the corresponding node does not identify the physical interface.

26. The router as recited in claim 25, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the mobile node.

27. The router as recited in claim 25, wherein registering the mobile node is performed without creating a tunnel interface to reach the Home Agent.

28. The router as recited in claim 25, wherein at least one of the processor and the memory are further adapted for:

forwarding the registration request packet to the Home Agent if it is ascertained from the registration request packet that the router does not include the Home Agent, wherein the Home Agent is external to the router.