System and method for traffic localization

• US 7,885,248 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2007
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Starent Networks LLC (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Ramankutty, Rajesh, Radhakrishnan, Shaji E., Harper, Matthew H., Chowdhury, Kuntal, Puthiyandyil, Sanil Kumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; George
• Assistant Examiner(s): Miller; Brandon J
• Application Number:
  US11/787,740
• Publication Number:
  US 20070253371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,393 Days
• Field of Search: 370/349, 370/331, 370/395.2, 370/401, 370/432, 370/285, 370/328, 370/338, 455/445, 455/442, 455/439, 455/433, 455/428
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Systems and methods for bridging packet flows to bypass call legs and/or tunnels are provided. A tunnel initiator, which can be an access gateway, a foreign agent, and a mobility anchor point, for example, provides a bypass for certain packets that have a destination serviced by the same tunnel initiator. The bridge allows the packets to bypass a backhaul loop and reduces latency and frees bandwidth for other purposes in the network. The bridging can be implemented in a tunnel initiator for mobile to mobile packet flows, mobile to land line packet flows, and land line to mobile packet flows. Route optimization can also be provided in certain embodiments.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a tunnel initiator upon which a first session and a second session are implemented, where the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of packet data associated respectively with a first mobile node and a second mobile node, and wherein the tunnel initiator is in communication with a tunnel terminator;

the tunnel initiator including a processor that obtains information regarding the first session and the second session, compares session information, and determines if a bridge can be established, wherein the bridge couples a matching first session and second session for packet data to flow from the matching first session to the matching second session on the tunnel initiator; and

the tunnel initiator sending updates to the tunnel terminator regarding packet data flowing through the bridge.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel initiator includes an access gateway.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel terminator includes a home agent.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel initiator receives a Voice over IP (VoIP) application request from a mobile node.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the tunnel initiator provides a second tunnel initiator with information to handoff a call session of a mobile node, wherein the tunnel initiator disables bridging when the handoff to the second tunnel initiator occurs.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel initiator includes a table including a tunnel terminator address.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor compares the session information of a source IP address and a destination IP address to determine if a bridge can be established.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the bridging is based on a traffic flow template (TFT) processing.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel initiator monitors bridged call sessions to enforce security policies.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the tunnel initiator sends periodic statistics updates to the tunnel terminator to inform the tunnel terminator about bridged packets.)

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the tunnel initiator is a foreign agent and the tunnel terminator is a home agent, and wherein the bridge couples the matching first session and second session for packet data to flow without having to send the packet from the foreign agent to the home agent.

12. A method comprising:

receiving a packet at a tunnel initiator and associating the packet with a session implemented on the tunnel initiator, where the session manages processing of packet data corresponding to a particular mobile node;

checking the packet to determine if the packet can be sent from a first session to a second session at the tunnel initiator where the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of only packet data associated respectively with a first mobile node and a second mobile node;

sending the packet from the first session to the second session on the tunnel initiator; and

sending the packet from the second session to the packet'"'"'s destination.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising initiating a Voice over IP (VoIP) application type for voice conversation using the tunnel initiator.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising monitoring bridged call sessions to enforce security policies.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein checking a packet is based on a source IP address and a destination IP address to determine if a packet can be bridged.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising updating a tunnel terminator regarding packet flow between the first session and the second session.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the tunnel initiator is a foreign agent that is connected to a home agent and wherein sending the packet from the first session to the second session is accomplished without having to send the packet from the foreign agent to the home agent.

18. A method comprising:

creating a first session instance on a tunnel initiator where the first session instance manages processing of packets corresponding to a first mobile node;

inspecting packets associated with the first session instance and retrieving information from the packets;

associating the information obtained from a packet with the first session;

checking if a second session exists on the tunnel initiator that includes information matching the first session;

creating a bridge between the first session and the second session after a match is found; and

sending a packet from the first session to the second session over the bridge.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising initiating a Voice over IP (VoIP) application type for voice conversation using the tunnel initiator.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising sending periodic statistics updates to a tunnel terminator to inform the tunnel terminator about bridged packets.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein information matching the first session compares IP addresses to determine a match.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein the tunnel initiator is a foreign agent that is connected to a home agent and wherein sending a packet from the first session to the second session over the bridge is accomplished without having to send the packet from the foreign agent to the home agent.

23. Logic encoded in one or more non-transient media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

receiving a packet at a tunnel initiator and associating the packet with a session implemented on the tunnel initiator, where the session manages processing of packet data corresponding to a particular mobile node;

checking the packet to determine if the packet can be sent from a first session to a second session at the tunnel initiator where the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of only packet data associated respectively with a first mobile node and a second mobile node;

sending the packet from the first session to the second session on the tunnel initiator; and

sending the packet from the second session to the packet'"'"'s destination.

24. The logic of claim 23, further comprising initiating a Voice over IP (VoIP) application type for voice conversation using the tunnel initiator.

25. The logic of claim 23, further comprising monitoring bridged call sessions to enforce security policies.

26. The logic of claim 23, further comprising updating a tunnel terminator regarding packet flow between the first session and the second session.

27. The logic of claim 23 wherein the tunnel initiator is a foreign agent that is connected to a home agent and wherein sending the packet from the first session to the second session is accomplished without having to send the packet from the foreign agent to the home agent.