Controlling transportation of data packets

• US 7,916,726 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Issued: 03/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Rasanen, Juha A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ryman; Daniel J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel; Jay P
• Application Number:
  US10/922,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20050129013A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,409 Days
• Field of Search: 370/392, 370/401
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/34 Source routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2441 relying on flow classification, e.g. using integrated services [IntServ]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0236 Filtering by address, protocol, port number or service, e.g. IP-address or URL
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method for transport control in a packet switched communication system is disclosed. In the method a data packet assigned with a destination address is received at a node. It may then be detected that the destination address does not meet a filtering criteria. It may then be checked if at least one further destination address has been assigned for the data packet. If it is found that at least one further destination address is assigned for the data packet, the filtering criteria is applied to the at least one further destination address. The data packet is forwarded from the node to a next node in response to detection that the data packet is assigned with a further destination address that meets the filtering criteria.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving in a node a data packet assigned with a destination address;

detecting that the destination address does not meet one or more filtering criteria, the filtering criteria comprising updateable filtering criteria content;

checking if at least one different destination address is assigned for the data packet;

applying the one or more filtering criteria to the at least one different destination address if the at least one different destination address is assigned for the data packet;

forwarding the data packet from the node to a next node having the destination address in response to detection that the data packet is assigned with the at least one different destination address that meets the one or more filtering criteria;

updating the content of the one or more filtering criteria in response to finding that the data packet is assigned with the at least one different destination address that meets the filtering criteria, wherein updating the content of the one or more filtering criteria comprises adding the destination address assigned to the packet that does not meet the one or more filtering criteria to the one or more filtering criteria, the added destination address being a destination address of a router in a transmission path of the data packet; and

applying the updated filtering criteria to data packets on a data carrier that follow the data packet containing the at least one different destination address that met the filtering criteria.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the checking comprises looking for a header including at least one address.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising checking if the at least one address in the header meets the filtering criteria.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the checking comprises looking for a routing header.

5. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein the applying the filtering criteria to the at least one different destination address comprises checking if the at least one different destination address meets the filtering criteria that is based on the final destination address of the data packet.

6. The method as claimed claim 1, further comprising providing the node with the filtering criteria when setting up a data carrier for transportation of the data packet.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein said providing comprises modifying the data carrier comprising a packet data protocol context.

8. The method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising sending the filtering criteria from a communications policy controlling function of a communication system.

9. The method as claimed claim 1, further comprising providing the node with the filtering criteria when modifying a data carrier for transportation of the data packet.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein updating the content of the filtering criteria comprises:

adding a destination address of a next router in a transmission path of the data packet to the filtering criteria such that subsequent packets with routing information including the added destination address of the next router will require fewer filtering checks.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein the updating comprises updating the filtering criteria to allow subsequent data packets with the assigned destination address to be forwarded from the node.

12. The method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the updating comprises carrying the subsequent data packets on the same data carrier.

13. The method as claimed claim 1, further comprising assigning the destination address by an originating entity wherefrom the packets originate.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13, wherein the assigning comprises assigning the destination address by the originating entity, in which the originating entity comprises a mobile user equipment.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the receiving comprises receiving in the node, in which the node comprises a gateway.

16. A computer program embodied on computer readable non-transitory memory means, said memory means comprising program code configured to execute a method for transport control in a packet switched communication system, when the program code is run on a computer, the method comprising:

receiving in a node a data packet assigned with a destination address;

detecting that the destination address does not meet one or more filtering criteria;

checking if at least one different destination address is assigned for the data packet;

applying the one or more filtering criteria to the at least one different destination address if the at least one different destination address is assigned for the data packet;

forwarding the data packet from the node to a next node having the destination address in response to detection that the data packet is assigned with the at least one different destination address that meets the one or more filtering criteria;

updating the content of the one or more filtering criteria in response to finding that the data packet is assigned with the at least one different destination address that meets the filtering criteria, wherein updating the content of the one or more filtering criteria comprises adding the destination address assigned to the packet that does not meet the one or more filtering criteria to the one or more filtering criteria, the added destination address being a destination address of a router in a transmission path of the data packet; and

applying the updated filtering criteria to data packets on a data carrier that follow the data packet containing the at least one different destination address that met the filtering criteria.

17. An apparatus, comprising:

an input configured to receive data packets assigned with at least one destination address;

an output configured to forward the data packets to another apparatus based on the at least one destination address;

a controller configured to check if at least one different destination address has been assigned for a data packet of said data packets;

a filter configured to filter destination addresses of received data packets,

wherein, the output is further configured to forward a data packet whose at least one destination address does not meet one or more filtering criteria to the at least one destination address if the data packet is assigned with a different destination address that meets the one or more filtering criteria; and

wherein the filter is further configured to update the content of the one or more filtering criteria in response to finding that the data packet is assigned with the different destination address that meets the filtering criteria, wherein the filter is configured to update the content of the one or more filtering criteria by adding the at least one destination address assigned to the packet that does not meet the one or more filtering criteria to the one or more filtering criteria, the added at least one destination address being a destination address of a router in a transmission path of the data packet, the filter further configured to apply the updated filtering criteria to data packets on a data carrier that follow the data packet containing the different destination address that met the one or more filtering criteria.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filtering criteria is based on final destination addresses of the data packets.

19. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the filter configured to update the content of the filtering criteria is configured to:

add a different destination address of a next router in a transmission path of the packets to the filtering criteria such that subsequent packets with routing information including the added destination address of the next router will require fewer filtering checks.

20. The apparatus as claimed in claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a gateway.

21. A system, comprising:

an intermediate node configured to receive and forward data packets based on destination addresses of the data packets, the intermediate node being provided with a controller configured to check if at least one different destination address of the destination addresses is assigned for a data packet of the data packets;

a filter configured to filter the destination addresses of the received data packets, the configuration of the intermediate node being such that a data packet of the data packets whose destination address does not meet one or more filtering criteria is forwarded from the intermediate node to the destination address if the data packet is assigned with a different destination address that meets the one or more filtering criteria;

a policy controller configured to assign the one or more filtering criteria for data carriers via the intermediate node; and

wherein the filter is further configured to update the content of the one or more filtering criteria in response to finding that the data packet is assigned with the different destination address that meets the filtering criteria, wherein the filter is configured to update the content of the one or more filtering criteria by adding the destination address assigned to the packet that does not meet the one or more filtering criteria to the one or more filtering criteria, the added destination address being a destination address of a router in a transmission path of the data packet, the filter further configured to apply the updated filtering criteria to data packets on a data carrier that follow the data packet containing the different destination address that met the one or more filtering criteria.

22. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the policy controller is configured to provide the intermediate node with the filtering criteria when a data carrier for transportation of the data packet is set-up or modified.

23. The system as claimed in claim 21, wherein the filtering criteria is based on the final destination addresses of data packets.

24. An apparatus, comprising:

receiving means for receiving data packets assigned with at least one destination address;

forwarding means for forwarding the data packets to another node based on the at least one destination address;

checking means for checking if at least one different destination address has been assigned for a data packet of said data packets;

filtering means for filtering destination addresses of received data packets, the configuration of the apparatus being such that a data packet whose at least one destination address does not meet one or more filtering criteria is forwarded from the apparatus to the at least one destination address if the data packet is assigned with a different destination address that meets the one or more filtering criteria, the filtering criteria comprising updateable filtering criteria content;

wherein the filtering means is further configured for updating the content of the one or more filtering criteria in response to finding that the data packet is assigned with the different destination address that meets the filtering criteria, wherein the filtering means is configured to update the content of the one or more filtering criteria by adding the at least one destination address assigned to the packet that does not meet the one or more filtering criteria to the one or more filtering criteria, the added at least one destination address being a destination address of a router in a transmission path of the data packet, the filtering means further configured to apply the updated filtering criteria to data packets on a data carrier that follow the data packet containing the different destination address that has passed the filter.