Transition between IP protocol versions

• US 7,940,697 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2008
• Issued: 05/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Iisakkila, Kaisu Maria, Savolainen, Teemu Ilmari
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah; Chirag G
• Assistant Examiner(s): PERSAUD, AMARNAUTH G
• Application Number:
  US12/077,141
• Publication Number:
  US 20090232022A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,149 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/42 Drive mechanisms, regulating or controlling devices, or balancing devices, specially adapted for screens
• CPC Class Codes: B07B 1/46 Constructional details of screens in general; Cleaning or heating of screens
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/167 Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/14 using user query or user detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/045 involving different protocol versions, e.g. MIPv4 and MIPv6

Abstract

A method comprising: receiving, in a network element of a packet data core network, a network resource request from a user equipment, said request including indication on the user equipment'"'"'s Internet Protocol (IP) version capability; creating, in said network element, a set of parameters for guiding the user equipment in IP address allocation at least in one packet data network, said set of parameters including at least a recommended version of IP address type to be used; and signalling said set of parameters to the user equipment as a response to the network resource request.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, in a network element of a packet data core network, a network resource request from a user equipment, said request including an indication on the user equipment'"'"'s internet protocol version capability or a request for a particular packet data protocol type;

creating, in said network element, a set of parameters for guiding the user equipment in IP address allocation at least in one packet data network, said set of parameters including at least a recommended version of internet protocol address type to be used and information on a plurality of internet protocol versions transition technologies of the given type in a form of a first priority list recommending the user equipment to use the transition technology with the highest priority to be used by the user equipment when accessing through said packet data network; and

signalling said set of parameters to the user equipment as a response to the network resource request to be used by the user equipment in requesting the recommended version of internet protocol address type, wherein the user equipment selects a transition technology to be used from the first priority list and a second priority list of supported internet protocol versions transition technologies internal to the user equipment.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said transition technologies include at least one of the following:

6 to 4, ISATAP, Teredo, NAT-PT, MNAT-PT, L2TP, SNAT, NATv4v6v4.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said packet data core network is a core network of an Evolved Packet System (EPS) according to the 3GPP Release 8;

said user equipment is a terminal according to the 3GPP Release 8; and

said network resource request is involved with an initial attach procedure or a UE requested parallel PDN connectivity procedure according to the 3GPP Release 8.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein said network element is a gateway for the packet data network, the method further comprising:

including said set of parameters as a part of Protocol Configuration Options (PCO) according to the 3GPP Release 8; and

signalling said set of parameters to the user equipment transparently from said gateway.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein said network element is a gateway for the packet data network, the method further comprising:

including said set of parameters as a part of a response message to the network resource request;

sending the response message to a Mobility Management Entity (MME) of the EPS; and

signalling said set of parameters as a part of a response message to the user equipment from the MME.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said packet data core network is a core network of an Evolved Packet System (EPS) according to the 3GPP Release 8;

said user equipment is a terminal according to the 3GPP Release 8; and

the response to said network resource request is signalled after an attach procedure or a UE requested parallel PDN connectivity procedure or a primary PDP context activation procedure within IETF protocols such as DHCP.

7. A network element, comprising:

at least one processing unit;

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with at least one processing unit, cause the apparatus to;

receive a network resource request from a user equipment, said request including an indication on the user equipment'"'"'s internet protocol version capability or a request for a particular packet data protocol type;

create a set of parameters for guiding the user equipment in internet protocol address allocation in at least one packet data network, said set of parameters including at least a recommended version of internet protocol address type to be used and information on a plurality of internet protocol versions transition technologies of the given type in a form of a first priority list recommending the user equipment to use the transition technology with the highest priority, which the user equipment should preferably use when accessed through said packet data network; and

signal said set of parameters to the user equipment as a response to the network resource request to be used by the user equipment in requesting the recommended version of internet protocol address type, and wherein the user equipment selects a transition technology to be used from the first priority list and a second priority list internal to the user equipment of supported internet protocol versions transition technologies.

8. An apparatus comprising:

an internal priority list of supported internet protocol versions transition technologies;

at least one processing unit; and

at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processing unit, cause the apparatus to;

transmit a network resource request to a packet data core network, said request including an indication on the internet protocol version capability of the apparatus or a request for a particular packet data protocol type;

receive signalling from said packet data core network as a response to the network resource request, said signalling including a set of parameters comprising at least a recommended version of internet protocol address type to be used at least in one packet data network and information on a plurality of internet protocol versions transition technologies of the given type in a form of a second priority list recommending the apparatus to use the transition technology with the highest priority in said the set of parameters to be used when the apparatus accesses through said packet data network;

select a transition technology to be used from said priority list and said internal priority list; and

request the recommended version of internet protocol address type and refrain from requesting another internet protocol address type, when an application requiring said address type is initiated.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to prefer the priority list submitted by the packet data core network over the internal priority list of the apparatus, whereby the first transition technology in the priority list of the packet data core network, which is supported by the apparatus is selected as the transition technology to be used.

10. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to prefer the internal priority list of the apparatus over the priority list submitted by the packet data core network, whereby the first transition technology in the internal priority list of the apparatus, which is also included in the priority list of the packet data core network is selected as the transition technology to be used.

11. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to select the transition technology to be used as interaction of both the priority list submitted by the packet data core network and the internal priority list of the apparatus.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer program code that is executable in a data processing device comprising an internal priority list of supported internet protocol versions transition technologies, wherein the computer program code is executable to cause the data processing device to perform:

creating a network resource request to be transmitted to a packet data core network, said request including an indication on the internet protocol version capability of the data processing device or a request for a particular packet data protocol type;

in response to receiving signalling from said packet data core network as a response to the network resource request, storing a set of parameters received in said signalling in a memory, said set of parameters comprising at least a recommended version of internet protocol address type to be used at least in one packet data network and information on a plurality of internet protocol versions transition technologies of the given type in a form of a priority list recommending the data processing device to use the transition technology with the highest priority, which the user equipment should preferably use when accessed through said packet data network;

selecting a transition technology to be used from said priority list and said internal priority list; and

requesting the recommended version of internet protocol address type, when an application requiring said address type is initiated.