Method and apparatus for facilitating network mobility

• US 8,045,504 B2
• Filed: 12/26/2006
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility, Inc. (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Erickson, Paul M., Butler, James A., Upp, Steven D., Tjandra, Paula, Venkitaraman, Narayanan, Bedekar, Anand S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; David Q
• Application Number:
  US11/616,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20080151815A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,764 Days
• Field of Search: 455/436, 370/331, 370/466, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• 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

Various embodiments are described for facilitating network mobility in communication networks with an aim toward enhancing the scalability of MIP. Generally, in most of these embodiments, a network node (121) sends a message to a network device (131) to establish a data path for a remote unit (101) served by the network node. This message comprises a source link layer address which is associated with the remote unit. The message may or may not be sent in response to receiving signaling to facilitate wireless connectivity of a remote unit via the network node. In addition, the network device to which the message is sent may be an access router (AR) or a foreign agent (FA) of the remote unit.

Claims

1. A method for facilitating network mobility comprising:

receiving, by a network node, signaling to facilitate wireless connectivity of a remote unit via the network node wherein the network node is coupled to a link layer switched network;

sending a message by the network node via the link layer switched network to one of a plurality of network devices coupled to the link layer switched network, in response to receiving the signaling,

wherein the message is a link layer message and comprises a source link layer address that is uniquely associated with the remote unit and wherein the message establishing a data path associated with the remote unit, and

wherein the data path being between the network node and the network device for enabling data from the network device destined for the remote unit through the network node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the source link layer address comprises at least one of a MAC (medium access control) address, an Ethernet address, a WiMAX (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) address, an IEEE 802.16 address, an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity)-based address, and a TMSI (Temporary Mobile Subscriber identity)-based address.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the source link layer address is unique to the remote unit with respect to the network device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message comprises one of a

a mobile internet protocol (MIP) agent solicitation,

MIP registration request,

an address resolution protocol (ARP) message,

a router solicitation message,

an neighbor advertisement message,

a neighbor solicitation message, and

link layer control exchange identifier (LLC XID) message.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the neighbor advertisement message comprises an override flag that is set to indicate that an existing cache entry is to be overrided.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent to update information used by link layer switched network in forwarding packets to the address which is associated with the remote unit.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is sent by the network node prior to completing establishment of wireless connectivity with the remote unit.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising

receiving, by the network node via the network device, messages targeting the remote unit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling received facilitates at least one of:

network entry of the remote unit via the network node,

handover of the remote unit to the network node, and

routing discovery for the remote unit.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling received comprises at least one of

network entry signaling from the remote unit,

handover signaling from the remote unit,

handover indication signaling from a handover-source network node,

location area update signaling from the remote unit,

paging area update signaling from the remote unit, and

Cryptographically Generated Address (CGA) information associated with the source link layer address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the handover indication signaling comprises context transfer signaling from a handover-source network node.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the signaling received identifies at least one of

the network device that corresponds to a foreign agent (FA) of the remote unit and

the source link layer address which is associated with the remote unit.

13. A method for facilitating network mobility comprising:

sending a message by a network node via a link layer switched network to one of a plurality of network devices coupled to the link layer switched network to establish a data path for a remote unit served by the network node,

wherein the message is a link layer message and comprises a source link layer address that is uniquely associated with the remote unit,

wherein the network device comprises one of an access router (AR) and a foreign agent (FA) of the remote unit, and

wherein the data path being between the network node and the network device for enabling data from the network device destined to the remote unit through the network node.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein sending the message to establish the data path for the remote unit comprises

sending the message to redirect the data path for the remote unit.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the message comprises one of a

a mobile internet protocol (MIP) agent solicitation,

MIP registration request,

an address resolution protocol (ARP) message,

a router solicitation message,

an neighbor advertisement message,

a neighbor solicitation message, and

link layer control exchange identifier (LLC XID) message.

16. A network node comprising:

a transceiver;

a network interface; and

a processing unit, communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the network interface,

adapted to receive, via the transceiver, signaling to facilitate wireless connectivity of a remote unit via the network node wherein the network node is coupled to a link layer switched network,

adapted to send, via the network interface to the link layer switched network, a message to one of a plurality of network devices coupled to the link layer switched network in response to receiving the signaling,

wherein the message is a link layer message and comprises a source link layer address that is uniquely associated with the remote unit and wherein the message establishing a data path associated with the remote unit, and

wherein the data path being between the network node and the network device for enabling data from the network device destined for the remote unit through the network node.

17. A network node comprising:

a transceiver;

a network interface; and

a processing unit, communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the network interface, adapted to send, via the network interface, a message via a link layer switched network to one of a plurality of network devices coupled to the link layer switched network to establish a data path for a remote unit served by the network node via the transceiver,

wherein the message is a link layer message and comprises a source link layer address that is uniquely associated with the remote unit,

wherein the network device comprises one of an access router (AR) and a foreign agent (FA) of the remote unit, and

wherein the data path being between the network node and the network device for enabling data from the network device destined for the remote unit through the network node.