Method and apparatus for providing mobile and other intermittent connectivity in a computing environment

• US 8,078,727 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/09/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mobile Sonic Incorporated (Absolute Software Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Netmotion Wireless Incorporated
• Inventors: Hanson, Aaron D., Sturniolo, Emil A., Menn, Anatoly, Olsen, Erik D., Savarese, Joseph T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US11/138,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20050223114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,391 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/229, 709/226, 718/104, 705/8, 705/11, 719/330
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/042 comprising distributed management centres cooperatively managing the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0893 Assignment of logical groups to network elements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0894 Policy-based network configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/25 Maintenance of established connections

Abstract

A seamless solution transparently addresses the characteristics of nomadic systems, and enables existing network applications to run reliably in mobile environments. The solution extends the enterprise network, letting network managers provide mobile users with easy access to the same applications as stationary users without sacrificing reliability or centralized management. The solution combines advantages of existing wire-line network standards with emerging mobile standards to create a solution that works with existing network applications. A Mobility Management Server coupled to the mobile network maintains the state of each of any number of Mobile End Systems and handles the complex session management required to maintain persistent connections to the network and to other peer processes. If a Mobile End System becomes unreachable, suspends, or changes network address (e.g., due to roaming from one network interconnect to another), the Mobility Management Server maintains the connection to the associated peer task—allowing the Mobile End System to maintain a continuous connection even though it may temporarily lose contact with its network medium. In one example, Mobility Management Server communicates with Mobile End Systems using Remote Procedure Call and Internet Mobility Protocols.

Claims

1. In a wireless computer network providing wireless communication with plural wirelessly networked mobile devices, said network providing resources to said plural mobile devices, said network comprising plural points of attachment, a method of managing said resource consumption including:

permitting said networked mobile devices to roam between said plural network points of attachment;

enforcing policy management for managing consumption of said resources by said mobile devices; and

distributing the managing of the consumption of said resources by said mobile devices between said mobile devices and at least one server facilitating communications with said mobile devices,

said policy management remaining in effect for a mobile device even when the mobile device becomes temporarily disconnected from said network while roaming, and

intercepting network activity in the mobile devices and relaying the intercepted network activity to the at least one server via remote procedure calls to keep connection state information synchronized.

2. The method of claim 1 further including enabling said mobile devices and/or a server associated therewith to allow, deny and delay consumption of said network resources.

3. The method of claim 1 including assigning at least one relative priority to at least one of (a) different users, (b) different mobile devices, (c) different applications, and (d) different tasks, and controlling consumption of network resources based at least in part on said at least one relative priority.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said enforcing includes prioritizing access to said network resources.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said enforcing comprises configuring priorities.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said enforcing comprises configuring access to said network resources.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein said enforcing comprises assigning priorities based on at least one of user name, user group, device group, device identifier application name, process name, and transmit/receive path.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said enforcing includes selecting between plural priority levels.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one server proxies data streams from the mobile devices on a per user basis.

10. In a wireless computer network providing wireless communication between plural mobile devices, said network providing resources to said plural mobile devices, said network including plural points of attachment, a system of providing connectivity while managing said resource consumption including:

a roaming arrangement that allows said mobile devices to roam between said plural network points of attachment;

a configurator that configures allowable consumption of said resources by said mobile devices;

a distributed policy manager, stored on a tangible medium, that is executable to communicate with said configurator and to distribute the managing of said resource consumption between said mobile devices and at least one server associated with the mobile devices; and

a processor structured and arranged to execute the distributed policy manager,

said distributed policy manager managing said resource consumption by a mobile device even during times the mobile device becomes temporarily disconnected from said network while roaming, and

the mobile devices having interceptors to intercept network activity and relay the intercepted network activity to the at least one server via remote procedure calls to keep connection state information synchronized.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said configurator configures said distributed policy manager to allow, deny or delay consumption of said resources.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein said system assigns relative priorities to different users, devices and tasks, and controls consumption of network resources based at least in part on said priorities.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said distributed policy manager includes a device for prioritizing, granting, denying, and delaying access to said network resources.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein said configurator comprises a device for configuring said at least one priority.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein said configurator comprises a device for configuring access to said network resources.

16. The system of claim 10 wherein said configurator comprises a device for assigning priority based on but not limited to name, user group, device group, device identifier application name, process name, transmit/receive path.

17. The system of claim 10 wherein said configurator includes a device for selecting between plural priority levels.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one server proxies data streams from the mobile devices on a per user basis.