Method for establishing a multi-link access between a local network and a remote network, and corresponding appliance

• US 8,132,249 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 03/06/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: InterDigital CE Patent Holdings SAS (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Legallais, Yvon, Bichot, Guillaume
• Primary Examiner(s): Zand, Kambiz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bayou, Yonas
• Application Number:
  US11/919,098
• Publication Number:
  US 20090313690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,147 Days
• Field of Search: 726/12
• US Class Current: 726/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• 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 45/245 Link aggregation, e.g. trunking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/34 ensuring sequence integrity, e.g. using sequence numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols

Abstract

The invention enables the different access links between a local network and a remote network to be used in a common and transparent manner. The invention is based on the use of various IP tunnels using the different access links between an appliance on the local network of the user and an appliance on the remote network. Said tunnels are embodied as a single link providing access to the remote network.

Claims

1. Method of establishing a multi-link connection between a local communication network through digital data packets, said local communication network comprising a multi-link modem, and a remote network, said remote network comprising a multi-link gateway, wherein the method comprises the following steps:

opening of a connection for each interface of the multi-link modem with the remote network;

establishing of a control link over any of said opened connections, said control link being dedicated to exchanges between the multi-link modem and the multi-link gateway, for controlling the function of the multi-link connection through transmission of information shared over said control link between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway to a dynamic switching module for choosing a tunnel used for relaying packets, said control link being established between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway,

for each of the connections thus opened, establishment of a corresponding communication tunnel between the multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway using the said connections, and

for each digital data packet exchanged between the local network and the remote network, both through the modem as well as the gateway, a choice of the tunnel used for routing the packet in a transparent manner for the applications using the multi-link connection, said choice being based on said information shared between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway over said control link.

2. Method according to claim 1, wherein it comprises furthermore of an allocation step of virtual address to the multi-link modem by the multi-link gateway.

3. Method according to claim 1, wherein said controlling the function of the multi-link via said control link between the multi-link modem and the multi-link gateway comprising a dynamic adaptation to withdrawals and additions of connections between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway.

4. Method according to claim 1, wherein the choice step is carried out according to parameters specific to each tunnel.

5. Method according to claim 4, wherein the parameters specific to each tunnel used in the choice step include the instantaneous usage rate of each connection.

6. Multi-link communication appliance for establishing a multi-link connection between a local communication network through digital data packets, said local communication network comprising said multi-link communication appliance, and a remote network, said remote network comprising a multi-link gateway, said multi-link communication appliance comprising a plurality of means of opening connections between the local network and the remote network, wherein it further comprises:

interfaces for opening connections between itself and the remote network,

a control module for establishing of a control link over any of said opened connections, and for controlling the function of the multi-link using said control link, said control link being dedicated to exchanges between the multi-link modem and the multi-link gateway, for controlling the function of the multi-link connection through transmission of information shared over said control link between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway to a dynamic switching module for choosing a tunnel used for relaying packets, said control link being established between said multi-link communication appliance and said multi-link gateway,

for each of the connections thus opened, a management module for establishing a corresponding communication tunnel between itself and said multi-link gateway using the said connection, and

for each digital data packet that it relays between the local network and the remote network, a dynamic switching module for choosing of the tunnel used for relaying the said packet, said choice being based on said information shared between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway over said control link.

7. Appliance according to claim 6, wherein the control module further allows for a dynamic adaptation to withdrawals and additions of connections between said multi-link communication appliance and said multi-link gateway.

8. Multi-link data packet relay appliance that can be connected to a communication network through digital data packets over a multi-link connection, wherein it comprises a control module for establishing of a control link over said multi-link connection, and for controlling the function of the multi-link connection using said control link, said control link being dedicated to exchanges between said multi-link data packet relay appliance and a second multi-link data packet relay appliance giving access to a second communication network, for controlling the function of the multi-link connection through transmission of information shared over said control link between said multi-link modem and said multi-link gateway to a dynamic switching module for choosing a tunnel used for relaying packets, said control link being established between said multi-link communication appliance and said second multi-link data packet relay appliance, said controlling function of said control module choosing a tunnel for routing of a packet over said multi-link connection.

9. Appliance according to claim 8, wherein said control module further controls dynamic adaptation to withdrawals and additions of connections between said multi-link data packet relay appliance and said second multi-link data packet relay appliance.