Location-based address resolution

• US 8,144,607 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Grunloh, Stephan, Musiol, Torsten, Opschroef, Jurgen, Delfs, Christoph, Hauenstein, Markus, Kretschmer, Uwe
• Primary Examiner(s): Phung, Luat
• Application Number:
  US11/634,944
• Publication Number:
  US 20080137547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,937 Days
• Field of Search: 370/252, 340/825.49, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/561
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/08 Configuration management of networks or network elements address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method that provides for advertising a network node to a managing node in a communication network. To this end, at the network node, position data of the network node are determined. At the managing node, at least one condition to be satisfied by the network node is set and a request message containing the at least one condition is transmitted by the managing node. Then, the request message containing the at least one condition is received at the network node and the at least one condition is evaluated at the network node. In case a specified combination of conditions is satisfied, the network node replies with a reply message containing at least a network protocol address and the determined position data of the network node. The present invention further relates to a corresponding system and network entities involved.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

determining, at a network node, position data of the network node, wherein the network node is configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

setting, at a managing node, at least one condition to be satisfied by the network node;

transmitting, by the managing node, a request message containing the at least one condition;

receiving, at the network node, the request message containing the at least one condition;

evaluating, at the network node, the at least one condition contained in the request message;

in response to the at least one condition being satisfied, replying, at the network node, with a reply message to the managing node containing at least an internet protocol address and the determined position data of the network node; and

receiving at the managing node the reply message, wherein the request message is transmitted and received using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is replied to, received, and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an internet protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the internet protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting further comprises defining a condition that the network node is located within a certain area.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the setting comprises defining a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned, wherein the network node is commissioned if the network node has been configured initially to perform according to its required operation in a network comprising the network node, the managing node, and the at least one mobile station.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein the setting comprises determining the certain area, in which the network node is located, based on information related to the position of the network node that is stored in a memory of the managing node.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the setting comprises defining a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned, wherein the network node is commissioned if the network node has been configured initially to perform according to its required operation in a network comprising the network node, the managing node, and the at least one mobile station.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting comprises broadcasting the request message to all network nodes that are to be managed by the managing node.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein receiving further comprises receiving at the managing node a plurality of reply messages from a plurality of the network nodes and creating a list of not yet commissioned network nodes, identified by their interne protocol address and position data, upon receipt of the reply messages.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising downloading configuration files from the managing node to the network node after receiving the reply message from the network node at the managing node.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the downloading to the network node is effected based on the received internet protocol address of the network node.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising acquiring, at the network node, the internet protocol address for the network node.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the acquiring comprises obtaining the interne protocol address by means of one of a dynamic host configuration protocol DHCP, IPv6 stateless autoconfiguration protocol or IP zero-configuration protocol.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining of the position data of the network node is made by means of a positioning system.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the positioning system is a satellite-based positioning system.

14. A network node, comprising:

a transceiver configured to receive a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node and the network node comprising a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

at least one processor;

at least one memory comprising processor implementable instructions;

the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network node to perform;

determine position data of the network node;

evaluate the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node; and

in response to the at least one condition being satisfied, generate a reply message containing at least an interne protocol address and the determined position data of the network node and forward the reply message to the transceiver; and

the transceiver being further configured to transmit the reply message to the managing node, wherein the request message is received using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is transmitted and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an Internet protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the internet protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

15. The network node according to claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the network node to:

evaluate whether the determined position as indicated by the determined position data is located within a certain area defined in the received request message and to evaluate the at least one condition based on the evaluation of whether the determined area is within the certain area.

16. The network node according to claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor, to cause the network node:

evaluate whether the network node is commissioned, wherein the network node is commissioned if the network node has been configured initially to perform according to its required operation in a network comprising the network node, the managing node, and the at least one mobile station; and

evaluate the at least one condition based on the evaluation of whether the node is commissioned.

17. The network node according to claim 16, wherein to evaluate whether the network node is commissioned further comprises to evaluate whether the network node is commissioned by means of a flag, wherein the flag is set to a predetermined value and the flag is set to a value different from the predetermined value after the network node has been commissioned.

18. The network node according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor comprises a receiver of a positioning system, the receiver configured to determine the position data.

19. The network node according to claim 14, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor, to cause the network node:

in response to the at least one condition not being satisfied, to not generate or forward the reply.

20. The network node according to claim 14, wherein:

the second protocol is a layer-2 protocol; and

the Internet protocol is a layer-3 protocol.

21. The network node according to claim 20, wherein:

the second protocol is an Ethernet protocol and the request message is a broadcast message.

22. A managing node comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory comprising processor implementable instructions;

the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the managing node to perform;

set at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node, wherein the network node comprises a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station; and

generate a request message containing the at least one condition; and

a transceiver configured to transmit the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node,

the transceiver being further configured to receive a reply message from the network node, the reply message indicating the network node satisfies the at least one condition and comprising at least an internet protocol address of the network node and position data of the network node, wherein the request message is transmitted using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is received and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an internet protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the internet protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

23. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the managing node to:

define a condition that the network node is located within a certain area.

24. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor. cause the managing node to:

define a condition that the network node is not yet commissioned, wherein the network node is commissioned if the network node has been configured initially to perform according to its required operation in a network comprising the network node, the managing node, and the at least one mobile station.

25. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein the memory is further configured to store in advance position data of the network node.

26. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein the memory is further configured to store in advance configuration files.

27. The managing node according to claim 26, further configured to automatically download the configuration files to the network node after receiving the reply message from the network node.

28. The managing node according to claim 22, further comprising input devices configured to input instructions from a network operator, and a display configured to display the position data and interne protocol address received from the network node and other data stored in the memory.

29. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein the at least one memory and the processor implementable instructions are further configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the managing node to:

set the at least one condition to be satisfied for a plurality of network nodes, wherein the transceiver is further configured to transmit the request message to the plurality of network nodes, and wherein the managing node receives reply messages from network nodes satisfying the at least one condition and does not receive reply messages from network nodes not satisfying the at least one condition.

30. The managing node according to claim 22, wherein:

the second protocol is a layer-2 protocol; and

the interne protocol is a layer-3 protocol.

31. The managing node according to claim 30, wherein:

the second protocol is an Ethernet protocol and the request message is a broadcast message.

32. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a network node, a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node, wherein the network node comprises a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

determining position data of the network node;

evaluating, at the network node, the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node;

in response to the at least one condition being satisfied, creating, at the network node, a reply message comprising at least an interne protocol address and the determined position data of the network node, and transmitting the reply message from the network node to the managing node, wherein the request message is received using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is transmitted and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an internet protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the interne, protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

33. A method, comprising:

setting at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node, wherein the network node comprises a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

generating a request message containing the at least one condition;

transmitting the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node; and

receiving a reply message from the network node, the reply message indicating the network node satisfies the at least one condition and comprising at least an interne protocol address and position data of the network node, wherein the request message is transmitted using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is received and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an interne, protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the interne, protocol, and wherein addresses for the interne, protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

34. A computer program product comprising processor implementable instructions stored as software code portions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium loadable into an internal memory of a computer, the execution of the computer program resulting in performance of operations comprising:

receiving, at a network node, a request message from a managing node containing at least one condition set by the managing node, wherein the network node comprises a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

determining position data of the network node;

evaluating, at the network node, the at least one condition set in the request message from the managing node;

in response to the at least one condition being satisfied, creating, at the network node, a reply message comprising at least an internet protocol address and the determined position data of the network node, and transmitting the reply message from the network node to the managing node, wherein the request message is received using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is transmitted and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an internet protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the internet protocol and the second protocol have different formats.

35. A computer program product comprising processor implementable instructions stored as software code portions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium loadable into an internal memory of a computer, the execution of the computer program resulting in performance of operations comprising:

setting at least one condition to be satisfied by a network node, wherein the network node comprises a base station configured to wirelessly communicate with at least one mobile station;

generating a request message containing the at least one condition;

transmitting the request message containing the at least one condition to a network node; and

receiving a reply message from the network node, the reply message indicating the network node satisfies the at least one condition and comprising at least an interne protocol address and position data of the network node, wherein the request message is transmitted using a network implementing a second protocol and is addressed with an address applicable to the second protocol, wherein the reply message is received and addressed using the second protocol over the network, wherein an interne protocol is different from the second protocol, wherein the network also implements the Internet protocol, and wherein addresses for the interne protocol and the second protocol have different formats.