System and method for traffic localization

• US 8,144,684 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2011
• Issued: 03/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harper, Matthew H., Puthiyandyil, Sanil Kumar, Ramankutty, Rajesh, Radhakrishnan, Shaji E., Chowdhury, Kuntal
• Primary Examiner(s): MILLER, BRANDON J
• Application Number:
  US13/022,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20110122844A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 455/445, 455/433, 455436-442, 455/428, 370/349, 370/401, 370/285, 370/331, 370/328, 370/338
• US Class Current: 370/349
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

Systems and methods for bridging packet flows to bypass call legs and/or tunnels are provided. A tunnel initiator, which can be an access gateway, a foreign agent, and a mobility anchor point, for example, provides a bypass for certain packets that have a destination serviced by the same tunnel initiator. The bridge allows the packets to bypass a backhaul loop and reduces latency and frees bandwidth for other purposes in the network. The bridging can be implemented in a tunnel initiator for mobile to mobile packet flows, mobile to land line packet flows, and land line to mobile packet flows. Route optimization can also be provided in certain embodiments.

Claims

1. A network device comprising:

an interface configured to communicate with a first mobile node and a second mobile node;

a storage medium configured to store session information about the first mobile node and the second mobile node that is used to manage processing of packet data associated respectively with the first mobile node and the second mobile node; and

a processor configured to determine when the first mobile node and the second mobile node are communicating with one another and such communications are passing through the network device, wherein the processor is configured to establish a data bypass so data is sent and received directly between the first mobile node and the second mobile node at the network device and updates are communicated to a mobility anchor point.

2. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device is an access gateway and the mobility anchor point is a home agent that tracks where a mobile node is in the network.

3. The network device of claim 1, wherein the interface receives a Voice over IP (VoIP) application request from the first mobile node for communication with the second mobile node.

4. The network device of claim 1, wherein the network device provides a second network device with session information of the first mobile node in a handoff of the first mobile node and disables the data bypass between the first mobile node and the second mobile node.

5. The network device of claim 1, wherein the processor inspects source and destination IP address, protocol used, and source and destination port numbers using a packet filter to determine when the data bypass is established.

6. The network device of claim 1, wherein the updates to the mobility anchor point include accounting information regarding the data exchange between the first and second mobile nodes.

7. The network device of claim 1, wherein a first session and a second session are implemented in the storage medium and the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of packet data associated respectively with the first mobile node and the second mobile node.

8. A method comprising:

establishing communications at a network device with a first mobile node, a second mobile node, and a mobility anchor point;

managing separately, at the network device, processing of packet data corresponding to the first mobile node and the second mobile node based on session information for the first mobile and the second mobile node respectively;

checking session information, at the network device, regarding the packet data communications between the first mobile node and the second mobile node to determine if a data bypass can be established;

establishing a data bypass to send and receive data directly between the first mobile node and the second mobile node at the network device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising updating the destination device regarding the data bypass until the data bypass is disabled.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the network device is an access gateway and the mobility anchor point is a home agent that tracks where a mobile node is in the network.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising receiving a Voice over IP (VoIP) application request from the first mobile node for communication with the second mobile node.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising inspecting source and destination IP address, protocol used, and source and destination port numbers using a packet filter to determine when the data bypass is established.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising implementing a first session and a second session where the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of packet data associated respectively with the first mobile node and the second mobile node.

14. Logic encoded in one or more non-transient media for execution and when executed by a processor is operable to perform operations comprising:

establishing communications at a network device with a first mobile node, a second mobile node, and a mobility anchor point;

managing separately, at the network device, processing of packet data corresponding to the first mobile node and the second mobile node based on session information for the first mobile and the second mobile node respectively;

checking session information, at the network device, regarding the packet data communications between the first mobile node and the second mobile node to determine if a data bypass can be established;

establishing a data bypass to send and receive data directly between the first mobile node and the second mobile node at the network device.

15. The logic of claim 14, further comprising updating the destination device regarding the data bypass until the data bypass is disabled.

16. The logic of claim 14, wherein the network device is an access gateway and the destination is a home agent that tracks where a mobile node is in the network.

17. The logic of claim 14, further comprising receiving a Voice over IP (VoIP) application request from the first mobile node for communication with the second mobile node.

18. The logic of claim 14, further comprising inspecting source and destination IP address, protocol used, and source and destination port numbers using a packet filter to determine when the data bypass is established.

19. The logic of claim 14, further comprising implementing a first session and a second session where the first session and the second session are each used to manage processing of packet data associated respectively with the first mobile node and the second mobile node.

20. The logic of claim 14, wherein establishing communications includes setting up a layer 2 tunneling protocol (L2TP).