Methods and apparatus for broadcast optimization in mobile IP

• US 8,243,681 B2
• Filed: 04/22/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Patel, Alpesh S., Leung, Kent K.
• Primary Examiner(s): ABELSON, RONALD B
• Application Number:
  US12/107,739
• Publication Number:
  US 20080198810A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,575 Days
• Field of Search: 370/312, 370/328, 370/338, 370/349, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• 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 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for supporting broadcast traffic in Mobile IP are disclosed. When a Mobile Node registers via a Foreign Agent supporting Mobile IP, the Foreign Agent receives a registration request from a Mobile Node and sends the registration request to a Home Agent. A registration reply received from the Home Agent has a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node. The Foreign Agent then sends the registration reply to the Mobile Node. Alternatively, the Mobile Node may register via a collocated care-of address, in which case the registration reply is received directly from the Home Agent. Once the Mobile Node has obtained its network mask, it may send packets such as broadcast packets, as well as roam to its Home Agent. Additionally, in accordance with various embodiments, the Foreign Agent duplicates broadcast packets for transmission to Mobile Nodes, rather than receiving the duplicated packets from the Home Agent. In this manner, broadcast traffic in a Mobile IP environment is optimized.

Claims

1. In a Foreign Agent supporting Mobile IP, a method of processing a registration request, comprising:

receiving a registration request from a Mobile Node;

sending the registration request to a Home Agent;

receiving a registration reply from the Home Agent, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node, the network mask extension being composed independent of the manner in which the home address is assigned; and

sending the registration reply to the Mobile Node.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registration request includes a care-of address of the Mobile Node and indicates that the device identified by the care-of address can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the registration request has a network mask extension indicating that the device identified by the care-of address can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registration request indicates that the Mobile Node can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply.

5. The method as recited in claim 4, wherein the registration request has a network mask extension indicating that the Mobile Node can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply.

6. The method as recited in claim 5, wherein the network mask extension is appended to the registration request by the Mobile Node.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, wherein the Mobile Node has a collocated care-of address.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the registration request indicates that the Foreign Agent can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply.

9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the registration request has a network mask extension indicating that the Foreign Agent can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply.

10. The method as recited in claim 9, the method further comprising:

appending the network mask extension to the registration request received from the Mobile Node.

11. The method as recited in claim 10, wherein appending the network mask extension comprises:

appending the network mask extension after a MHAE.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node from the network mask extension of the registration reply; and

updating a visitor table entry in a visitor table with the network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node.

13. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining the network mask from the registration reply, the network mask enabling a subnet of the Mobile Node to be determined;

updating a table entry in a table with information indicating the subnet of the Mobile Node;

receiving a broadcast data packet addressed to the subnet;

obtaining the subnet from the broadcast data packet;

identifying two or more Mobile Nodes on the obtained subnet from the table; and

duplicating the broadcast data packet and transmitting each duplicate broadcast data packet to a different one of the two or more Mobile Nodes.

14. The method as recited in claim 13, further comprising:

determining the subnet of the Mobile Node from a home address of the mobile node using the network mask.

15. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the broadcast data packet is a subnet directed broadcast data packet.

16. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein duplicating the broadcast data packet and transmitting the duplicated broadcast data packet to the two or more Mobile Nodes comprises:

modifying a destination IP address of the broadcast data packet from a subnet directed broadcast address to a link local broadcast address or a unicast address.

17. The method as recited in claim 15, wherein duplicating the broadcast data packet and transmitting the duplicated broadcast data packet to the two or more Mobile Nodes comprises:

transmitting the subnet directed broadcast data packet to the two or more Mobile Nodes.

18. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the table is a visitor table, wherein identifying two or more Mobile Nodes on the obtained subnet from the table comprises:

obtaining a network mask from one of a plurality of entries in the visitor table;

obtaining a home address from the one of the plurality of entries in the visitor table;

identifying a subnet from the network mask and the home address; and

determining whether the subnet is identical to the obtained subnet.

19. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein the information indicating the subnet of the Mobile node includes the network mask.

20. The method as recited in claim 13, wherein a destination IP address of the broadcast data packet is a link local broadcast address, the method further comprising:

modifying the destination IP address of the broadcast data packet to a subnet-directed broadcast address prior to transmitting each duplicate broadcast data packet.

21. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the network mask extension does not include an IP address.

22. In a Home Agent supporting Mobile IP, a method of processing a registration request, comprising:

receiving a registration request, the registration request identifying a Mobile Node and a care-of address of the Mobile Node;

updating a mobility binding table with the care-of address of the Mobile Node;

composing a registration reply, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node; and

sending the registration reply to the care-of address of the Mobile Node.

23. The method as recited in claim 22, wherein the registration request indicates that the device identified by the care-of address of the Mobile Node can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply.

24. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the registration request has a network mask extension indicating that the device identified by the care-of address can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply.

25. The method as recited in claim 23, wherein the care-of address identifies a Foreign Agent or a collocated care-of address.

26. The method as recited in claim 22, further comprising:

determining a subnet of the Mobile Node from the home address of the mobile node using the network mask;

receiving a broadcast data packet addressed to the subnet; and

forwarding the broadcast data packet via the care-of address without duplicating the broadcast data packet.

27. A Foreign Agent supporting Mobile IP and adapted for processing a registration request, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving a registration request from a Mobile Node;

sending the registration request to a Home Agent;

receiving a registration reply from the Home Agent, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node, the network mask extension being composed independent of the manner in which the home address is assigned; and

sending the registration reply to the Mobile Node.

28. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 27, at least one of the processor or the memory being further adapted for:

obtaining the network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node from the registration reply, the network mask enabling a subnet of the Mobile Node to be determined;

updating a table entry in a table with information indicating the subnet of the Mobile Node;

receiving a broadcast data packet addressed to the subnet;

obtaining the subnet from the broadcast data packet;

identifying two or more Mobile Nodes on the obtained subnet from the table; and

duplicating the broadcast data packet and transmitting each duplicate broadcast data packet to a different one of the two or more Mobile Nodes.

29. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 28, wherein the information indicating the subnet of the Mobile node includes the network mask.

30. The Foreign Agent as recited in claim 27, wherein the network mask extension does not include an IP address.

31. A Home Agent supporting Mobile IP adapted for processing a registration request, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving a registration request, the registration request identifying a Mobile Node and a care-of address of the Mobile Node;

updating a mobility binding table with the care-of address of the Mobile Node;

composing a registration reply, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node; and

sending the registration reply to the care-of address of the Mobile Node.

32. A Foreign Agent supporting Mobile IP and adapted for processing a registration request, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

sending an agent advertisement indicating that the Foreign Agent can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply;

receiving a registration request from a Mobile Node, wherein a network mask extension is appended to the registration request by the Mobile Node in response to the agent advertisement indicating that the Foreign Agent can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply, wherein the network mask extension of the registration request indicates that the Foreign Agent can understand the network mask extension transmitted with the registration reply;

sending the registration request to a Home Agent;

receiving a registration reply from the Home Agent, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node, the network mask extension being composed independent of the manner in which the home address is assigned; and

sending the registration reply to the Mobile Node.

33. A Foreign Agent supporting Mobile IP and being adapted for processing a registration request, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, at least one of the processor or the memory being adapted for;

receiving a registration request from a Mobile Node;

appending a network mask extension to the registration request received from the Mobile Node, wherein the network mask extension of the registration request indicates that the Foreign Agent can understand a network mask extension transmitted with a registration reply and wherein the network mask extension of the registration request indicates a request for a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node;

sending the registration request to a Home Agent;

receiving a registration reply from the Home Agent, the registration reply having a network mask extension including a network mask associated with the home address of the Mobile Node, the network mask extension being composed independent of the manner in which the home address is assigned; and

sending the registration reply to the Mobile Node.