Feedback for machine to machine devices to account for failure of network elements

• US 8,797,856 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Ballal, Dhiraj, Badakere Ramachandra, Venkatesh
• Primary Examiner(s): Mered, Habte
• Application Number:
  US12/946,330
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 455/510, 455/517, 455423-424, 370230-235, 370/242, 709224-226
• US Class Current: 370/230
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0659 by isolating or reconfiguring faulty entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0817 by checking functioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/086 using security domains
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]

Abstract

Wireless devices that are attempting to connect to a packet data network may be blocked from issuing connection requests to the network during periods in which, due to the failure of other network devices, the connections requests will fail. A device may particularly determine when a connection request to access a network, from a machine to machine (M2M) device, will fail or has failed. The device may create, in response to the connection request, a response to the connection request, the response including an indication that the M2M device is to be blocked, by other network devices, from accessing the network. The device may transmit the response to the connection request to the other network devices, the response to the other network devices including one or more parameters that identify a duration for which the M2M device is to be blocked and an identification of the M2M device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network gateway and from a machine to machine (M2M) device, a connection request to access a network;

detecting, by the network gateway, a failure of at least one of a plurality of other network devices, the at least one of the plurality of other network devices being required to create a connection to the network for the M2M device;

responsive to determining, by the network gateway and based on the failure, that the connection request will fail or has failed, creating, by the network gateway, a response to the connection request, the response including an indication that the M2M device is to be blocked, by one or more of the plurality of other network devices, from accessing the network; and

transmitting, by the network gateway and to one or more of the other network devices, the response to the connection request, the response including one or more parameters that identify a duration for which the one or more of the other network devices are to block the M2M device from accessing the network and an identification of the M2M device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring, by the network gateway, a state of each of the plurality of other network devices,

wherein detecting the failure of at least one of the plurality of other network devices is based at least in part on the state of the at least one of the plurality of other network devices.

3. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of other network devices includes network devices in a control path of the connection request.

4. The method of claim 1, where the plurality of other devices includes one or more of an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting server, a serving gateway, a mobility management entity, or a radio interface device in an access network.

5. The method of claim 1, where the connection request is for a connection to a packet-based network.

6. The method of claim 1, where the response to the connection request additionally includes a list of M2M devices, identified by International Mobile Equipment Identity values, that are to be blocked.

7. The method of claim 1, where the response to the connection request additionally includes an access point name associated with M2M devices that are to be blocked.

8. The method of claim 1, where the response to the connection request additionally includes a list of M2M devices that are to be blocked and a duration for which each of the M2M devices are to be blocked.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the other network devices include one or more radio interface nodes, and where the response to the connection request causes the one or more radio interface nodes to block wireless access for the M2M device.

10. The method of claim 1, where the network gateway device includes a gateway device to a packet-based network.

11. A network gateway comprising:

a network device failure detect component to monitor a health status of other network devices that are used in establishing connections from machine to machine (M2M) devices to a packet data network; and

a M2M block reconnect component to, in response to the network gateway receiving, from an M2M device, a connection request to access the packet data network and determining, based on the health status of at least one of the other network devices, that the at least one of the other network devices has failed such that the connection request has failed or will fail, cause one or more of the other network devices to block additional connection requests from the M2M device to the packet data network.

12. The network gateway of claim 11, where the blockage of the additional connection requests from the M2M device is performed for a predetermined time period.

13. The network gateway of claim 11, where the M2M block reconnect component causes one or more of the other network devices to block the additional connection requests by issuing a packet data network context request response message to the one or more of the other network devices.

14. The network gateway of claim 13, where the packet data network context request response message includes parameters that specify a length of time that the additional connection requests are to be blocked and an indication of the affected M2M devices.

15. The network gateway of claim 14, where the indication of the affected M2M devices includes a list of M2M devices, identified by International Mobile Equipment Identity values.

16. The network gateway of claim 14, where the indication of the affected M2M devices includes an access point name.

17. The network gateway of claim 11, where the other network devices include one or more of an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting server, a serving gateway, a mobility management entity, and a radio interface device in an access network.

18. A computing device provided in a network, where the computing device comprises:

a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and

a processor to execute instructions in the memory to;

receive, from a machine to machine (M2M) device, a connection request to access a network;

detect a failure of at least one of a plurality of other network devices, the at least one of the plurality of other network devices being required to create a connection to the network for the M2M device;

responsive to determining, based on the failure, that the connection request will fail or has failed, create a response to the connection request, the response including an indication that the M2M device is to be blocked, by one or more of the plurality of other network devices, from accessing the network; and

transmit, to one or more of the other network devices, the response to the connection request, the response including one or more parameters that identify a duration for which the one or more of the other network devices are to block the M2M device from accessing the network and an identification of the M2M device.

19. The device of claim 18, where the plurality of other network devices include one or more of an Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting server, a serving gateway, a mobility management entity, and a radio interface device in an access network.

20. The device of claim 18, where the connection request is for a connection to a packet-based network.

21. The device of claim 18, where the response to the connection request additionally includes a list of M2M devices, identified by International Mobile Equipment Identity values, that are to be blocked.

22. The device of claim 18, where the response to the connection request additionally includes an access point name associated with M2M devices that are to be blocked.

23. The device of claim 18, where the response to the connection request additionally includes a list of M2M devices that are to be blocked and a duration for which each of the M2M devices are to be blocked.

24. The device of claim 18, wherein the other network devices include one or more radio interface nodes, and where the response to the connection request causes the one or more radio interface nodes to block wireless access for the M2M device.