Internet protocol collaborative mobility

• US 8,923,191 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2002
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation (Northrop Grumman Corporation)
• Inventors: Hanson, Norman L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wong, Blanche
• Application Number:
  US10/125,128
• Publication Number:
  US 20040202120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,640 Days
• Field of Search: 370/328
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/30 by measured or perceived connection quality data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for maintaining communications with mobile users within organizational logical network groups when transitioning between logical groups. A client mobility agent resides as part of a mobile communication unit and monitors link metrics to determine if a transition to another logical network group is desired. The client mobility agents and a server mobility agent collaborate to reassign or re-home a mobile communication unit to a new home logical network group, and provide the mobile communication unit with a new group address upon entering a new logical network. The server mobility agent collaborates with a server mobility agent of the previous logical group that the mobile communication unit was a member to transfer sessions and services associated with the mobile communication unit to the new logical network.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system including a network that conforms to the Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model comprising:

a mobile communication unit having a client mobility agent that resides on the mobile communication unit, the client mobility agent monitors link metrics associated with communications between the mobile communication unit and subnets of a network, the client mobility agent determines if a transition between subnets in the network is desirable based on the monitored link metrics, wherein the client mobility agent operates above a session layer of the network; and

a network server having a server mobility agent that resides on the network server, the server mobility agent collaborates with the client mobility agent to transition the mobile communication unit from membership from the old subnet of the network to the new subnet of the network upon invocation from the client mobility agent, the mobile communication unit being assigned a new address corresponding to the new subnet of the network.

2. The system of claim 1, the server mobility agent being a first server mobility agent residing on a network server of the subnet of the network.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second server mobility agent residing on a network server of the old subnet of the network, the first server mobility agent collaborating with the second server mobility agent to transfer services associated with the mobile communication unit from the old subnet of the network to the new subnet of the network.

4. The system of claim 3, the services being one of e-mail services and phone services.

5. The system of claim 2, further comprising a second server mobility agent residing on a network server of the old subnet of the network, the first server mobility agent collaborating with the second server mobility agent to transfer a current communication session associated with the mobile communication unit from the old subnet of the network to the new subnet of the network.

6. The system of claim 5, the communication session being one of a Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) session and a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) session.

7. The system of claim 1, the monitored link metrics being signal quality associated with link connectivity of the subnets of the network, the client mobility agent utilizing the signal quality to determine if a transition between subnets of the network is desirable.

8. The system of claim 1, the client mobility agent invoking a new address request from the new subnet of the network upon selecting between subnets of the network.

9. The system of claim 8, the new address request being received and executed by a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service residing on a network server of the new subnet of the network, the DHCP service leasing a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new subnet of the network to the mobile communication unit.

10. The system of claim 9, the client mobility agent receives the new IP address and registers a domain name and the new IP address with a Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) service.

11. The system of claim 10, a Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Services (DS) replicating the registered domain name and the new IP address with subnets of the network.

12. The system of claim 8, the client mobility agent invoking a client agent to server agent coordination routine, the client agent to server agent coordination routine invokes a server agent to server agent coordination routine that transfers at least one of current session and current services from the old subnet of the network to the new subnet of the network.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the link metrics comprises source addressing associated with link connectivity of the subnets of the network, the client mobility agent utilizes the source addressing to determine if a transition between subnets of the network is desirable.

14. A mobile communication unit for communicating with a network that conforms to the Open System Interconnection (OSI) Reference Model comprising:

a link monitor that monitors link metrics associated with communications between the mobile communication unit and subnets of the network, the link monitor determines if a transition between subnets of the network is desirable based on the monitored link metrics, the link metrics comprising access point link connectivity of at least one subnet of the network, the link monitor comprising a filter driver that monitors link connectivity via a Local Area Network (LAN) driver and a Dynamic Link Library (DLL) that provides an interface with a network service process and the filter driver, the network service process determines whether a transition between subnets of the network is desirable based on the link connectivity, the link monitor using the access point link connectivity to determine whether a transition between subnets of the network has occurred, wherein the link monitor operates above a session layer of the network; and

a network initializer that invokes a new address request from a new subnet of the network if the link monitor determines that a transition between subnets of the network is desired.

15. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link metrics further comprising source addressing associated with link connectivity of the subnets of the network, the link monitor using the source addressing to support a Break-before-Make mode transition between subnets of the network.

16. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the link metrics further comprising signal quality associated with link connectivity of at least one subnet of the network, the link monitor using the signal quality to support a Make-before-Break mode transition between subnets of the network.

17. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, the new address request being a request for a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new subnet of the network.

18. The mobile communication unit of claim 14, further comprising a server agent to server agent coordination routine that is invoked prior to receipt of the new address associated with the new subnet of the network to collaborate the transfer of current session information and is invoked after receipt of the new address associated with the new subnet of the network to collaborate the transfer of current services to the new subnet of the network.

19. A wireless communication system having a plurality of mobile communication units grouped into a plurality of subnets of a network that conforms to the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, the system comprising:

means for monitoring, at the plurality mobile communication units, link metrics associated with communications between a mobile communication unit and subnets of the network, wherein the means for monitoring operates above a session layer of the network;

means for determining, at the plurality of mobile communication units, if a transition of a mobile communication unit between subnets of the network is desirable based on the monitored link metrics, wherein the means for determining operates above a session layer of the network;

means for providing a new address for a mobile communication unit desiring a transition of membership between subnets of the network, the new address associated with membership in a new subnet of the network;

means for transferring current session information relating to the mobile communication unit to the new subnet of the network; and

means for replicating the newly assigned address to other subnets of the network.

20. The system of claim 19, further comprising means for transferring services relating to a mobile communication unit to the new subnet of the network, wherein the means for transferring services operates above a session layer of the network.

21. A method for transitioning a mobile communication unit between subnets of a network that conforms to the Open Systems Interconnect (OSI) reference model, the method comprising:

monitoring link metrics, at the mobile communication unit, associated with communications between the mobile communication unit and subnets of the network, wherein the monitoring occurs above a session layer of the network;

determining, at the mobile communication unit, if a transition of the mobile communication unit between subnets of the network is desirable based on the link metrics, wherein the determining occurs above a session layer of the network;

requesting a new address for the mobile communication unit associated with the new subnet of the network upon determining a desirable transition;

associating the new address with a domain name of the mobile communication unit; and

replicating the new address and associated domain name to other other subnets of the network.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising transferring current session information to the new subnet of the network.

23. The method of claim 21, further comprising transferring services associated with the mobile communication unit to the new subnet of the network.

24. The method of claim 21, the monitoring link metrics comprising monitoring signal quality associated with link connectivity of the subnets of the network.

25. The method of claim 21, the requesting a new address comprising executing a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) service residing on the new subnets of the network, the DHCP service leasing a new Internet Protocol (IP) address associated with the new subnets of the network to the mobile communication unit.

26. The method of claim 21, the associating a new address with the domain name comprising registering a new IP address and domain name with a Dynamic Domain Name Server (DDNS) service.

27. The method of claim 21, the replicating the new address and an associated domain name to other subnets of the network by employing Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) Directory Service (DS) to replicate the registered domain name and a new IP address to other subnets of the network.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the monitoring link metrics further comprises monitoring source addresses associated with link connectivity of the subnets of the network.