Network system, offload apparatus and traffic control method for network system

• US 9,301,199 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2013
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Maehara, Satoshi, Kako, Masaharu
• Primary Examiner(s): Smarth, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/083,918
• Publication Number:
  US 20140160940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 370/237
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0069 in case of dual connectivity, e.g. decoupled uplink/downlink
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/22 for handling the traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A network system including: a first and second radio base station apparatuses which are connectable with a mobile station apparatus; a first network which accommodates the first and second radio base station apparatuses; a first offload apparatus which relays packet data, and transmits to a second network a portion of packet data transmitted from the first radio base station apparatus after rewriting a first address of the mobile station apparatus with a second address, or transmits to the first radio base station apparatus packet data received from the second network after rewriting the second address with the first address; and a second offload apparatus, wherein the first offload apparatus includes a first control unit which transmits the second address to the second offload apparatus, and the second offload apparatus includes a second control unit which receives the second address.

Claims

1. A network system comprising:

a first and second radio base station apparatuses which are connectable with a mobile station apparatus;

a first network which accommodates the first and second radio base station apparatuses;

a first offload apparatus which relays packet data transmitted between the first radio base station apparatus and the first network, and transmits to a second network a portion of packet data transmitted from the first radio base station apparatus after rewriting a first address of the mobile station apparatus with a second address, or transmits to the first radio base station apparatus packet data received from the second network after rewriting the second address with the first address; and

a second offload apparatus, wherein

the first offload apparatus includes a first control unit which transmits the second address to the second offload apparatus intervened between the second radio base station apparatus and the first network, when the mobile station apparatus changes over connection from the first radio base station apparatus to the second radio base station apparatus, and

the second offload apparatus includes a second control unit which receives the second address.

2. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the second address is not changed even when the mobile station apparatus changes over connection from the first radio base station apparatus to the second radio base station apparatus.

3. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the first address is an IP (Internet Protocol) address and the second address is a home address.

4. The network system according to claim 1, wherein the second control unit transmits to a third network packet data transmitted from the second radio base station apparatus after rewriting the first address of the mobile station apparatus with a third address, or transmits to the second radio base station packet data received from the third network after rewriting the third address with the first address.

5. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

the second control unit transmits to a third network the second address received from the first offload apparatus and a third address, and

the second control unit uses the third address when transmitting packet data transmitted from the second radio base station apparatus to the third network after rewriting the first address with the third address, or uses the third address when transmitting packet data received from the third network to the second radio base station apparatus after rewriting the third address with the first address.

6. The network system according to claim 5, wherein the third address is used when the mobile station apparatus changes connection destination from the first base station apparatus to the second base station apparatus.

7. The network system according to claim 6, wherein the third address is a care of address.

8. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

the second control unit transmits to a home server the second address received from the first offload apparatus, and the third address, and

the second control unit uses the third address when transmitting packet data transmitted from the second radio base station apparatus to a third network after rewriting the first address with the third address, or uses the third address when transmitting packet data received from the third network to the second radio base station apparatus after rewriting the third address with the first address.

9. The network system according to claim 8, wherein the home server is included in the first offload apparatus.

10. The network system according to claim 8, wherein the third address is used when the mobile station apparatus changes connection destination from the first base station apparatus to the second base station apparatus.

11. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

the first offload apparatus includes a first offload condition application state table which stores the second address, communication destination information, and TCP connection information in each a first identifier of the mobile station apparatus and a channel identifier identifiable in the first offload apparatus, and

the first control unit transmits packet data to the second network or receives packet data from the second network, by using the offload condition application state table.

12. The network system according to claim 1, wherein

the first and second control units intercept message relating to handover, which is transmitted and received when the mobile station apparatus changes over connection from the first radio base station apparatus to the second radio base station apparatus, identifies a second identifier of the mobile station apparatus which corresponds to the first identifier and is identifiable in the second offload apparatus, based on information included in the intercepted message, and duplicates the second address information into a record corresponding to the identified second identifier in a second offload condition application state table stored in the second offload apparatus.

13. An offload apparatus for relaying packet data transmitted between a radio base station apparatus connectable to a mobile station apparatus and a first network accommodated the radio base station apparatus, and transmitting a portion of packet data transmitted from the first radio base station apparatus, to a second network after rewriting a first address of the mobile station apparatus with a second address, or transmitting packet data received from the second network to the radio base station apparatus after rewriting the second address with the first address, the offload apparatus comprising:

a control unit which transmits the second address to another offload apparatus intervened between another radio base station apparatus and the first network, when the mobile station apparatus changes over connection from the radio base station apparatus to the other radio base station apparatus.

14. An offload apparatus intervened between a radio base station apparatus connectable to a mobile station apparatus and a first network accommodated the radio base station apparatus, the offload apparatus comprising:

a control unit which receives a second address from another offload apparatus, wherein

the other offload apparatus relays packet data transmitted between the radio base station apparatus and the first network, and transmits to a second network a portion of packet data transmitted from the other radio base station apparatus after rewriting a first address of the mobile station apparatus with the second address, or transmits to the other radio base station apparatus packet data received from the second network after rewriting the second address with the first address.

15. A traffic control method in a network system including a first and second radio base station apparatuses connectable to a mobile station apparatus, a first network which accommodates the first and second radio base station apparatuses, a second offload apparatus, and a first offload apparatus which relays packet data transmitted between the first radio base station apparatus and the first network and transmits to a second network portion of packet data transmitted from the first radio base station apparatus after rewriting a first address of the mobile station apparatus with a second address, or transmits to the first radio base station apparatus packet data received from the second network after rewriting the second address with the first address, the traffic control method comprising:

transmitting the second address to the second offload apparatus which intervenes between the second radio base station apparatus and the first network, when the mobile station apparatus changes over connection from the first radio base station apparatus to the second radio base station apparatus, by the first offload apparatus; and

receiving the second address, by the second offload apparatus.