Node selection in virtual evolved packet core

• US 9,642,077 B2
• Filed: 10/23/2013
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Mathai, Stinson, Guntupalli, Ravi, Dodd-Noble, Aeneas
• Primary Examiner(s): Yuen, Kan
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHANG, RICHARD K
• Application Number:
  US14/061,233
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109995A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: 370328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/35 containing special prefixes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/654 International mobile subscriber identity [IMSI] numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4588 containing mobile subscriber information, e.g. home subscriber server [HSS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/08 Mobility data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

The present disclosure includes gateways and methods for node selection of virtual network nodes in virtual evolved packet core networks. The methods include receiving, at a gateway from an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an attach request for a user equipment (UE), and determining a network selection hint corresponding to the received attach request, where the network selection hint is used for determining a virtual network node for selection in a mobile cloud network. The methods further include determining a domain name for establishing a network connection based at least in part on the network selection hint, where the selected domain name is associated with a virtual network node in the mobile cloud network. The methods also include selecting a virtual network node associated with the determined domain name, and establishing a network session to the selected virtual network node.

Claims

1. A gateway comprising:

a memory;

an interface; and

a processor coupled to the memory and the interface;

the gateway to;

receive a network selection hint from at least one of a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR);

determine that the network selection hint corresponds to an attach request for a user equipment (UE), the attach request received by the interface from an evolved Node B (eNodeB);

determine a domain name for establishing a network connection based at least in part on the network selection hint, wherein the determined domain name is associated with a virtual network node in a mobile cloud network;

provide the determined domain name to a domain name server (DNS);

receive, from the DNS, an address of the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name;

and

establish a network session to the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name.

2. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the network selection hint is contained in subscriber information received from the at least one of the home subscriber server (HSS) or the home location register (HLR).

3. The gateway of claim 2, wherein the network selection hint is an attribute-value pair (AVP) contained in an Update-Location Answer (ULA) from the at least one of the HSS or the HLR.

4. The gateway of claim 1,

wherein the network selection hint corresponds to a domain name of a related virtual network node, and

wherein the gateway is further to determine the domain name for the virtual network node based on the domain name of the related virtual network node.

5. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the gateway is at least one of a virtual mobility management entity (vMME), a vMME proxy, a vMME cluster, a virtual serving general packet radio service support node (vSGSN), a virtual evolved packet data gateway (vePDG), a virtual high-rate packet data serving gateway (vHSGW), or an eNodeB.

6. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the virtual network node is at least one of a virtual SGW (vSGW) or a virtual PGW (gPGW).

7. The gateway of claim 6, wherein the domain name is a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the virtual SGW or virtual PGW.

8. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the gateway is further to determine whether the UE should select nodes in the mobile cloud network or in a macro network, based at least in part on the network selection hint.

9. The gateway of claim 1, wherein the network selection hint is contained in service parameters from subscription records for mobile cloud network domains.

10. The gateway of claim 9, wherein the network selection hint is stored in an MIP6-Agent-Info parameter.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, at a gateway from an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an attach request for a user equipment (UE);

receiving a network selection hint from at least one of a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR);

determining that the network selection hint corresponds to the received attach request;

determining a domain name for establishing a network connection based at least in part on the network selection hint, wherein the determined domain name is associated with a virtual network node in a mobile cloud network;

provide the determined domain name to a domain name server (DNS);

receive, from the DNS, an address of the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name;

and

establishing a network session to the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the network selection hint is contained in subscriber information received from the at least one of the home subscriber server (HSS) or the home location register (HLR).

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the network selection hint is an attribute-value pair (AVP) contained in an Update-Location Answer (ULA) from the at least one of the HSS or the HLR.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the network selection hint corresponds to a domain name of a related virtual network node, and wherein the determining the domain name further comprises determining the domain name for the virtual network node based on the domain name of the related virtual network node.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the gateway is at least one of a virtual mobility management entity (vMME), a vMME proxy, a vMME cluster, a virtual serving general packet radio service support node (vSGSN), a virtual evolved packet data gateway (vePDG), a virtual high-rate packet data serving gateway (vHSGW), or an eNodeB.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the selected virtual network node is at least one of a virtual SGW (vSGW) or a virtual PGW (gPGW).

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the domain name is a fully-qualified domain name (FQDN) for the virtual SGW or virtual PGW.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising determining whether the UE should select nodes in the mobile cloud network or in a macro network, based at least in part on the network selection hint.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the network selection hint is contained in service parameters from subscription records for mobile cloud network domains.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the network selection hint is stored in an MIP6-Agent-Info parameter.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the gateway is a mobility management entity (MME) or a virtual MME and the selected virtual network node is at least one of a virtual SGW (vSGW) or a virtual PGW (gPGW).

22. At least one non-transitory computer readable medium comprising logic that when executed is operable to:

receive, at a gateway from an evolved Node B (eNodeB), an attach request for a user equipment (UE);

receive a network selection hint from at least one of a home subscriber server (HSS) or a home location register (HLR);

determine that the network selection hint corresponds to the received attach request;

determine a domain name for establishing a network connection based at least in part on the network selection hint, wherein the determined domain name is associated with a virtual network node in a mobile cloud network;

provide the determined domain name to a domain name server (DNS);

receive, from the DNS, an address of the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name; and

establish a network session to the virtual network node associated with the determined domain name.