Method of configuring a mobile node

• US 9,686,669 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Devarapalli, Vijay, Patil, Basavaraj, Sahasrabudhe, Meghana, Parthasarathy, Mohan, Flinck, Hannu
• Primary Examiner(s): SISON, JUNE Y
• Application Number:
  US11/077,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20050228893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,484 Days
• Field of Search: 709228, 709220, 4554321
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/065 involving selection of the user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

A method of communication that includes sending a first message from user equipment to a server, requesting a home agent and/or a home address. The method also includes authenticating the user equipment and providing the home agent and/or home address only when the user equipment is authenticated. Also, a communication system, a server, and user equipment that are configured to implement the method.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a server comprising at least one hardware processor, a first message from a user equipment requesting at least one of a home agent and a home address, the first message comprising mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the first message sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges;

authenticating the user equipment;

determining at least one of the home agent and the home address being dynamically assigned to the user equipment in response to the first message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges, wherein the first message requests the at least one of the home agent and the home address, the determining taking place during the authenticating; and

providing the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address to the user equipment only when the user equipment is authenticated, and not providing the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address to the user equipment when authenticating the user equipment fails.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first message comprises a link control protocol phase configuration request message, and wherein an extensible authentication protocol success message includes the provided assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing further comprises providing the home agent and the home address at a same time.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

storing, at the server, information relating to the first message.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending, from the server to an authentication entity, an authentication message and information relating to the at least one of the home agent and the home address.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein, in the sending from the server to the authentication entity, the authentication message comprises an extensible authentication protocol message.

9. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sending from the server to the authentication entity further comprises sending the information relating to the requested at least one of the home agent and the home address as one of a remote authentication dial in user service attribute and a diameter attribute.

10. The method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the sending from the server to the authentication entity further comprises sending the information relating to the requested at least one of the home agent and the home address as at least one extensible authentication protocol attribute.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an extensible authentication protocol message indicating authentication is successful, wherein the extensible authentication protocol message comprises at least one extensible authentication protocol attribute.

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

receiving a second message from an authentication entity at the server indicating that authentication is successful and at least one of the home agent and the home address.

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

storing, at the server, at least one of the home agent and the home address.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending a second message indicating authentication is successful to the user equipment prior to the providing.

15. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing takes place in a configuration protocol phase of a point to point protocol.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15, wherein the providing further comprises providing at least one of a configuration protocol option for the home agent and a configuration protocol option for the home address.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the providing is carried out during the authentication.

38. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

generating the home address.

39. A method as claimed in claim 38, wherein the generating comprises generating the home address from a home prefix and a random interface identifier, wherein the random interface identifier is based on the home prefix.

40. A method as claimed in claim 38, further comprising:

checking that the generated home address is unique.

41. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

assigning a home agent to the user equipment.

44. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first message is in accordance with mobile internet protocol version 6.

45. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the home agent and the home address includes configuration information in accordance with mobile internet protocol version 6.

46. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the authenticating further comprises:

determining, from the first message, that the user equipment is enabled to receive configuration information for mobile internet protocol version 6.

3. A method, comprising:

sending, from user equipment and to a server, a message requesting home network information comprising at least one of a home agent and a home address, the sending comprising providing mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the message sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges; and

receiving, at the user equipment, the home network information only when the user equipment is authenticated, the home network information to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment during authentication of the user equipment in response to the message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges, the assigned home network information not being received at the user equipment when authenticating the user equipment fails, wherein at least one tangible processor implements the sending and the receiving.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein, in the sending, the first message comprises requesting the home agent and the home address at a same time.

35. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein, in the sending, the mobile internet protocol attributes comprise predetermined values for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address.

18. A system, comprising:

a user equipment;

a server;

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program code to cause an apparatus to at least;

send a message from the user equipment to the server, the message requesting at least one of a home agent and a home address, the message comprising mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the message being sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges;

authenticate the user equipment during determination of at least one of the home agent and the home address to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment in response to the message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges, wherein the message requests the at least one of the home agent and the home address;

provide the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address to the user equipment only when the user equipment is authenticated; and

not provide the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address to the user equipment when authenticating the user equipment fails.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program code to cause the apparatus to at least;

initiate transmission of a message from a user equipment to a server, wherein the message requests at least one of a home agent and a home address, the message comprising mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the message being sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges; and

receive the at least one of the home agent and the home address only when the user equipment is authenticated, the at least one of the home agent and the home address not being received when authenticating the user equipment fails, the at least one of the home agent and the home address to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment during authentication of the user equipment in response to the message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mobile internet protocol attributes comprise predetermined values for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

include, in the request, that the home agent and the home address be provided at a same time.

37. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

include, in the request, a further request that at least one of the home agent and the home address be dynamically assigned.

22. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program code to cause the apparatus to at least;

receive, from a user equipment, a request for at least one of a home agent and a home address, the request comprising mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the request being sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges;

initiate authentication of the user equipment;

determine at least one of the home agent and the home address to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment during authentication of the user equipment in response to the request received from the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges; and

provide the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address to the user equipment only when the user equipment is authenticated, wherein the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address is not provided to the user equipment when authenticating the user equipment fails.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one memory is configured to store information relating to the message.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

initiate transmission, to an authentication server, of an authentication message and information relating to the at least one of the home agent and the home address.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the authentication message comprises an extensible authentication protocol message.

26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the information relating to the requested at least one of the home agent and the home address comprises one of a remote authentication dial in user service attribute and a diameter attribute.

27. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the information relating to the at least one of the home agent and the home address comprises at least one extensible authentication protocol attribute.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

receive an extensible authentication protocol message indicating authentication is successful and including at least one extensible authentication protocol attribute.

29. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

receive a message from an authentication server indicating that authentication is successful and at least one of the home agent and the home address.

30. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one memory is configured to store at least one of the home agent and the home address.

31. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

initiate transmission of a message indicating authentication is successful to the user equipment prior to providing the requested at least one of the home agent and the home address.

32. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the at least one of the home agent and the home address is provided in a configuration protocol phase of a point to point protocol.

33. The apparatus of claim 22, where processor is configured to provide information to the user equipment, the information including at least one of a configuration protocol option for the home agent and a configuration protocol option for the home address.

34. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus comprises packet data support node.

36. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the apparatus is further caused to at least:

receive the home agent and the home address, from an authentication server, at a same time.

42. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program code to cause the apparatus to at least;

receive a first message from user equipment at the server, wherein the first message requests at least one of a home agent and a home address, wherein the first message comprises mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and wherein the first message is sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges;

authenticate the user equipment;

determine at least one of the home agent and the home address to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment in response to the first message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges, wherein the first message requests the at least one of the home agent and the home address, the determining taking place during the authenticating;

provide the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address only when the user equipment is authenticated; and

not provide the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address when authenticating the user equipment fails.

43. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing computer program code, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the computer program code to cause the apparatus to at least;

send a message from the user equipment device to a server, the message requesting home network information comprising at least one of a home agent and a home address, the message comprising mobile internet protocol attributes for indicating the at least one of the home agent and the home address, and the message being sent during a link control protocol phase of a point to point protocol prior to the user equipment receiving one or more authentication challenges;

receive the home network information only when the user equipment device is authenticated; and

not receive the assigned at least one of the home agent and the home address when authenticating the user equipment device fails, the home network information to be dynamically assigned to the user equipment device during authentication of the user equipment device in response to the message sent by the user equipment prior to the user equipment receiving the one or more authentication challenges.