Packet gateway reassignment

• US 9,936,430 B1
• Filed: 03/07/2016
• Issued: 04/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LLC (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Spectrum LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Bertz, Lyle T., Bales, Mark R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Musa, Abdelnabi O
• Application Number:
  US15/062,915
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0033 with transfer of context information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/12 Reselecting a serving backbone network switching or routing node
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels

Abstract

An example embodiment may involve receiving an attach request related to a WCD. It may be determined that the WCD already has an established bearer session with a first PGW device. Possibly in response to receiving the attach request from the WCD and the WCD already having the established bearer session with the first PGW device, a request for PGW device assignment may be transmitted to a server device. A response from the server device may be received, where the response may indicate assignment of a second PGW device. A create session request may be transmitted to an SGW device. Reception of the create session request may cause the SGW device to establish, for the WCD, a new bearer session to the second PGW device. Establishment of the new bearer session may involve the second PGW device retrieving, from the first PGW device, context information related to the WCD.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a mobility management entity (MME) device of a radio access network (RAN), an attach request related to a wireless communication device (WCD);

determining, by the MME device, that the WCD already has an established bearer session with a first packet gateway (PGW) device of the RAN;

in response to receiving the attach request from the WCD and the WCD already having the established bearer session with the first PGW device, transmitting, by the MME device to a server device, a request for PGW device assignment;

receiving, by the MME device, a response from the server device, wherein the response indicates assignment of a second PGW device of the RAN; and

transmitting, by the MME device, a create session request to a serving gateway (SGW) device of the RAN, wherein the create session request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first PGW device, wherein reception of the create session request causes the SGW device to establish, for the WCD, a new bearer session to the second PGW device, wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the SGW device transmitting the IP address of the first PGW device to the second PGW device, and wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the second PGW device using the IP address of the first PGW device to retrieve, from the first PGW device, context information related to the WCD.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the attach request is an initial attach request containing a request for bearer session establishment.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the WCD already has an established bearer session with the first PGW device comprises determining that the MME device has a stored context for the WCD that indicates that the established bearer session exists.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the server device is a domain name system (DNS) server device, wherein transmitting the request for PGW device assignment comprises transmitting a DNS query, and wherein receiving the response indicating assignment of the second PGW device comprises receiving a DNS response containing an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second PGW device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the DNS server device assigns PGW devices such that load on PGW devices in the RAN is balanced.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information related to the WCD includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the WCD.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

after establishment of the new bearer session with the second PGW device, tearing down the established bearer session with the first PGW device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the attach request is received after the WCD has lost connectivity with the RAN for at least a pre-defined period of time.

9. An article of manufacture including a non-transitory computer-readable medium, having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by a computing device in a radio access network (RAN), cause the computing device to perform operations comprising:

receiving an attach request related to a wireless communication device (WCD);

determining that the WCD already has an established bearer session with a first packet gateway (PGW) device of the RAN;

in response to receiving the attach request from the WCD and the WCD already having the established bearer session with the first PGW device, transmitting, to a server device, a request for PGW device assignment;

receiving a response from the server device, wherein the response indicates assignment of a second PGW device of the RAN; and

transmitting a create session request to a serving gateway (SGW) device of the RAN, wherein the create session request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first PGW device, wherein reception of the create session request causes the SGW device to establish, for the WCD, a new bearer session to the second PGW device, wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the SGW device transmitting the IP address of the first PGW device to the second PGW device, and wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the second PGW device using the IP address of the first PGW device to retrieve, from the first PGW device, context information related to the WCD.

10. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein determining that the WCD already has an established bearer session with the first PGW device comprises determining that the computing device has a stored context for the WCD that indicates that the established bearer session exists.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the server device is a domain name system (DNS) server device, wherein transmitting the request for PGW device assignment comprises transmitting a DNS query, and wherein receiving the response indicating assignment of the second PGW device comprises receiving a DNS response containing an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second PGW device.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the context information related to the WCD includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the WCD.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 9, the operations further comprising:

after establishment of the new bearer session with the second PGW device, tearing down the established bearer session with the first PGW device.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 9, wherein the attach request is received after the WCD has lost connectivity with the RAN for at least a pre-defined period of time.

15. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

memory; and

program instructions, stored in the memory, that upon execution by the at least one processor cause the computing device to perform operations comprising;

receiving an attach request related to a wireless communication device (WCD);

determining that the WCD already has an established bearer session with a first packet gateway (PGW) device of the RAN;

in response to receiving the attach request from the WCD and the WCD already having the established bearer session with the first PGW device, transmitting, to a server device, a request for PGW device assignment;

receiving a response from the server device, wherein the response indicates assignment of a second PGW device of the RAN; and

transmitting a create session request to a serving gateway (SGW) device of the RAN, wherein the create session request includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the first PGW device, wherein reception of the create session request causes the SGW device to establish, for the WCD, a new bearer session to the second PGW device, wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the SGW device transmitting the IP address of the first PGW device to the second PGW device, and wherein establishment of the new bearer session involves the second PGW device using the IP address of the first PGW device to retrieve, from the first PGW device, context information related to the WCD.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein determining that the WCD already has an established bearer session with the first PGW device comprises determining that the computing device has a stored context for the WCD that indicates that the established bearer session exists.

17. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the context information related to the WCD includes an Internet Protocol (IP) address assigned to the WCD.

18. The computing device of claim 15, the operations further comprising:

after establishment of the new bearer session with the second PGW device, tearing down the established bearer session with the first PGW device.

19. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the attach request is received after the WCD has lost connectivity with the RAN for at least a pre-defined period of time.

20. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the server device is a domain name system (DNS) server device, wherein transmitting the request for PGW device assignment comprises transmitting a DNS query, and wherein receiving the response indicating assignment of the second PGW device comprises receiving a DNS response containing an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second PGW device.