Method, device and system for implementing address sharing

• US 10,419,392 B2
• Filed: 08/19/2013
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Original Assignee: ZTE Corporation
• Inventors: Meng, Wei, Wang, Cui
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Quang N
• Application Number:
  US14/895,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20160205063A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 709203, 709206, 709217, 709219, 709225, 709226, 709228, 709230, 709232, 709238, 709245, 370254, 370392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/503 using an authentication, authorisation and accounting [AAA] protocol, e.g. remote authentication dial-in user service [RADIUS] or Diameter
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5061 Pools of addresses

Abstract

Provided are a method, device and system for implementing address sharing. An address pool configured for unified management over IP addresses is configured on an AAA server; and the AAA server may allocate an IP address to a CGN device according to the configured address pool. By such a technology for implementing address sharing in the present disclosure, IP address resource sharing among CGN devices is implemented, so that problems about resource load sharing among the CGN devices may be solved, a sharing rate of IP address resources is increased, and resource optimization may be implemented; and moreover, in terms of IP address management, a more available platform is provided for an operating company. In addition, the IP addresses are managed by the AAA server in a unified manner, and then the address pool is not required to be configured on the CGN device, so that the CGN device may be started without any address pool.

Claims

1. A method for implementing address sharing, wherein an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server is configured with an address pool for unified management over Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, the method comprising:

allocating, by the AAA server, an IP address to a Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGN) device according to the address pool;

when releasing the IP addresses, an IP address management cell is required to be released wholly, and individual release of the IP addresses is not allowed;

if there is no idle IP address management cell to be released, creating a new session for resource according to IP address releasing policy until an idle cell is generated;

wherein the IP address releasing policy comprises one of;

a centralized policy;

in a release state, IP addresses assigned to the new session are concentrated to one or more cells, IP address resources of other cells enter an idle state after corresponding sessions are aged or manually deleted, and then the whole cells are released;

a coercive policy;

in a release state, a cell with fewer sessions is selected, and the cell is not allowed to be occupied by the new session;

moreover, all sessions occupying IP addresses of the cell are deleted, and the cell and the IP address of the cell are coercively released;

an ignoring policy;

in a release state, the release state is ignored when the new session is created if there is no idle IP address management cell, and an IP address resource is continued to be assigned to generate the new session according to an original mode; and

after an idle IP address management cell is generated, a releasing flow of the idle IP address management cell is started.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

performing, by the AAA server, priority privilege management for the CGN device; and

when the CGN device is started and requests for an IP address, allocating, by the AAA server, a corresponding number of IP addresses to the CGN device according to priority of the CGN device.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising:

configuring the priority on the CGN device, or

sending the priority of the CGN device to the CGN device through a Remote Authentication Dial in User Service (RADIUS) message.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

configuring, for the CGN device, a request/release threshold serving as a reference for calculating a resource idleness rate, wherein

for the request threshold, the CGN device is triggered to re-request for an IP address when a resource idleness rate under a protocol is higher than the request threshold;

for the release threshold, the CGN device is triggered to release the IP address when a resource idleness rate under a protocol is higher than the release threshold.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the request/release threshold corresponds to different protocols, wherein

requesting for an IP address resource is triggered when the resource idleness rate under any protocol corresponding to the request/release threshold is lower than the request threshold;

and

release of the IP address resource is triggered when the resource idleness rate under all protocols corresponding to the request/release threshold is higher than the release threshold.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

when the CGN device re-requests for an IP address resource after a request threshold is reached, requesting, by the CGN device, the IP address resource according to a configured step size.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein RADIUS message interaction is adopted between the CGN device and the AAA server, the method further comprises:

adding four types to an attributes field of a RADIUS message;

a device number, priority, IP address management cell information, and a step size.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

recording, by the AAA server, a log involving IP address allocation, the log comprising following fields;

a timestamp;

a device number (identifying a device requesting/releasing an IP address);

an allocated IP address;

a message type (requesting, releasing); and

an execution result (success, failure).

9. A device for implementing address sharing, the device being configured with an address pool for unified management over Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and the device being configured to allocate an IP address to a Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGN) device according to the address pool;

when releasing the IP addresses, an IP address management cell is required to be released wholly, and individual release of the IP addresses is not allowed;

wherein the device is further configured to;

if there is no idle IP address management cell to be released, create a new session for resource according to IP address releasing policy until an idle cell is generated;

wherein the IP address releasing policy comprises one of;

a centralized policy;

in a release state, IP addresses assigned to the new session are concentrated to one or more cells, IP address resources of other cells enter an idle state after corresponding sessions are aged or manually deleted, and then the whole cells are released;

a coercive policy;

in a release state, a cell with fewer sessions is selected, and the cell is not allowed to be occupied by the new session;

moreover, all sessions occupying IP addresses of the cell are deleted, and the cell and the IP address of the cell are coercively released;

an ignoring policy;

in a release state, the release state is ignored when the new session is created if there is no idle IP address management cell, and an IP address resource is continued to be assigned to generate the new session according to an original mode; and

after an idle IP address management cell is generated, a releasing flow of the idle IP address management cell is started.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is configured to perform priority privilege management for the CGN device;

and

when the CGN device is started and requests for an IP address, the device is configured to allocate a corresponding number of IP addresses to the CGN device according to priority of the CGN device.

11. The device according to claim 9, wherein the CGN device is further configured with a request/release threshold serving as a reference for calculating a resource idleness rate, wherein

for the request threshold, the CGN device is triggered to re-request for an IP address when a resource idleness rate under a protocol is higher than the request threshold;

for the release threshold, the CGN device is triggered to release the IP address when a resource idleness rate under a protocol is higher than the release threshold.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the request/release threshold corresponds to different protocols, wherein

the CGN device is configured to request for an IP address resource when the resource idleness rate under any protocol corresponding to the request/release threshold is lower than the request threshold;

and

the CGN device is configured to release the IP address resource when the resource idleness rate under all protocols corresponding to the request/release threshold is higher than the release threshold.

13. The device according to claim 9, wherein the CGN device is further configured to, when re-requesting for an IP address resource after the request threshold is reached, request for the IP address resource according to a configured step size.

14. The device according to claim 9, wherein Remote Authentication Dial in User Service (RADIUS) message interaction is adopted between the CGN device and the device, and the device is configured to:

add four types to an attributes field to a RADIUS message;

a device number, priority, IP address management cell information, and a step size.

15. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is further configured to record a log involving IP address allocation, the log comprising following fields:

a timestamp;

a device number (identifying the device requesting/releasing an IP address);

an allocated IP address;

a message type (requesting, releasing); and

an execution result (success, failure).

16. The device according to claim 9, wherein the device is an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, comprising an AAA server management module configured to perform management as follows:

address pool management;

priority privilege management; and

log management.

17. The device according to claim 9, wherein the CGN device comprises a user configuration module, an IP address resource requesting/releasing module and an IP address resource management module, wherein

the user configuration module is configured to perform configuration involving a sharing policy;

the sharing policy comprises at least one of following;

priority, a threshold and a step size;

the IP address resource requesting/releasing module is configured to calculate a resource idleness rate and to request/release the IP address according to the resource idleness rate; and

the IP address resource management module is configured to manage an IP address resource.

18. A system for implementing address sharing, comprising an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server and a Carrier Grade Network Address Translation (CGN) device, wherein

the AAA server is configured with an address pool configured for unified management over Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and the AAA server is configured to allocate an IP address to the CGN device according to the address pool;

and

the CGN device is configured to interact with the AAA server and perform IP address management comprising application and/or releasing of the IP addresses;

wherein the AAA server comprises an AAA server management module, configured to perform management as follows;

address pool management;

priority privilege management; and

log management;

the CGN device comprises a user configuration module, an IP address resource requesting/releasing module and an IP address resource management module, wherein

the user configuration module is configured to perform configuration involving a sharing policy;

the sharing policy comprises at least one of following;

priority, a threshold and a step size;

the IP address resource requesting/releasing module is configured to calculate a resource idleness rate and request/release the IP address according to the resource idleness rate; and

the IP address resource management module is configured to manage an IP address resource;

when releasing the IP addresses, an IP address management cell is required to be released wholly, and individual release of the IP addresses is not allowed;

wherein the CGN device is further configured to;

if there is no idle IP address management cell to be released, create a new session for resource according to IP address releasing policy until an idle cell is generated;

wherein the IP address releasing policy comprises one of;

a centralized policy;

in a release state, IP addresses assigned to the new session are concentrated to one or more cells, IP address resources of other cells enter an idle state after corresponding sessions are aged or manually deleted, and then the whole cells are released;

a coercive policy;

in a release state, a cell with fewer sessions is selected, and the cell is not allowed to be occupied by the new session;

moreover, all sessions occupying IP addresses of the cell are deleted, and the cell and the IP address of the cell are coercively released;

an ignoring policy;

in a release state, the release state is ignored when the new session is created if there is no idle IP address management cell, and an IP address resource is continued to be assigned to generate the new session according to an original mode; and

after an idle IP address management cell is generated, a releasing flow of the idle IP address management cell is started.