METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR A MOBILE NODE TO CONNECT DIFFERENT ACCESS ROUTERS WHILE MAINTAINING A CONSISTENT NETWORK ADDRESS

• US 20130103833A1
• Filed: 06/30/2011
• Published: 04/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Ringland, Simon Patrick Alexander, Scahill, Francis James
• Granted Patent: US 9,961,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0892 by using authentication-authorization-accounting [AAA] servers or protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0011 for data sessions of end-to-end connection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0019 adapted for mobile IP [MIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/087 for preserving data network PoA address despite hand-offs
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]

Abstract

In a Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIP) network, a mobile node can roam between different access networks while maintaining a consistent IP address for session continuity. To provide access to a user'"'"'s home LAN resources, even when the user'"'"'s mobile node is not directly attached to the home LAN, a local mobility anchor and mobility access gateway are configured to authenticate the mobile node credentials and if authorised, to provide access to the user'"'"'s LAN resources by via data tunnels and routing table reconfigurations.

Claims

1-12. -12. (canceled)

13. A method of accessing resources on a data network, the data network having at least one mobile node, a plurality of access routers located at an edge of the data network and at least one mobility server, the at least one mobility server being associated with the at least one mobile node such that the at least one mobile node can connect to different ones of the access routers while maintaining a consistent network address to other devices, the at least one mobile node further having an associated home network which is separate from the data network and maintained by a home access router forming part of the data network, the method comprising the mobility server:

identifying the network address of the home access router maintaining the home network of the at least one mobile node;

inspecting packets sent from the at least one mobile node; and

in the event that packets have a home network address as the destination;

generating a dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node; and

redirecting said packets into the dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node, so as to allow data packets to be exchanged between the mobile node and resources located on the home network via the data network.

14. A method according to claim 13, further comprising:

authenticating the credentials of the mobile node before it is allowed onto the data network.

15. A method according to claim 13 wherein the data network is configured to operate in accordance with the proxy mobile IPv6 protocol.

16. A method according to claim 15, wherein the at least one mobility server is configured to operate as a local mobility anchor for the at least one mobile node.

17. A data network comprising:

at least one mobile node;

a plurality of access routers located at an edge of the data network and at least one mobility server,

the at least one mobility server is associated with the at least one mobile node such that the at least one mobile node can connect to different ones of the access routers while maintaining a consistent network address to other devices, and

the at least one mobile node further having an associated home network which is separate from the data network and maintained by a home access router forming part of the data network

wherein the mobility server is configured to;

identify the network address of the home access router maintaining the home network of the at least one mobile node;

inspect packets sent from the at least one mobile node; and

in the event that packets have a home network address as the destination,

generate a dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node; and

redirect said packets into the dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node so as to allow data packets to be exchanged between the mobile node and resources located on the home network via the data network.

18. A data network according to claim 17 further comprising an authentication server in the core of the network for authenticating the credentials of the mobile node.

19. A data network according to claim 17 wherein the network is configured to operate in accordance with the proxy mobile IPv6 protocol.

20. A data network according to claim 19, wherein the at least one mobility server is configured to operate as a local mobility anchor for the at least one mobile node.

21. A mobility server for use in a data network having at least one mobile node and a plurality of access routers located at an edge of the data network, the at least one mobility server being associated with the at least one mobile node such that the at least one mobile node can connect to different ones of the access routers while maintaining a consistent network address to other devices, and the at least one mobile node further having an associated home network which is separate from the data network and maintained by a home access router forming part of the data network wherein the mobility server is configured to:

identify the network address of the home access router maintaining the home network of the at least one mobile node;

inspect packets sent from the at least one mobile node; and

in the event that packets have a home network address as the destination,

generate a dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node; and

redirect said packets into the dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node so as to allow data packets to be exchanged between the mobile node and resources located on the home network via the data network.

22. A mobility server for use in a proxy mobile IPv6 data network, the mobility server being configured as a local mobility anchor to at least one mobile node, and further comprising:

a data store storing a network address of a home access router maintaining a home network of the at least one mobile node;

a packet inspector for inspecting packets sent from the at least one mobile node;

a data tunnel generator for generating a dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node; and

a routing modifier for redirecting said packets into the dedicated packet tunnel to the home access router associated with the home network of the at least one mobile node, so as to allow data packets to be exchanged between the mobile node and resources located on the home network.