Method, system, and access gateway for traffic flows to share resources

• US 8,743,812 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 06/03/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yin, Yu, Zhou, Qing
• Primary Examiner(s): Moore, Ian N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jangbahadur, Lakeram
• Application Number:
  US13/401,454
• Publication Number:
  US 20120147839A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 370/329
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/026 using flow identification
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method, a system, and an access gateway for traffic flows to share resources. The method for traffic flows to share resources includes obtaining information of at least two traffic flows and resources requested by the at least two traffic flows, where the at least two traffic flows correspond to different Internet Protocols connections. The at least two traffic flows share the resources. The information of the at least two traffic flows is bound on an established data channel. Resources for the data channel are allocated according to the resources requested by the at least two traffic flows. The at least two traffic flows are beared on the data channel.

Claims

1. A method for traffic flows to share resources, comprising:

obtaining information related to a plurality of traffic flows and resources requested by the traffic flows, wherein the traffic flows correspond to different Internet Protocol (IP) connections and the traffic flows share the resources;

binding the information of the traffic flows on an established data channel;

allocating resources for the data channel according to the resources requested by the traffic flows; and

bearing the traffic flows on the data channel;

the bearing comprising sharing, by a Packet Data Network (PDN) connections corresponding to the traffic flows, a wireless bearer and an S1 default bearer, the sharing comprising receiving an additional PDN connection creating request for establishing a second PDN connection, wherein the additional PDN connection creating request comprises an Access Point Name (APN) and a Linked Bearer Identity (LBI) which are used for establishing a first PDN connection, and sending the additional PDN connection creating request for establishing the second PDN connection to a Packet Data Gateway (PGW) so that the PGW establishes the second PDN connection according to the additional PDN connection creating request, wherein the first PDN connection and the second PDN connection share the wireless bearer and the S1 default bearer;

receiving an additional PDN connection deletion request, wherein the additional PDN connection deletion request carries the APN and LBI that are used for establishing the first PDN connection and an IP address required to be deleted; and

deleting the first PDN connection according to the additional PDN connection deletion request.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein obtaining the information comprises:

receiving a resource request from a Policy Charging Rule Function (PCRF) entity, wherein the resource request comprises the information related to the traffic flows, which correspond to different IP addresses of a User Equipment, to the resources requested by the traffic flows, and to a relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources;

or

receiving a resource request from a PCRF entity, wherein the resource request comprises information related to a traffic flow of a User Equipment and resources requested by the traffic flow and generating the information related to the traffic flows, which correspond to different IP addresses and to the relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources according to the information of the traffic flow and a recorded relationship of different IP addresses of the User Equipment sharing a data channel and obtaining the resources requested by the traffic flows according to the resources requested by the traffic flow.

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

when the User Equipment initiates service migration to make a traffic flow on an IP address of the User Equipment migrate to another IP address, determining, by the PCRF entity, according to a recorded binding relationship of different IP addresses of the User Equipment, that information of a traffic flow corresponding to the IP address of the User Equipment and information of a traffic flow corresponding to the another IP address share resources.

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

receiving a proprietary bearer deletion request;

mapping information, carried in the proprietary bearer deletion request, related to a traffic flow required to be deleted to an S1 proprietary bearer that is already established; and

sending a bearer update request to a Mobility Management Entity, wherein the bearer update request carries information of an updated traffic flow after the information of the traffic flow required to be deleted is deleted, so that the Mobility Management Entity deletes, according to the bearer update request, an S1 proprietary bearer corresponding to the information of the traffic flow required to be deleted.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein binding the information of the traffic flows on the established data channel comprises:

if the information of the traffic flows does not have a corresponding data channel, establishing a data channel corresponding to information of any one traffic flow among the traffic flows and binding the information of the traffic flows on the established data channel; and

if information of any one traffic flow among the information of the traffic flows has a corresponding data channel, binding the information of the traffic flows on the existing data channel.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising sending a binding relationship between the information of the traffic flow and the established data channel to the User Equipment, so that the User Equipment performs uplink data flow classification.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein bearing the traffic flows on the data channel comprises sharing, by a Packet Data Network (PDN), connections corresponding to the traffic flows and an Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) tunnel.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein sharing the IPSec tunnel comprises:

receiving an IP address re-application request for establishing a second PDN connection, wherein the IP address re-application request comprises an APN for establishing a first PDN connection; and

sending a Proxy Binding Update message to a PGW so that the PGW establishes the second PDN connection according to the Proxy Binding Update message, wherein the first PDN connection and the second PDN connection share the IPSec tunnel.

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

receiving a session resource request sent by a PCRF entity, wherein the session resource request comprises information of a traffic flow required to be deleted;

mapping the information, in the session resource request, related to the traffic flow required to be deleted to the IPSec tunnel; and

deleting the information of the traffic flow required to be deleted.

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

receiving an IP address deletion request, wherein the IP address deletion request carries an IP address which is allocated for a User Equipment when the PGW establishes the first PDN connection; and

sending a Proxy Binding Update message to the PGW, so that the PGW deletes the first PDN connection.

11. An access gateway, comprising:

an obtaining module, configured to obtain information related to a plurality of traffic flows and resources requested by the traffic flows, wherein the traffic flows correspond to different Internet Protocol (IP) connections and the traffic flows share the resources, configured to receive a resource request from a Policy Charging Rule Function (PCRF) entity and wherein the resource request comprises the information related to the traffic flows, the information corresponding to different IP addresses of a User Equipment, the request also comprising the resources requested by the traffic flows and a relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources, and configured to receive a resource request from a PCRF entity, the resource request comprising information of a traffic flow of a User Equipment and resources requested by the traffic flow to generate the information of the traffic flows corresponding to different IP addresses and the relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources according to the information of the traffic flow and a recorded relationship of different IP addresses of the User Equipment sharing a data channel and to obtain the resources requested by the traffic flows according to the resources requested by the traffic flow;

a binding module, configured to bind the information obtained by the obtaining module on an established data channel;

an allocation module, configured to allocate resources for the data channel according to the resources obtained by the obtaining module and requested by the traffic flows;

a bearing module, configured to bear the traffic flows on the data channel; and

a deleting module, configured to map information, which is carried in a proprietary bearer deletion request and is of a traffic flow required to be deleted, to an S1 proprietary bearer which is already established; and

to send a bearer update request to a Mobility Management Entity, wherein the bearer update request carries information of an updated traffic flow after the information, of the traffic flow required to be deleted, is deleted, so that the Mobility Management Entity deletes, according to the bearer update request, the S1 proprietary bearer corresponding to the information of the traffic flow required to be deleted;

or

configured to map the information, in a received session resource request sent by the PCRF entity, of the traffic flow required to be deleted to an IPSec tunnel, and to delete the information of the traffic flow required to be deleted.

12. The access gateway according to claim 11, wherein the deleting module is further configured to delete a first PDN connection according to an APN and an LBI, which are carried in a received additional PDN connection deletion request and used for establishing the first PDN connection;

or

the deleting module is further configured to obtain an IP address, which is comprised in an IP address deletion request and allocated to a User Equipment when a PGW establishes the first PDN connection; and

to send a Proxy Binding Update message to the PGW, so that the PGW deletes the first PDN connection.

13. The access gateway according to claim 11, wherein if the information of the traffic flows does not have a corresponding data channel, the binding module is configured to establish a data channel corresponding to information of any one traffic flow among the traffic flows, and to bind the information of the traffic flows on the established data channel;

and

if information of any one traffic flow among the information of the traffic flows has a corresponding data channel, the binding module is configured to bind the information of the traffic flows on the existing data channel.

14. The access gateway according to claim 11, further comprising:

a sending module, configured to send a binding relationship between the information of the traffic flow and the established data channel to the User Equipment, so that the User Equipment performs uplink data flow classification.

15. A system for traffic flows to share resources, comprising:

a Policy Charging Rule Function entity; and

an access gateway;

wherein the Policy Charging Rule Function entity is configured to send a resource request to the access gateway; and

the access gateway is configured to receive the resource request sent by the Policy Charging Rule Function entity, and to obtain information of a plurality of traffic flows and resources requested by the traffic flows, wherein the traffic flows correspond to different Internet Protocol (IP) connections, and the traffic flows share the resources, to bind the information of the traffic flows on the established data channel, to allocate resources for the data channel according to the resources requested by the traffic flows; and

to bear the traffic flows on the data channel;

wherein when the resource request comprises information of the traffic flows corresponding to different IP addresses of a User Equipment, the resources requested by the traffic flows, and a relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources, the access gateway is configured to obtain, from the resource request, the information of the traffic flows corresponding to the different IP addresses of the User Equipment, the resources requested by the traffic flows, and a relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources;

or

when the resource request comprises information of a traffic flow of the User Equipment and resources requested by the traffic flow, the access gateway is configured to generate the information of the traffic flows corresponding to different IP addresses and the relationship of the traffic flows sharing the resources according to the information of the traffic flow and a recorded relationship of different IP addresses of the User Equipment sharing a data channel; and

to obtain the resources requested by the traffic flows according to the resources requested by the traffic flow; and

wherein when the User Equipment initiates service migration to make a traffic flow on an IP address of the User Equipment migrate to another IP address, the Policy Charging Rule Function entity determines, according to a recorded binding relationship of different IP addresses of the User Equipment, that information of a traffic flow corresponding to the IP address of the User Equipment and information of a traffic flow corresponding to the another IP address share resources.

16. The system according to claim 15, further comprising:

a Packet Data Gateway (PGW) configured to receive an additional PDN connection creating request for establishing a second PDN connection, wherein the additional PDN connection creating request comprises an Access Point Name (APN) and a Linked Bearer Identity (LBI) that are used to establish a first PDN connection; and

to establish a second PDN connection according to the additional PDN connection creating request, wherein the first PDN connection and the second PDN connection share a wireless bearer and an S1 default bearer.

17. The system according to claim 15, wherein the access gateway is further configured to receive an IP address re-application request for establishing a second PDN connection, wherein the IP address re-application request comprises an APN for establishing a first PDN connection;

the access gateway is configured to send a Proxy Binding Update message to a PGW according to the IP address re-application request, so that the PGW establishes the second PDN connection according to the Proxy Binding Update message, wherein the first PDN connection and the second PDN connection share an IPSec tunnel.

18. The system according to claim 15, wherein

if the information of the traffic flows does not have a corresponding data channel, the access gateway is configured to establish a data channel corresponding to information of any one traffic flow among the traffic flows, and to bind the information of the traffic flows on the established data channel;

and

if information of any one traffic flow among the information of the two traffic flows has a corresponding data channel, the access gateway is configured to bind the information of the traffic flows on the existing data channel.