Method for controlling the traffic within a network structure and a network structure

• US 8,787,380 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2010
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Europe Ltd (NEC Corporation)
• Inventors: Taleb, Tarik, Schmid, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Kizou, Hassan
• Assistant Examiner(s): FARAHMAND, ASHIL S
• Application Number:
  US13/391,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20120182940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,432 Days
• Field of Search: 370/230, 370/328, 370/338, 370/389, 370/392
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents

Abstract

A reliable and flexible method for controlling traffic within a network structure without the addition of remarkable complexity to the core network is provided, the structure including a PDN (Packet Data Network), an operator core network with a DNS (Domain Name System) server, a HeNB (Home evolved Node B) or HNB (Home Node B) and/or eNB (Evolved Node B) or NB (Node B) and a UE (User Equipment) that is associated with the HeNB or HNB and/or eNB or NB. On the basis of a predefinable routing policy the DNS server is controlling whether a traffic from a UE to a destination address within a local network associated to the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB or within a PDN and/or vice versa will be routed via the core network or directly via the local network in support of local network protocol access or selected network protocol traffic offload.

Claims

1. A method for controlling traffic within a network structure, said structure comprising

a local network comprising a first element, the first element including a home evolved Node B (HeNB) or home Node B (HNB) or evolved Node B (eNB) or Node B (NB);

a packet data network (PDN) connected to the local network via the first element;

an operator core network connected to the local network via the first element, the operator core network including a DNS server;

a user equipment (UE) that is associated with said first element, the method comprising;

receiving, at the DNS server in the core network, a DNS message sent by the UE, requesting an IP address for establishing a traffic flow from the UE to a destination IP address, where the request includes access point names (APNs) that are available to the UE;

determining, by the DNS server, whether the traffic flow is to be routed via the core network OR directly via the PDN in support of local network protocol access or selected network protocol traffic offload, the determination based on a predefinable routing policy;

selecting, by the DNS server, routing information to be communicated in response to the DNS request based on the determination, where the routing information includes an APN that is selected by the DNS server for use with the traffic flow;

sending, by the DNS server, a DNS response message to the UE, the DNS response including the selected routing information,

in response to receiving the DNS response message, establishing, by the first element, a tunnel from the first element to a PDN-Gateway (P-GW) or serving gateway (S-GW) of the core network; and

storing, at the UE, per-flow state information indicating whether traffic associated with the flow should be tunneled or not.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the routing information is provided by a flag in the DNS response, that indicates to the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB or to a LP-GW the subsequent traffic routing.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein a DNS proxy functionality is implemented at the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB or at a LP-GW and provides a DestNAT (Destination Network Address Translation) network protocol address to the UE as part of the DNS response and to establish the binding/association between the DestNAT and the destination address within the local network or within the PDN.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein a stateless Twice-NATing will be performed, if the DestNAT address includes the destination address within the local network or within the PDN.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein a LP-GW (Local PDN Gateway or L-GW) is associated to or collocated with the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein said LP-GW is a LGGSN (Local GGSN) and is associated to or collocated with a HNB or NB.

7. A method according to claim 5, wherein the DNS server requests the LP-GW for a NAT for the destination address within the local network or within the PDN, if there is no DNS proxy functionality at the LP-GW.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein a DNS proxy functionality is implemented at LP-GW or at the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the HeNB or eNB or a LP-GW has a Twice-NAT functionality for translating the addresses of both source and destination into two different addresses, a SrcNAT (Source Network Address Translation) address and DestNAT address, respectively.

10. A method according to claim 1 wherein, without the involvement of LP-GW or HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB, the DNS server directly provides the DestNAT address of the LP-GW or HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB, which is obtained by the DNS server from the LP-GW or HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB via some other means.

11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the P-GW is a GGSN and the S-GW is a SGSN.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the HeNB or HNB or eNB or NB or an LP-GW supports a tunneling mechanism to the UE.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein a network layer of the UE maintains a per-connection or flow state to decide whether a traffic should be tunneled or not.

14. A method according to claim 1, wherein the UE supports a source routing mechanism.

15. A method according to claim 1, wherein two addresses are indicated in the DNS response, the address of the LP-GW or a local GW, routable within the core network, and the destination address within the local network or within the PDN.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein said DNS server selects and indicates—

upon a DNS request by the UE—

in a DNS response to the UE which APN to use for a particular traffic or flow or connection, if the UE has or supports multiple PDP (Packet Data Protocol) context/PDN connections with different APNs.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein at least one PDP context/PDN connection is dedicated for LIPA and/or SIPTO.

18. A method according to claim 16, wherein the DNS server has prior knowledge on available APNs or PDP contexts/PDN connections.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the DNS server bases its APN selection on parameters or metrics that prioritize the available APN or APNs.

20. A method according to claim 16, wherein the UE, due to an indication or flag in a DNS response, does not cache results of DNS responses subject to local network protocol access and/or selected network protocol traffic offload and preferably fully disables DNS caching for respective APNs.

21. A method according to claim 16, wherein the UE is involved in the final selection process of the APN or PDP context/PDN connection to be used for the traffic routing.

22. A network structure comprising:

a local network comprising a first element, the first element including a home evolved Node B (HeNB) or home Node B (HNB) or evolved Node B (eNB) or Node B (NB);

a packet data network (PDN) connected to the local network via the first element;

an operator core network connected to the local network via the first element, the operator core network including a DNS server;

a user equipment (UE) that is associated with said first element,

said DNS server configured to;

receive a DNS message sent by the UE requesting an IP address for establishing a traffic flow from the UE to a destination IP address, where the request includes access point names (APNs) that are available to the UE;

determine whether the traffic flow is to be routed via the core network OR directly via the PDN in support of local network protocol access or selected network protocol traffic offload, the determination based on a predefinable routing policy;

select routing information to be communicated in response to the DNS request based on the determination, where the routing information includes an APN that is selected by the DNS server for use with the traffic flow;

send a DNS response message to the UE, the DNS response including the selected routing information,

wherein said first element configured to establish, in response to receiving the DNS response message, a tunnel from the first element to a PDN-Gateway (P-GW) or serving gateway (S-GW) of the core network; and

said UE configured to store per-flow state information indicating whether traffic associated with the flow should be tunneled or not.