Method and apparatus to facilitate the closure of mobility tunnels
View Patent ↗According to one embodiment, a method involves receiving an incoming media access control (MAC) frame that includes a header, a frame body and an error detection field. Thereafter, an information element within the frame body is analyzed to determine whether to alter a mobility tunnel between a plurality of networking devices.
1. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium encoded with a frame adapted for transmission from a wireless device to a first networking device over a link with the first networking device in communication with a second networking device over a mobility tunnel, the frame comprising:
a header; and
a frame body including an information element to solely initiate closure of the mobility tunnel, said mobility tunnel established between a first and second Internet Protocol (IP) subnets so that as said wireless device roams from the first IP subnet to the second IP subnet said wireless device maintains its IP address associated with said first IP subnet, the information element of the frame body comprises an Internet Protocol (IP) Address flag set due to a non-active state of at least one IP application executed between said wireless device and said first networking device via the IP address associated with the first IP subnet, the set IP Address flag thereby causing the second networking device to close the mobility tunnel between the first networking device and the second networking device and establish a new IP address of the wireless device, and a subnet mask, wherein said mobility tunnel established between the respective first and second IP subnets allows the wireless device to maintain the IP address associated with said first IP subnet.
2. The frame of claim 1 , wherein the frame header including a frame control field having a type field with a value of “00” and a subtype field with a value of “0010”.
3. A method comprising:
receiving a frame at a first networking device associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) subnet, the frame being a Reassociation Request management frame in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard;
analyzing an IP Address flag within the frame by determining whether the IP Address flag set due to a non-active state of at least one IP application executed between a wireless device and a second networking device via an IP address associated with a second IP subnet; and
based on the set IP Address flag, initiating closure, by the first networking device, of a mobility tunnel established between the respective first and second IP subnets, wherein said mobility tunnel established between the first and second IP subnets allows the wireless device to maintain the IP address associated with said first IP subnet as the wireless device roams from the first IP subnet to the second IP subnet.
4. A method comprising:
generating a Reassociation Request management frame by a wireless device;
setting a flag of a predetermined information element within the frame;
transmitting the Reassociation Request management frame by the wireless device to a first networking device associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) subnet;
receiving the frame by the first networking device;
analyzing the flag of the predetermined information element within the frame, the flag of the predetermined information element of the frame body, wherein the flag is set due to a non-active state of at least one IP application executed between the wireless device and a second networking device via an IP address associated with a second IP subnet, wherein the predetermined information element comprises an IP Address flag to solely initiate closure of the mobility tunnel; and
based on the set IP Address flag, closing a mobility tunnel between the first networking device and a second networking device, wherein said mobility tunnel is established between the respective first and second IP subnets so that as the wireless device roams from the second IP subnet to the first IP subnet said wireless device is able to maintain the IP address associated with said second IP subnet.
5. A method comprising:
receiving an incoming media access control (MAC) frame, the MAC frame including a header, a frame body and an error detection field;
analyzing whether data in an information element within the frame body is set due to a non-active state of at least one Internet Protocol (IP) application executed between a wireless device and a first networking device via an IP address associated with a first IP subnet, wherein presence of set data due to the non-active state of the at least one IP application causes initiation of closure of a mobility tunnel between at least the first networking device and a second networking device associated with a second IP subnet, said mobility tunnel established between the respective first and second IP subnets so that as the wireless device roams from the first IP subnet to the second IP subnet said wireless device is able to maintain the IP address associated with said first IP subnet, the information element of the frame body comprises an IP Address flag to solely initiate closure of the mobility tunnel; and
altering the mobility tunnel between at least the first networking device and the second networking device based on the data within the predetermined information element, wherein the altering of the mobility tunnel between at least the first networking device and the second networking device includes closing of the mobility tunnel and opening a new mobility tunnel between the first networking device and the second networking device.
6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the altering of the mobility tunnel between at least the first networking device and the second networking device further includes opening a new mobility tunnel between the first networking device and a third networking device.
7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the analyzing of the information element includes determining whether an Internet Protocol (IP) Address Change flag within the information element has been set, the IP Address Change flag indicating that a wireless device transmitting the MAC address has no further need for an IP address maintained by the second networking device.
8. The method of claim 5 , wherein the mobility tunnel is closed if the IP Address Change flag of the information element is set.
9. A method comprising:
receiving an incoming media access control (MAC) frame at a first networking device associated with a first Internet Protocol (IP) subnet, the MAC frame being a Reassociation Request management frame in accordance with an IEEE 802.11 standard and including a header, a frame body and an error detection field;
analyzing whether an information element within the frame body is set due to a non-active state of at least one IP application executed between a wireless device and a second networking device via an IP address associated with a second IP subnet, wherein the set data due to the non-active state of the at least one IP application further causes initiation of closure of a mobility tunnel between at least the respective first and second networking devices, wherein said mobility tunnel is established between the first and second Internet Protocol (IP) subnets to allow the wireless device to maintain the IP address associated with said second IP subnet as the wireless device roams from the second IP subnet to the first IP subnet; wherein the information element of the frame body comprises an IP Address flag to solely initiate closure of the mobility tunnel; and
altering the mobility tunnel between at least a first networking device and a second networking device based on the data within the predetermined information element, the altering of the mobility tunnel between at least the first networking device and the second networking device includes closing of the mobility tunnel.