Information exchange between gateways for route optimization with network-based mobility management
View Patent ↗The invention relates to a method for informing two access gateways about each other's presence and identity, in order to establish a data path between them, thereby shortening the overall data path of data packets exchanged between two mobile nodes (MN), that are located in different networks. In particular, each access gateway is provided with the other gateway's address and additionally with the other MN's address for forwarding by the access gateway those data packets destined to the other MN to the other access gateway. A combination of Session Initiation Protocol messages (Invite and Ringing) and route optimization messages are used, so as to confer the information on the gateway's ID and MN's address to the gateways.
1. A method for informing a first access gateway, attaching a mobile node to a first network, about the identity of a second access gateway, attaching a correspondent node to a second network, comprising the steps of:
informing the correspondent node about the identity of the second access gateway, by using messages for a session initiation between the mobile node and the correspondent node, the informing of the correspondent node about the identity of the second access gateway by using messages for the session initiation not being provided directly by the mobile node to the correspondent node,
informing the mobile node about the identity of the second access gateway using messages of a first route optimization procedure initiated by the correspondent node with the mobile node, the informing of the mobile node about the identity of the second access gateway using messages of the first route optimization procedure not being provided directly by the correspondent node to the mobile node,
and
extracting by the first access gateway the identity of the second access gateway from a message, comprising the identity of the second access gateway, transmitted from the mobile node to the correspondent node.
2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
informing the mobile node about the identity of the first access gateway, by using messages for the session initiation between the mobile node and the correspondent node, the informing of the mobile node about the identity of the first access gateway by using messages for the session initiation not being provided directly by the correspondent node to the mobile node,
informing the correspondent node about the identity of the first access gateway by using messages of a second route optimization procedure initiated by the mobile node with the correspondent node, the informing of the correspondent node about the identity of the first access gateway by using messages of the second route optimization procedure not being provided directly by the mobile node to the correspondent node, and
extracting by the second access gateway the identity of the first access gateway from another message, comprising the identity of the first access gateway, transmitted from the correspondent node to the mobile node.
3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the message, comprising the identity of the second access gateway, transmitted from the mobile node to the correspondent node, is part of the second route optimization procedure.
4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the step of:
establishing a data path between the first and the second access gateway by routing in the second/first access gateway data packets destined to the mobile/correspondent node to the first/second access gateway using the extracted identities of the first and second access gateway.
5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the step of establishing a data path between the first and second access gateway comprises performing a route optimization procedure between the first and second access gateway.
6. The method according to claim 4 , wherein after the first route optimization, initiated by the correspondent node, the mobile node is informed about the location-dependent address of the correspondent node, and wherein the step of extracting by the first access gateway the identity of the second access gateway also extracts the location-dependent address of the correspondent node, and
wherein the step of establishing the data path between the first and second access gateway comprises generating in the first access gateway a first routing entry for data packets, associating the location-dependent address of the correspondent node with an address of the second access gateway.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein after the second route optimization initiated by the mobile node, the second mobile is informed about the location-dependent address of the mobile node, and wherein the step of extracting by the second access gateway the identity of the first access gateway also extracts the location-dependent address of the mobile node, and
wherein the step of establishing the data path between the first and second access gateway comprises generating in the second access gateway a second routing entry for data packets, associating the location-dependent address of the mobile node with an address of the first access gateway.
8. A communication method, comprising the steps of:
attaching a mobile node to a first network via a first access gateway,
attaching a correspondent node to a second network via a second access gateway,
informing a first administration server of the mobile node about the identity of the second access gateway by using messages for a session initiation between the mobile node and the correspondent node, and
informing by the first administration server the first access gateway about the identity of the second access gateway.
9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
informing a second administration server of the correspondent node about the identity of the first access gateway by using messages for the session initiation between the mobile node and the correspondent node,
informing by the second administration server the second access gateway about the identity of the second access gateway.
10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
informing by the first administration server the first access gateway about a location-dependent address of the correspondent node,
generating in the first access gateway a first routing entry for data packets, associating the location-dependent address of the correspondent node with an address of the second access gateway,
informing by the second administration server the second access gateway about a location-dependent address of the correspondent node,
generating in the second access gateway a second routing entry for data packets, associating the location-dependent address of the correspondent node with an address of the second access gateway.
11. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising the steps of:
initiating and performing by the mobile node a first route optimization procedure with the correspondent node, and
initiating and performing by the correspondent node a second route optimization procedure with the mobile node.