Base station apparatus, communication method and mobile communication system for restraining traffic quantity
To provide a technology capable of reducing a processing load on a base station controller and restraining a traffic quantity within a mobile communication system. A base station apparatus connected to a base station controller has a first establishing unit establishing a first logic communication path between the base station apparatus and the base station controller; a second establishing unit establishing a second logic communication path between the base station apparatus and another base station apparatus; and a forwarding unit forwarding data, transmitted and received with the another base station apparatus and the base station controller serving as terminal points, as data of another base station apparatus via the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path.
1. A base station apparatus coupled to a base station controller, comprising:
a processor to execute processes including:
establishing a first logic communication path between the base station apparatus and the base station controller;
establishing a second logic communication path between the base station apparatus and another base station apparatus;
forwarding, by a forwarding circuit, data, transmitted and received with the another base station apparatus and the base station controller serving as terminal points, as data of the another base station via the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path;
setting, within the first logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit the data transmitted and received with the base station apparatus and the base station controller serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data of the another base station apparatus;
setting, within the second logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit the data transmitted and received as inter-base-station data with the base station apparatus and the another base station apparatus serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data of the another base station apparatus;
storing a combination of identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data of the another base station apparatus that is set within the first logic communication path and identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data of the another base station apparatus that is set within the second logic communication path in a forwarding table; and
forwarding the data of the another base station apparatus in the received pieces of data on the basis of the communication pipe identifying information set in the received pieces of data and the forwarding table.
2. The base station apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID,
the processor sets a least significant bit of the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmitting the data of the another base station apparatus in a second SCTP association of the SCTP associations as a determinant bit specifying the data of the another base station apparatus, and determines whether the received data is the data of the another base station apparatus or not by checking the determinant bit of the stream ID set in the received pieces of data.
3. The base station apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID, and
the processor allocates, in a first SCTP association of the SCTP associations, the same value to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmission in SCTP streams for transmitting the data of the another base station apparatus and to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for reception.
4. The base station apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are security associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is a GTP tunnel,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a tunnel end point ID, and
the processor generates the forwarding table based on a self-generated tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the base station controller, a tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the another base station apparatus, a tunnel end point ID sent from the another base station apparatus as the inter-base-station data and generated by the base station controller, and a tunnel end point ID generated by the another base station apparatus.
5. A communication method executed by a mobile communication system including a plurality of base station apparatuses and a base station controller, the method comprising:
establishing a first logic communication path between a master apparatus in the plurality of base station apparatuses and the base station controller;
establishing a second logic communication path between the master apparatus and a slave apparatus in the plurality of base station apparatuses;
making the master apparatus forward data, transmitted and received with the slave apparatus and the base station controller serving as terminal points, as data for the slave apparatus via the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path;
setting, within the first logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit, as for the master apparatus, the data transmitted and received with the master apparatus and the base station controller serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus;
setting, within the second logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit inter-base-station data transmitted and received with the master apparatus and the slave apparatus serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus;
storing a combination of identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus that is set within the first logic communication path and identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus that is set within the second logic communication path in a forwarding table; and
forwarding the data for the slave apparatus in the received pieces of data on the basis of the communication pipe identifying information set in the received pieces of data and the forwarding table.
6. The communication method according to claim 5 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID,
the method further comprises setting a least significant bit of the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmitting the data for the slave apparatus in a second SCTP association of the SCTP associations as a determinant bit specifying the data for the salve apparatus, and determining whether the received data is the data for the slave apparatus or not by checking the determinant bit of the stream ID set in the received pieces of data.
7. The communication method according to claim 5 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID, and
the method further comprises allocating, in a first SCTP association of the SCTP associations, the same value to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmission in SCTP streams for transmitting the data for the slave apparatus and to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for reception.
8. The communication method according to claim 5 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are security associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is a GTP tunnel,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a tunnel end point ID, and
the method further comprises generating the forwarding table based on a self-generated tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the base station controller, a tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the slave apparatus, a tunnel end point ID sent from the slave apparatus as the inter-base-station data and generated by the base station controller, and a tunnel end point ID generated by the slave apparatus.
9. The mobile communication system, comprising:
a plurality of base station apparatuses; and
a base station controller,
a master apparatus in the plurality of base station apparatuses, to execute processes including:
establishing a first logic communication path between the master apparatus and the base station controller;
establishing a second logic communication path between the master apparatus and a slave apparatus in the plurality of base station apparatuses;
forwarding data, transmitted and received with the slave apparatus and the base station controller serving as terminal points, as data for the slave apparatus via the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path;
setting, within the first logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit, as for the master apparatus, the data transmitted and received with the master apparatus and the base station controller serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus;
setting, within the second logic communication path, a communication pipe via which to transmit inter-base-station data transmitted and received with the master apparatus and the slave apparatus serving as the terminal points and a communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus;
storing a combination of identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus that is set within the first logic communication path and identifying information specifying the communication pipe via which to transmit the data for the slave apparatus that is set within the second logic communication path in a forwarding table; and
forwarding the data for the slave apparatus in the received pieces of data on the basis of the communication pipe identifying information set in the received pieces of data and the forwarding table.
10. The mobile communication system according to claim 9 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID,
the master apparatus sets a least significant bit of the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmitting the data for the slave apparatus in a second SCTP association of the SCTP associations as a determinant bit specifying the data for the salve apparatus, and
the master apparatus determines whether the received data is the data for the slave apparatus or not by checking the determinant bit of the stream ID set in the received pieces of data.
11. The mobile communication system according to claim 9 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are SCTP associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is an SCTP stream,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a stream ID, and
the master apparatus allocates, in a first SCTP association of the SCTP associations, the same value to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for transmission in SCTP streams for transmitting the data for the slave apparatus and to the stream ID of the SCTP stream for reception.
12. The mobile communication system according to claim 9 , wherein the first logic communication path and the second logic communication path are security associations, and at least one communication pipe of the communication pipe corresponding to the first logic communication path and the communication pipe corresponding to the second logic communication path is a GTP tunnel,
the identifying information specifying the communication pipe is a tunnel end point ID, and
the master apparatus generates the forwarding table based on a self-generated tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the base station controller, a tunnel end point ID of the tunnel end point in the direction of the slave apparatus, a tunnel end point ID sent from the slave apparatus as the inter-base-station data and generated by the base station controller, and a tunnel end point ID generated by the slave apparatus.