Methods, apparatuses, related computer program product and data structure for distributed storage of service provision-related information
View Patent ↗A method and related apparatus determine, at a serving entity, whether a memory resource of the serving entity is insufficient for storing service provision-related information required for service provision from the serving entity to a served entity. Then the serving entity transmits, after the determination, the service provision-related information to the served entity based on a result of the determination; and a method (and related apparatus) provides for receiving, at a served entity, the service provision-related information, holding the received service provision-related information, and transmitting, from the served entity to the serving entity, the held service provision-related information.
1. A method for distributed storage of service provision related information, which comprises:
determining, at a serving entity, whether or not a memory resource of the serving entity is insufficient for storing service provision-related information required for service provision from the serving entity to at least one of a plurality of served entities;
selecting old or unused service provision related information stored in the memory resource; and
transmitting, from the serving entity, the selected service provision-related information to one of the plurality of served entities previously using said selected service provision related information.
2. The method according to claim 1 , which further comprises receiving the service provision-related information from the served entity.
3. The method according to claim 2 , which further comprises deciding whether or not to accept the received service provision-related information based on at least one of a policy or a state of the memory resource.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining step further comprises:
after the transmitting step, deleting the unused portions.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the following applies:
the service provision-related information is mapping information;
the mapping information is a definition of a mapping between an endpoint identifier and a locator;
the mapping information further includes a time stamp;
messaging between the serving entity and a served entity is constituted by at least one extension to a context transfer protocol;
messaging between the serving entity and a served entity is secured using secure neighbor discovery; and
a mobility event is one of a roaming operation and a handover operation.
6. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving, at the served entity, the service provision-related information required for service provision from the serving entity to the served entity;
holding the received service provision-related information; and
transmitting, from the served entity to the serving entity, the held service provision-related information.
7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the service-provision-related information comprises a list of previously used service provision-related information.
8. The method according to claim 7 , which comprises obtaining the list by provisioning from one of a dynamic host configuration protocol, an access, authorization, and accounting server and browser history information.
9. The method according to claim 7 , which comprises obtaining the list from at least one previously visited serving entity.
10. The method according to claim 9 , which further comprises resolving destination information in the list so as to obtain the service provision-related information.
11. The method according to claim 6 , which further comprises:
checking whether service provision-related information is present at the serving entity; and
if a result of the checking step is affirmative, setting an inactive state of the service provision-related information so as not to transmit the service provision-related information; and
if the result of the checking step is negative, setting an active state of the service provision-related information after the transmitting step.
12. The method according to claim 6 , which comprises performing the transmitting step prior to a transmission of a first data packet pertaining to a service indicated by the service provision-related information.
13. The method according to claim 6 , wherein at least one of the following applies:
the service provision-related information is mapping information;
the mapping information is a definition of a mapping between an endpoint identifier and a locator;
the mapping information further includes a time stamp;
messaging between the serving entity and a served entity is constituted by at least one extension to a context transfer protocol;
messaging between the serving entity and a served entity is secured using secure neighbor discovery; and
a mobility event is one of a roaming operation and a handover operation.
14. An apparatus for distributed storage of service provision related information, comprising:
means for determining whether or not a memory resource of the serving entity is insufficient for storing service provision-related information required for service provision from the serving entity to at least one of a plurality of served entities;
means for selecting old or unused service provision related information stored in the memory resource; and
means for transmitting the selected service provision-related information from the serving entity to the served entity previously using said selected service provision related information.
15. The apparatus according to claim 14 , further comprising means for receiving, from the served entity, the service provision-related information.
16. The apparatus according to claim 15 , further comprising means for deciding acceptance of the received service provision-related information based on at least one of a policy or a state of the memory resource.
17. The apparatus according to claim 14 , wherein said determining means further comprises:
means for deleting, after a transmission of the service provision-related information, the unused portions.
18. An apparatus for distributed storage of service provision related information, comprising:
means for receiving, at at least one of a plurality of served entities, service provision-related information required for service provision from a serving entity to the served entity;
means for holding the received service provision-related information;
means for transmitting, from the served entity to the serving entity, the held service provision-related information; and
in response to a selection of old or unused service provision related information stored in a memory resource of the serving entity, receiving the selected service provision related information at at least one served entity that previously used it.
19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the service-provision-related information comprises a list of previously used service provision-related information.
20. The apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the list is obtained by provisioning from one of a dynamic host configuration protocol, an access, authorization, and accounting server and browser history information.
21. The apparatus according to claim 19 , further comprising means for resolving destination information in the list so as to obtain the service provision-related information.
22. The apparatus according to claim 18 , further comprising:
means for checking whether service provision-related information is present at the serving entity; and
means for setting, if a result of the checking is affirmative, an inactive state of the service provision-related information so as not to transmit the service provision-related information, and, if the result of the checking is negative, an active state of the service provision-related information after the transmitting performed by the transmitting means.
23. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the transmitting means is configured to transmit prior to transmission of a first data packet pertaining to a service indicated by the service provision-related information.
24. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein at least one of the following applies:
the service provision-related information is mapping information;
the mapping information is a definition of a mapping between an endpoint identifier and a locator;
the mapping information includes a time stamp;
messaging between the serving entity and the served entity is constituted by at least one extension to a context transfer protocol;
messaging between the serving entity and the served entity is secured using secure neighbor discovery; and
the mobility event is one of a roaming operation or a handover operation.
25. The apparatus according to claim 14 , implemented in a serving entity or a gateway entity.
26. The apparatus according to claim 18 , implemented in a client entity, a user equipment, a host entity, or a mobile host entity.
27. A computer program product, comprising computer-executable code stored in non-transitory form and configured to perform the method according to claim 1 when read in and executed on a processor.
28. A computer program product, comprising computer-executable code stored in non-transitory form and configured to perform the method according to claim 6 when read in and executed on a processor.