Access context management for macro-level mobility management registration in an access network

Abstract

In an access network which supports a mobile IP protocol, a packet data protocol context is opened at support node and a gateway node in order to establish a connection between a mobile node and a mobile IP foreign agent located at the gateway node. A mobile IP registration over the connection is initiated. The gateway node monitors whether the registration is successful or fails. The PDP context is deleted, if the registration irrecoverably fails. If the registration was unsuccessful but a retry could be successful, the PDP context may not deleted, but the registration is retried.

Description

[0001]This is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 030,538, filed on Jan. 11, 2002, which is the U.S. National Stage of PCT / FI00 / 00640, filed on Jul. 11, 2000, which, in turn, relies for priority upon Finnish Application No. 99 / 1597, filed on Jul. 12, 1999, the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The invention relates to the management of access context in an access network, in connection with a macro-level mobility management registration, such as a Mobile IP registration.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]A mobile communications system refers generally to any telecommunications system which enables wireless communication when users are moving within the service area of the system. A typical mobile communications system is a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). Often the mobile communications network is an access network providing a user with wireless access to external networks, hosts, or servic...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021]The present invention avoids the unnecessary use of access network resources after a failed macro mobility registration. It also has the advantage of reduced signaling in comparison with a case where a mobile node / station first deletes the mobile IP entities and then the PDP contexts some time after the failed registration.

Problems solved by technology

The basic IP concept does not support the mobility of the user: the IP addresses are assigned to network interfaces depending on their physical location.

A very mobile MS might perform several inter-SGSN HOs during a long session, which may cause an inefficient routing.

The problem is that because the mobile IP signaling is transferred on the user plane, the underlying access network nodes, such as the RNC and the SGSN, have no possibility to know whether the registration was successful or not.

Thus, if the agent registration procedure fails, the underlying infrastructure is totally ignorant of the failure.

This causes the unused PDP context to remain open and to use the resources unnecessarily.

In the inter-GGSN (or inter-FA) handover described above, an additional problem arises.

Similar problems may be encountered in any mobility management on a system level overlaying the access network.

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