Method for specifying type of mac address with dynamic assignment mechanism

Abstract

To provide a method for setting a MAC address to a WTRU based on context information.SOLUTION: A method includes receiving context information from infrastructure equipment and selecting a SLAP quadrant for MAC address allocation. The selecting may be based on the context information received from the infrastructure equipment, which may be a bootstrapping server for a WTRU. The method may further comprise transmitting, to a DHCP server, a DHCP message indicating the selected SLAP quadrant, and receiving, in response to the transmitted DHCP message, a MAC address to be configured to the WTRU. The context information includes the number of nodes in a network, a type of network deployment, a type of network, a mobility configuration, a type of device management, a battery lifetime, a location or privacy configuration.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3A

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 794,148, filed January 18, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Summary of the Invention

[0002] The method performed by a wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) may comprise receiving context information from infrastructure equipment and selecting a structured local address plan (SLAP) quadrant for media access control (MAC) address allocation. The selection may be based on the context information received from the infrastructure equipment, which may be a bootstrap server of the WTRU. The method may further comprise sending a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) message to a DHCP server indicating the selected SLAP quadrant. In response to the sent DHCP message, a MAC address may be received and configured in the WTRU. The context information may include, but is not limited to, a number of nodes in the network, a type of network deployment, a type of network, a mobility configuration, a type of device management, a battery life, a location, or a privacy configuration.

[0003] A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference symbols indicate similar elements and in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0004] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A is a system diagram illustrating an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A, in accordance with an embodiment. [Figure 1C] FIG. 1C is a system diagram illustrating an example radio access network (RAN) and an example core network (CN) that may be used within the communications system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to an embodiment. [Figure 1D] FIG. 1D is a system diagram illustrating a further exemplary RAN and a further exemplary CN that may be used within the communication system illustrated in FIG. 1A, according to an embodiment. [Figure 2A] FIG. 2A is an exemplary structure showing the four least significant bits of a 48-bit MAC address. [Figure 2B] FIG. 2B is a table outlining the characteristics of the four SLAP quadrants identified using the Y and Z bits. [Figure 3A] FIG. 3A is a depiction of several Internet of Things (IoT) networks interfacing with a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) architecture. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a depiction of a large data center interfacing with a DHCP architecture. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 illustrates the signaling for IoT quadrant selection in both standalone and infrastructure-assisted decision modes. [Diagram 5] FIG. 5 is a decision flowchart for quadrant selection in an embodiment of an IoT terminal. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a DHCPv6 signaling flow diagram with client-server extensions. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a DHCPv6 signaling flow diagram with client-relay-server extension. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a depiction of the quadrant (IA-LL) option format. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a depiction of the Additional CID (IA-LL) option format. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0005] 1A illustrates an example communication system 100 in which one or more disclosed embodiments can be implemented. The communication system 100 can be a multi-access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communication system 100 can enable the multiple wireless users to access such content through sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communication system 100 can employ one or more channel access schemes, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), Zero-Tailed Unique Word Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (ZT-UW-DFT-S-OFDM), Unique Word OFDM (UW-OFDM), Resource Block Filtered OFDM, Filter Bank Multi-Carrier (FBMC), etc.

[0006] 1A, the communications system 100 may include wireless transmit receive units (WTRUs) 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d, a radio access network (RAN) 104, a core network (CN) 106, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 108, the Internet 110, and other networks 112, although it will be understood that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and / or network elements. Each of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may be any type of device configured to operate and / or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d (any of which may be referred to as a station (STA)) may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a subscription-based unit, a pager, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, a hotspot or Mi-Fi device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronics devices, device networks operating with commercial and / or industrial wireless, etc. Any of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d may be referred to interchangeably as a UE.

[0007] The communication system 100 may also include a base station 114a and / or a base station 114b. Each of the base stations 114a, 114b may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the CN 106, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. By way of example, the base stations 114a, 114b may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node B, an eNode B (eNB), a home Node B, a home eNode B, a gNode B (gNB), a next generation Node B such as a new radio (NR) Node B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, etc. Although the base stations 114a, 114b are each illustrated as a single element, it will be understood that the base stations 114a, 114b may include any number of interconnected base stations and / or network elements.

[0008] The base station 114a may be part of the RAN 104, which may also include other base stations and / or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station 114a and / or the base station 114b may be configured to transmit and / or receive wireless signals on one or more carrier frequencies, which may be referred to as cells (not shown). These frequencies may be licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. A cell may provide wireless service coverage to a particular geographic area that may be relatively fixed or may change over time. A cell may be further divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station 114a may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station 114a may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In an embodiment, the base station 114a may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology and may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. For example, beamforming can be used to transmit and / or receive signals in a desired spatial direction.

[0009] The base stations 114a, 114b may communicate with one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d over an air interface 116, which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, centimeter wave, microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface 116 may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT).

[0010] More specifically, as noted above, the communications system 100 may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, etc. For example, the base stations 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c of the RAN 104 may implement a radio technology, such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communications protocols, such as High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA) and / or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High Speed ​​Downlink (DL) Packet Access (HSDPA) and / or High Speed ​​Uplink (UL) Packet Access (HSUPA).

[0011] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface 116 using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and / or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and / or LTE-Advanced Pro (LTE-A Pro).

[0012] In one embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a radio technology such as NR radio access, which may establish the air interface 116 using NR.

[0013] In an embodiment, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement multiple radio access technologies. For example, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement LTE radio access and NR radio access together, e.g., using a dual connectivity (DC) principle. Thus, the air interface utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be characterized by multiple types of radio access technologies and / or transmissions sent to and from multiple types of base stations (e.g., eNBs and gNBs).

[0014] In other embodiments, the base station 114a and the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a wireless technology such as IEEE 802.11 (i.e., Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Global Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), or the like.

[0015] The base station 114b of FIG. 1A may be, for example, a wireless router, a Home Node-B, a Home eNode-B, or an access point, and may utilize any suitable RAT to facilitate wireless connectivity in a local area, such as an office, a home, a vehicle, a campus, an industrial facility, an air corridor (e.g., for use by drones), a road, etc. In one embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology, such as IEEE 802.11, to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In an embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may implement a radio technology, such as IEEE 802.15, to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station 114b and the WTRUs 102c, 102d may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. 1A, the base station 114b may be directly connected to the Internet 110. Thus, the base station 114b may not need to access the Internet 110 through the CN 106.

[0016] The RAN 104 may communicate with the CN 106, which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, application, and / or Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services to one or more WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d. The data may have various Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, such as different throughput requirements, delay requirements, error tolerance requirements, reliability requirements, data throughput requirements, mobility requirements, etc. The CN 106 may provide call control, charging services, mobile location-based services, prepaid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and / or perform high level security functions such as user authentication. Although not shown in FIG. 1A, it will be understood that the RAN 104 and / or the CN 106 may communicate directly or indirectly with other RANs that use the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN 104, which may utilize NR radio technology, the CN 106 may also communicate with another RAN (not shown) that uses GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, WiMAX, E-UTRA, or WiFi radio technologies.

[0017] The CN 106 may also function as a gateway for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d to access the PSTN 108, the Internet 110, and / or other networks 112. The PSTN 108 may include a circuit-switched telephone network providing plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet 110 may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), and / or the Internet Protocol (IP) of the TCP / IP Internet protocol suite. The networks 112 may include wired and / or wireless communication networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. For example, the networks 112 may include another CN connected to one or more RANs, which may use the same RAT as the RAN 104 or a different RAT.

[0018] Some or all of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d in the communications system 100 may include multi-mode capabilities (e.g., the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, 102d may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links). For example, the WTRU 102c shown in FIG. 1A may be configured to communicate with a base station 114a, which may employ a cellular-based wireless technology, and with a base station 114b, which may employ an IEEE 802 wireless technology.

[0019] 1B is a system diagram illustrating an example WTRU 102. As shown in FIG. 1B, the WTRU 102 may include, among other things, a processor 118, a transceiver 120, a transmit / receive element 122, a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, a display / touchpad 128, non-removable memory 130, removable memory 132, a power source 134, a Global Positioning System (GPS) chipset 136, and / or other peripherals 138. It will be understood that the WTRU 102 may include any subcombination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0020] The processor 118 may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors associated with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), other types of integrated circuits (ICs), a state machine, etc. The processor 118 may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input / output processing, and / or any other functionality that enables the WTRU 102 to operate in a wireless environment. The processor 118 may be coupled to the transceiver 120, which may be coupled to the transmit / receive element 122. Although FIG. 1B depicts the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 as separate components, it will be understood that the processor 118 and the transceiver 120 may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip.

[0021] The transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit signals to or receive signals from a base station (e.g., base station 114a) over the air interface 116. For example, in one embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an antenna configured to transmit and / or receive RF signals. In an embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be an emitter / detector configured to transmit and / or receive, for example, IR, UV, or visible light signals. In yet another embodiment, the transmit / receive element 122 may be configured to transmit and / or receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit / receive element 122 can be configured to transmit and / or receive any combination of wireless signals.

[0022] 1B as a single element, the WTRU 102 may include any number of transmit / receive elements 122. More specifically, the WTRU 102 may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU 102 may include two or more transmit / receive elements 122 (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface 116.

[0023] The transceiver 120 may be configured to modulate signals transmitted by the transmit / receive element 122 and demodulate signals received by the transmit / receive element 122. As mentioned above, the WTRU 102 may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver 120 may include multiple transceivers to enable the WTRU 102 to communicate via multiple RATs, such as, for example, NR and IEEE 802.11.

[0024] The processor 118 of the WTRU 102 may be coupled to and may receive user input data from a speaker / microphone 124, a keypad 126, and / or a display / touchpad 128 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor 118 may also output user data to the speaker / microphone 124, the keypad 126, and / or the display / touchpad 128. Additionally, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in any type of suitable memory, such as a non-removable memory 130 and / or a removable memory 132. The non-removable memory 130 may include a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory 132 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, or the like. In other embodiments, the processor 118 may access information from and store data in memory that is not physically located on the WTRU 102, such as a server or home computer (not shown).

[0025] The processor 118 may receive power from the power source 134 and may be configured to distribute and / or control the power to other components within the WTRU 102. The power source 134 may be any suitable device for providing power to the WTRU 102. For example, the power source 134 may include one or more dry batteries (e.g., nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, etc.

[0026] The processor 118 may also be coupled to a GPS chipset 136, which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding a current location of the WTRU 102. In addition to or instead of information from the GPS chipset 136, the WTRU 102 may receive location information from a base station (e.g., base stations 114a, 114b) over the air interface 116 and / or may determine its location based on the timing of signals received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU 102 may obtain location information by way of any suitable position determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment.

[0027] The processor 118 can be further coupled to other peripherals 138 that can include one or more software and / or hardware modules that provide additional features, functions, and / or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals 138 can include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photos and / or videos), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands-free headset, a Bluetooth module, a frequency modulation (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, a virtual reality and / or augmented reality (VR / AR) device, an activity tracker, and the like. The peripherals 138 can include one or more sensors. The sensors can be one or more of a gyroscope, an accelerometer, a Hall effect sensor, a magnetometer, a direction sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, a time sensor, a geolocation sensor, an altimeter, a light sensor, a touch sensor, a magnetometer, a barometer, a gesture sensor, a biometric sensor, a humidity sensor, and the like.

[0028] The WTRU 102 may include a full-duplex radio in which transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe) of both the UL (e.g., for transmission) and DL (e.g., for reception) may occur in parallel and / or simultaneously. The full-duplex radio may include an interference management unit to reduce and / or substantially eliminate self-interference either via hardware (e.g., a choke) or a processor (e.g., a separate processor (not shown) or signal processing via the processor 118). In an embodiment, the WRTU 102 may include a half-duplex radio for transmission and reception of some or all of the signals (e.g., associated with a particular subframe of either the UL (e.g., for transmission) or DL ​​(e.g., for reception)).

[0029] 1C is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As mentioned above, the RAN 104 can communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using E-UTRA radio technology. The RAN 104 can also communicate with the CN 106.

[0030] The RAN 104 may include eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, although it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of eNode-Bs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In one embodiment, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the eNode-B 160a may, for example, use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a.

[0031] Each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, etc. As shown in FIG 1C, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may communicate with each other via an X2 interface.

[0032] 1C may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 164, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (PGW) 166. Although the foregoing elements are shown as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0033] The MME 162 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 162a, 162b, 162c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the MME 162 may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, activating / deactivating bearers, selecting a particular serving gateway during initial attachment of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc. The MME 162 may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that use other radio technologies, such as GSM and / or WCDMA.

[0034] The SGW 164 may be connected to each of the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c in the RAN 104 via an S1 interface. The SGW 164 may generally route and forward user data packets to and from the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. The SGW 164 may perform other functions, such as fixing the user plane during inter-eNode-B handovers, triggering paging when DL data is available to the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, managing and storing context for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, etc.

[0035] The SGW 164 may be connected to a PGW 166, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices.

[0036] The CN 106 may facilitate communications with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN 108, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and traditional landline communications devices. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. Additionally, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers.

[0037] Although the WTRU is depicted in FIGS. 1A-1D as a wireless terminal, in certain representative embodiments it is contemplated that such a terminal may use a wired communications interface (e.g., temporarily or permanently) with the communications network.

[0038] In an exemplary embodiment, the other network 112 may be a WLAN.

[0039] A WLAN in infrastructure basic service set (BSS) mode may have an access point (AP) for the BSS and one or more stations (STAs) associated with the AP. The AP may have access or interface to a distribution system (DS) or another type of wired / wireless network that carries traffic into and / or out of the BSS. Traffic to the STAs originating from outside the BSS may arrive through the AP and be delivered to the STAs. Traffic originating from the STAs to destinations outside the BSS may be sent to the AP and delivered to the respective destination. Traffic between STAs in the BSS may be transmitted through the AP. For example, a source STA may transmit traffic to the AP and the AP may deliver the traffic to the destination STA. Traffic between STAs in the BSS may be considered and / or referred to as peer-to-peer traffic. Peer-to-peer traffic may be transmitted (e.g., directly) between the source STA and the destination STA using a direct link setup (DLS). In certain representative embodiments, the DLS may use 802.11e DLS or 802.11z Tunneled DLS (TDLS). A WLAN using an Independent BSS (IBSS) mode may not have an AP, and STAs within or using the IBSS (e.g., all STAs) may communicate directly with each other. The IBSS communication mode may be referred to herein as an "ad-hoc" communication mode.

[0040] When using 802.11ac infrastructure mode of operation or a similar mode of operation, the AP may transmit a beacon on a fixed channel, such as a primary channel. The primary channel may be a fixed width (e.g., 20 MHz wide bandwidth) or a dynamically set width. The primary channel may be an operating channel of the BSS and may be used by STAs to establish a connection with the AP. In a particular representative embodiment, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) may be implemented, for example, in an 802.11 system. With CSMA / CA, STAs (e.g., all STAs), including the AP, may sense the primary channel. If the primary channel is detected / sensed and / or determined to be busy by a particular STA, the particular STA may back off. One STA (e.g., only one station) may transmit at any time on a particular BSS.

[0041] High throughput (HT) STAs may use a 40 MHz wide channel for communication, for example, through a combination of a primary 20 MHz channel with adjacent or non-adjacent 20 MHz channels to form a 40 MHz wide channel.

[0042] A Very High Throughput (VHT) STA may support 20 MHz, 40 MHz, 80 MHz, and / or 160 MHz wide channels. A 40 MHz and / or 80 MHz channel may be formed by combining consecutive 20 MHz channels. A 160 MHz channel may be formed by combining eight consecutive 20 MHz channels or by combining two non-contiguous 80 MHz channels, which may be referred to as an 80+80 configuration. For the 80+80 configuration, after channel encoding, the data may pass through a segment parser that may split the data into two streams. Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) processing, and time domain processing may be performed on each stream separately. The streams may be mapped to two 80 MHz channels, and the data may be transmitted by the transmitting STA. At the receiver of the receiving STA, the above operations for the 80+80 configuration may be reversed, and the combined data may be transmitted to the medium access control (MAC).

[0043] Sub-1 GHz operating modes are supported by 802.11af and 802.11ah. The channel operating bandwidths and carriers are reduced in 802.11af and 802.11ah compared to those used in 802.11n and 802.11ac. 802.11af supports 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz bandwidths in the TV White Space (TVWS) spectrum, while 802.11ah supports 1 MHz, 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, and 16 MHz bandwidths using non-TVWS spectrum. According to representative embodiments, 802.11ah can support Metered Control / Machine Type Communications (MTC), such as MTC devices in macro coverage areas. MTC devices may have limited capabilities, including specific features, such as support (e.g., support only) of specific bandwidths and / or limited bandwidths. MTC devices may include batteries with battery life above a threshold (e.g., to maintain very long battery life).

[0044] WLAN systems that can support multiple channels and channel bandwidths, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11af, 802.11ah, etc., include a channel that can be designated as a primary channel. The primary channel may have a bandwidth equal to the largest common operating bandwidth supported by all STAs in the BSS. The bandwidth of the primary channel may be set and / or limited by the STA from among all STAs operating in the BSS that support the smallest bandwidth operating mode. In an 802.11ah example, the primary channel for a STA (such as an MTC-type device) that supports (e.g., only supports) 1 MHz mode may be 1 MHz wide, even if the AP and other STAs in the BSS support 2 MHz, 4 MHz, 8 MHz, 16 MHz, and / or other channel bandwidth operating modes. Carrier sensing and / or network allocation vector (NAV) setting may depend on the status of the primary channel. For example, if the primary channel is busy because a STA (which only supports a 1 MHz mode of operation) is transmitting to the AP, the entire available frequency band may be considered busy even if most of the available frequency band remains idle.

[0045] In the United States, the available frequency bands that can be used with 802.11ah are 902MHz to 928MHz. In South Korea, the available frequency bands are 917.5MHz to 923.5MHz. In Japan, the available frequency bands are 916.5MHz to 927.5MHz. The total available bandwidth for 802.11ah is 6MHz to 26MHz depending on the country code.

[0046] 1D is a system diagram illustrating the RAN 104 and the CN 106 according to an embodiment. As described above, the RAN 104 can communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116 using NR radio technology. The RAN 104 can also communicate with the CN 106.

[0047] The RAN 104 may include gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c, although it will be understood that the RAN 104 may include any number of gNBs while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c over the air interface 116. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement MIMO technology. For example, the gNBs 180a, 108b may utilize beamforming to transmit signals to and / or receive signals from the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c. Thus, the gNB 180a may transmit wireless signals to and / or receive wireless signals from the WTRU 102a, for example, using multiple antennas. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement carrier aggregation techniques. For example, the gNB 180a may transmit multiple component carriers to the WTRU 102a (not shown). A subset of these component carriers may be on an unlicensed spectrum, and the remaining component carriers may be on a licensed spectrum. In an embodiment, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may implement coordinated multipoint (CoMP) techniques. For example, the WTRU 102a may receive coordinated transmissions from the gNBs 180a and 180b (and / or gNB 180c).

[0048] The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using transmissions related to a scalable numerology. For example, the OFDM symbol spacing and / or OFDM subcarrier spacing may vary for different transmissions, different cells, and / or different portions of the wireless transmission spectrum. The WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using subframes or transmission time intervals (TTIs) of different or scalable lengths (e.g., absolute times of different lengths that include and / or last for different numbers of OFDM symbols).

[0049] The gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c can be configured to communicate with the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c in a standalone configuration and / or a non-standalone configuration. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c without accessing any other RAN (e.g., eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c, etc.). In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can utilize one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c as mobility anchor points. In a standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c can communicate with the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c using signals in unlicensed bands. In a non-standalone configuration, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may communicate / connect with a gNB 180a, 180b, 180c while communicating / connecting with another RAN, such as an eNode-B 160a, 160b, 160c. For example, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may implement a DC principle to communicate with one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c and one or more eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c substantially simultaneously. In a non-standalone configuration, the eNode-Bs 160a, 160b, 160c may act as a mobility anchor for the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, and the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may provide additional coverage and / or throughput for serving the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c.

[0050] Each of the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may be associated with a particular cell (not shown) and may be configured to handle radio resource management decisions, handover decisions, scheduling of users in the UL and / or DL, support for network slicing, DC, interworking between NR and E-UTRA, routing of user plane data to User Plane Functions (UPFs) 184a, 184b, routing of control plane information to Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMFs) 182a, 182b, etc. As shown in FIG. 1D, the gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c may communicate with each other via an Xn interface.

[0051] 1D may include at least one AMF 182a, 182b, at least one UPF 184a, 184b, at least one Session Management Function (SMF) 183a, 183b, and possibly a Data Network (DN) 185a, 185b. Although the foregoing elements are shown as part of the CN 106, it will be understood that any of these elements may be owned and / or operated by an entity other than the CN operator.

[0052] The AMF 182a, 182b may be connected to one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N2 interface and may function as a control node. For example, the AMF 182a, 182b may be responsible for authenticating users of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c, supporting network slicing (e.g., handling different protocol data unit (PDU) sessions with different requirements), selecting a particular SMF 183a, 183b, registration area, termination of non-access stratum (NAS) signaling, mobility management, etc. Network slicing can be used by the AMF 182a, 182b to customize the CN support of the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c based on the type of service being utilized by the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c. Different network slices may be established for different use cases, for example, services relying on ultra-reliable low latency (URLLC) access, services relying on enhanced massive mobile broadband (eMBB) access, services with MTC access, etc. The AMF 182a, 182b may provide a control plane function for switching between the RAN 104 and other RANs (not shown) that use other radio technologies, such as LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, and / or non-3GPP access technologies like WiFi.

[0053] The SMFs 183a, 183b may be connected to the AMFs 182a, 182b in the CN 106 via an N11 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may also be connected to the UPFs 184a, 184b in the CN 106 via an N4 interface. The SMFs 183a, 183b may select and control the UPFs 184a, 184b and configure the routing of traffic through the UPFs 184a, 184b. The SMFs 183a, 183b may perform other functions such as managing and assigning UE IP addresses, managing PDU sessions, controlling policy enforcement and QoS, providing DL data notification, etc. The PDU session type may be IP-based, non-IP-based, Ethernet-based, etc.

[0054] The UPFs 184a, 184b may be connected to one or more gNBs 180a, 180b, 180c in the RAN 104 via an N3 interface, which may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet 110, to facilitate communications between the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c and IP-enabled devices. The UPFs 184, 184b may perform other functions, such as routing and forwarding packets, enforcing user plane policy, supporting multi-homed PDU sessions, handling user plane QoS, buffering DL packets, providing a mobility anchor, etc.

[0055] The CN 106 may facilitate communication with other networks. For example, the CN 106 may include or communicate with an IP gateway (e.g., an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) server) that serves as an interface between the CN 106 and the PSTN 108. Additionally, the CN 106 may provide the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c with access to other networks 112, which may include other wired and / or wireless networks owned and / or operated by other service providers. In an embodiment, the WTRUs 102a, 102b, 102c may be connected to the local DNs 185a, 185b via the UPFs 184a, 184b via an N3 interface to the UPFs 184a, 184b and an N6 interface between the UPFs 184a, 184b and the DNs 185a, 185b.

[0056] 1A-1D and the corresponding description thereof, one or more, or all of the functions described herein with respect to one or more of the WTRUs 102a-d, base stations 114a-b, eNode-Bs 160a-c, MME 162, SGW 164, PGW 166, gNBs 180a-c, AMFs 182a-b, UPFs 184a-b, SMFs 183a-b, DNs 185a-b, and / or any other device(s) described herein may be performed by one or more emulation devices (not shown). The emulation devices may be one or more devices configured to emulate one or more, or all of the functions described herein. For example, the emulation devices may be used to test other devices and / or to simulate network and / or WTRU functions.

[0057] The emulation device can be designed to implement one or more tests of other devices in a lab environment and / or an operator network environment. For example, one or more emulation devices can perform one or more or all functions while fully or partially implemented and / or deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network to test other devices in the communication network. One or more emulation devices can perform one or more or all functions while temporarily implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. The emulation device can be directly coupled to another device for purposes of testing and / or performing tests using over-the-air wireless communication.

[0058] The one or more emulation devices may perform one or more functions, inclusive, while not implemented / deployed as part of a wired and / or wireless communication network. For example, the emulation devices may be utilized in test scenarios in a test lab and / or in an undeployed (e.g., test) wired and / or wireless communication network to implement testing of one or more components. The one or more emulation devices may be test equipment. Direct RF coupling and / or wireless communication via RF circuitry (which may include, e.g., one or more antennas) may be used by the emulation devices to transmit and / or receive data.

[0059] The IEEE originally structured the 48-bit MAC address space such that half of the address space was reserved for local use. Local use is configured when the Universal / Local (U / L) bit is set to 1. Different allocation approaches can be used within four designated regions of this local MAC address space according to the optional Structured Local Access Plan (SLAP). These four regions, called SLAP quadrants, include the Extended Local Identifier (ELI) quadrant, the Standard Assigned Identifier (SAI) quadrant, the Administratively Assigned Identifier (AAI) quadrant, and the quadrant reserved for future use.

[0060] Quadrant ELI MAC addresses can be assigned based on a Company ID (CID) using 24 bits, with the remaining 24 bits reserved for locally assigned addresses for each CID for unicast (M bit=0) and multicast (M bit=1). CIDs are assigned by the IEEE Registration Authority (RA).

[0061] Quadrant SAI MAC addresses are assigned based on a protocol specified in the IEEE 802 standard. For a 48-bit MAC address, 44 bits are available. Multiple protocols for assigning SAIs can be specified in the IEEE standard. Coexistence of multiple protocols can be supported by limiting the subspace available for assignment by each protocol.

[0062] Quadrant AAI MAC addresses are assigned locally by an administrator. Multicast IPv6 packets use destination addresses beginning with 33:33, which are within this space, so to avoid conflicts with IPv6 multicast addresses, conflicting addresses should not be used. For a 48-bit MAC address, 44 bits are available.

[0063] The reserved for future use quadrant defines an area in which MAC addresses can be assigned using new methods not yet defined or by an administrator, for example, similar to the assignments made in the AAI quadrant.

[0064] FIG. 2A is an exemplary structure of an IEEE 48-bit-MAC address structure. In this example, four least significant bits (LSBs) are identified. LSB M 202 refers to an M-bit Individual / Group (I / G) indicator that indicates whether the MAC address is an address of a unicast WTRU or a group of WTRUs. LSB X bit 204 indicates whether the MAC address is locally assigned. LSB Y 206 refers to the SLAP Y bit and LSB Z 208 refers to the SLAP Z bit. The SLAP Y and X bits are detailed in table 220 shown in FIG. 2B.

[0065] 2B is a table 220 outlining the characteristics of the four SLAP quadrants. Table 220 is organized in terms of quadrant 222, Y bits 224, Z bits 226, local identifier type 228, and local identifier 230. For quadrant 01 232, if the Y bits are set to 0 240 and the z bits are set to 1 248, the local identifier type is extended local 256 and the local identifier is ELI 264. For quadrant 11 234, if the Y bits are set to 1 242 and the Z bits are set to 1 250, the local identifier type is standard assigned 258 and the local identifier is SAI 266. For quadrant 00 236, if the Y bits are set to 0 244 and the Z bits are set to 0 252, the local identifier type is administratively assigned 260 and the local identifier is AAI 268. For quadrant 10 238, if the Y bit is set to 1 246 and the Z bit is set to 0 254, then the local identifier type is reserved 262 and the local identifier is also reserved 270.

[0066] The IEEE is working on a mechanism for assigning addresses in Standard Allocation Identifier (SAI) quadrants, and in conjunction, the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is working on specifying a new mechanism that extends the operation of Dynamic Host Control Protocol version 6 (DHCPv6) to handle local MAC address allocation. In this way, MAC allocation can be handled dynamically. However, these standardization efforts do not provide a mechanism to support how to select a SLAP quadrant to use for the assignment of a MAC address to a requesting WTRU, which may be a terminal or client unit. In an embodiment, the DHCPv6 protocol is extended to allow a DHCPv6 client or DHCPv6 relay to indicate a preferred SLAP quadrant to a server, so that the server can assign a MAC address to the particular client or relay accordingly. Two exemplary applications are described in which a need arises to assign local MAC addresses according to a preferred SLAP quadrant: (1) an individual WTRU, and (2) a large-scale virtualized environment, such as a data center where many virtual machines are managed by a hypervisor or other virtualization technology.

[0067] Regarding the first application, most WTRUs deployed today come with a pre-installed interface "burned in" with a MAC address assigned from the universal address space using a 24-bit Organizationally Unique Identifier (OUI) assigned to IEEE 802 interface vendors. However, recently, the need to assign a local (rather than universal) MAC address to the WTRU has become apparent, especially in Internet of Things (IoT) systems and privacy.

[0068] IoT systems can incorporate many inexpensive, possibly short-lived, disposable devices. For these devices, MAC address reuse is ideal to avoid unnecessarily expanding the MAC address space. Examples of these devices can include: sensors and actuators for health or home automation applications. In these systems, it is common for IoT devices to use a temporary MAC address when first booting up to send an initial DHCP packet to an available DHCP server. IoT devices typically request a single MAC address per available network interface, e.g., wired and wireless interfaces. Once the server has assigned the MAC address, the device discards the temporary MAC address used to send the initial DHCP packet. This type of device is typically not a moving or highly mobile device. In general, any type of SLAP quadrant is suitable for address allocation, although the ELI / SAI quadrants may be more suitable in some scenarios, such as when the assigned address needs to belong to a Company ID (CID) assigned to the IoT communication device vendor.

[0069] Regarding privacy concerns for the WTRU, exposing the MAC address can expose the user's location, making it relatively easy to track the user's movements. One mechanism being considered to mitigate this issue is the use of a local random MAC address that changes every time the user connects to a different network. In this scenario, the devices are typically mobile. Here, the AAI quadrant is optimal for address randomization and can be the optimal SLAP quadrant to assign addresses since the addresses do not need to persist when changing networks.

[0070] 3A is a depiction 300 of several Internet of Things (IoT) networks 302-306 interfacing with a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) architecture. Each of the IoT networks 302-306 may comprise one or more IoT devices including WTRUs, home appliances, door locks, bicycles, fitness sensors, etc. The IoT networks 302-304 include DHCP relays 308, 310 for coupling to a DHCP server 312. The IoT network 306 may not include a DHCP relay and IoT devices of the IoT network 306 may reach the DHCP server 312 directly. In this example, a single ELI 314, SAI 316, and AAI 318 may be used.

[0071] For the second application, virtualization can facilitate the allocation of local MAC addresses. For example, in a large virtualization environment, thousands of virtual machines (VMs) are active. These VMs are typically managed by a hypervisor, which is responsible for spawning and stopping VMs as needed. The hypervisor is also typically responsible for allocating new MAC addresses to the VMs. If a DHCP solution is deployed for that, the hypervisor acts as a DHCP client and requests available DHCP servers to assign one or more MAC addresses from an address block. The hypervisor does not use those addresses for itself, but uses them to create new VMs with appropriate MAC addresses. Each VM can be equipped with a new MAC address at the time of instantiation. In very large data center environments, the partitioning of different network regions is common. Each of the different network regions is configured to manage its own local address space. In this scenario, shown in Figure 3B, there are two elements, including migratable and non-migratable functions.

[0072] 3B is a depiction 330 of a large data center 332 interfacing with a DHCP architecture. The large data center 332 can be comprised of multiple regions 334-340. Each of the regions can include migratable and non-migratable VMs. Each region 334-340 can include a DHCP relay 342-348 for relaying DHCP messages to and from a DHCP server 350. A single ELI quadrant 352 and SAI quadrant 354 can be used. Alternatively, each region can be assigned addresses from an AAI quadrant 356-362.

[0073] When a VM providing a particular function needs to potentially be migrated to another area of ​​the data center for maintenance, resiliency, end-user mobility, etc., there may be a requirement that this VM retain its network context in the new area, which includes retaining its MAC address. Therefore, to meet this need, it may be appropriate to assign an address from the ELI / SAI SLAP quadrant that can be centrally assigned by a DHCP server.

[0074] On the other hand, if it is known that a VM is unlikely to be migrated to another region of the data center, there may be no requirement associated with that MAC address. In this scenario, it is more efficient to assign a MAC address from the AAI SLAP quadrant, which does not have to be the same for all data centers. In an embodiment, each region can manage its own MAC addresses without globally checking for duplicates.

[0075] Mechanisms for SLAP quadrant selection from a terminal to determine which MAC address to use and when to change an assigned MAC address can be determined based on context information and / or preferences indicated by the terminal, e.g., a WTRU, or the infrastructure, e.g., a base station or cellular core network server. As described herein, these mechanisms can be implemented within each of the applications mentioned above, e.g., IoT applications, privacy-aware implementation applications, and data center applications.

[0076] In the IoT architecture, an IoT terminal can attach to a WLAN network using a burned-in temporary MAC address. This allows the terminal to gain connectivity and bootstrap properly. During this phase, the terminal can obtain information and / or preferences to assist in determining which SLAP quadrant to use to set a permanent local MAC address over the temporary burned-in address. As shown in Figure 4, an IoT device can make a standalone decision or an infrastructure-assisted decision regarding which SLAP quadrant to use to obtain a local MAC address.

[0077] FIG. 4 illustrates signaling for IoT quadrant selection in both standalone decision 400 and infrastructure assisted decision 420 modes. In making the standalone decision 400, the IoT device 402 may rely on context information including, but not limited to, the type of IoT deployment, e.g., industrial, domestic, rural, mobility, whether the device is managed or unmanaged, and / or operational / battery life. For small-scale deployments, such as domestic deployments, the IoT device 402 itself may decide to use the AAI quadrant. This decision may, in embodiments, not include the use of DHCP by the terminal to configure a random address calculated by the terminal itself. Otherwise, DHCP signaling 406 may be used. For large-scale deployments, such as industrial or rural deployments where thousands of terminals may coexist, the IoT device 402 may decide to use the ELI or SAI quadrant. If the IoT device 402 can or may move, it may be preferable to select the SAI or AAI quadrant to minimize address collisions when moving to another network. If the IoT device 402 is known to remain fixed, the ELI quadrant may be the most suitable to use. Depending on whether the IoT device 402 is managed or cannot be reconfigured during its lifetime, the selected quadrant may be different. For example, if it can be managed, this means that changes in the network topology may occur during its lifetime, e.g. due to deployment changes such as an expansion to include additional terminals, which may affect the preferred quadrant, e.g. to avoid potential future collisions. Depending on the expected lifetime of the terminal, a different quadrant may be preferred to minimize potential future address collisions. These are examples of parameters that an IoT terminal may use to select a particular SLAP quadrant. Other parameters may also be relied upon. Since IoT terminals are usually resource constrained, they may make a straightforward decision, e.g. based on preconfigured preferences or preconfigured settings.

[0078] For IoT scenarios, it is further expected that in most cases the selected quadrant is an ELI. In this case, the MAC address provided to the terminal is based on a company ID (CID), which is usually preconfigured in the terminal as a burned-in temporary address. However, in large-scale IoT deployments, such as rural or industrial ones, the address space from a single CID may be exhausted. In this case, the terminal may provide a list of preferred CIDs that the DHCP server 404 will use to provide MAC addresses. The additional CIDs may belong to other vendors (e.g., subsidiaries of the IoT terminal vendor) with whom the IoT terminal manufacturer has a business relationship or contract. If the quadrant selected by the terminal is an ELI, the DHCP server 404 may assign an address from the primary CID, from any of the additionally provided CIDs, or even from a different CID. In all cases, the DHCP server 404 may or may check which CIDs can assign a local MAC address to the terminal. This can be done, for example, by the DHCP server 404 having a list of allowed CIDs per IoT terminal. An exemplary procedure showing how an IoT terminal can select a quadrant and perform local MAC address configuration is shown in FIG. 5.

[0079] In making an infrastructure-assisted decision 420, the IoT terminal 422 receives a hint / preference / request 426 from the infrastructure regarding which SLAP quadrant to use to obtain a local MAC address. In an IoT scenario, this hint may be signaled 426 from a bootstrap / configuration server 424 that the IoT terminal 422 uses to complete its configuration. The server 424 may also use parameters that correlate to the IoT terminal's deployment environment / context to perform the quadrant selection, including (1) type of IoT deployment, (2) mobility, and / or (3) operation / battery life.

[0080] The general operation of an infrastructure assistance decision 420 is shown on the right side of Figure 4. An IoT terminal 422 connects to a bootstrap / configuration server 424, which may run on the cloud or locally where the IoT terminal 422 is deployed, and receives as part of bootstrap / configuration signaling 426 the selected SLAP quadrant that is used in DHCP signaling 430 by a DHCP server 428.

[0081] 5 is a quadrant selection decision flow diagram 500 for an embodiment of an IoT terminal. In an embodiment, a bootstrap IoT device 502 may determine whether it is a component of a large scale deployment 504. If it determines 506 that it is not a component of a large scale deployment, the IoT terminal may select an AAI quadrant 508. The IoT device may be configured to select 510 a random address locally from the AAI quadrant. If configured to select a random address locally 512, the IoT may select a random address 514 from the AAI quadrant. Conversely 516, the IoT device may perform DHCP signaling 518 with a DHCP server or other server indicating the AAI quadrant.

[0082] If the IoT device is part of a large scale deployment 520, the IoT device may consider mobility 522 as a factor in performing quadrant selection. If the device is likely to be mobile 524, the IoT device may use the SAI quadrant 526 and may perform DHCP indicating the SAI 528.

[0083] If the IoT device is expected to be stationary and not mobile 530, the IoT device may select the ELI quadrant 532 and may determine whether to include a CID 534. If the IoT device has a CID including 536, the IoT device may perform DHCP signaling indicating the ELI 538 and include the preferred CID. The IoT device may include additional CIDs, if desired. If the IoT device determines 534 that the CID is unused 550, the IoT device may perform DHCP signaling 552 indicating the AAI quadrant.

[0084] Assuming the IoT device performs DHCP signaling 538 with at least one CID indicated, the DHCP server can determine whether an address is available from the primary CID 540. If an address is available from the primary CID 542, the DHCP server can provide a local MAC address from the primary CID 544. If no address is available 546, the DHCP server can provide a local MAC address from an additional CID 548.

[0085] Privacy-enhancing solutions for assigning a local MAC address to a WTRU may define additional procedures. In these scenarios, a WTRU, such as a laptop or smartphone, connects to a network using a built-in MAC address. Due to privacy / security concerns, the terminal may want to configure a local MAC address. The terminal may use different parameters and context information to determine when to perform the address change as well as which SLAP quadrant to use for the local MAC address configuration. In some embodiments, the address change may be performed several times over the life of the device. The context information may include, but is not limited to, for example, the type of network to which the terminal is connected, such as public, work, home, whether the network is trusted, whether the terminal is accessing the network for the first time, the geographic location of the network, whether the terminal is mobile, an Operating System (OS) network profile including security / trust related parameters, and / or triggers provided by applications running on the device with respect to location privacy. With respect to the OS network profile, most modern OSs maintain metadata associated with networks that they can or may connect to, such as, for example, the level of trust that a user or administrator assigns to the network. This information may be used to configure how the terminal behaves with respect to advertising itself on the network, firewall settings, etc. However, this information can also be or may be used to determine whether to configure a local MAC address, from which SLAP quadrant, and how often to do so. With respect to application triggers, an application may provide a request to the OS to maximize location privacy, for example due to the nature of the application, which may mean the OS forces the use or change of a local MAC address.

[0086] This information can be used by the terminal to select the SLAP quadrant. For example, if the terminal is moving (e.g., connecting to a public network in an airport), it is best to use the SAI or AAI quadrant to minimize the possibility of address collisions, since the access point may change several times. If the terminal is not moving and is not connected to a trusted network (e.g., at work), it is probably best to select the ELI quadrant. These are just a few examples of how this information can be used to select a quadrant. Furthermore, this information can also be used to trigger a subsequent change of MAC address, enhancing location privacy. Furthermore, changing the SLAP quadrant used can also be used as an additional enhancement to make the user's location harder to track.

[0087] In data center applications, a hypervisor may require a local MAC address to be assigned to a virtual machine. As in other embodiments, the hypervisor may select a preferred SLAP quadrant using information provided by a cloud management system (CMS) or a virtualization infrastructure manager (VIM) running on the hypervisor. This information may include, but is not limited to, whether the VM is a migratable or non-migratable VM and / or VM connectivity characteristics, such as, for example, standalone, part of a pool, part of a service graph / chain, etc. Whether the VM is migratable or not influences the SLAP quadrant preference, as some quadrants (e.g., ELI / SAI) are more suitable to support migration in large data centers. The VM connectivity characteristics, if known, may be used by the hypervisor to select the optimal SLAP quadrant.

[0088] In connection with either the WTRU or data center applications described above, various DHCPv6 extensions can be defined outlining the steps that enable the selection of a SLAP quadrant for a local MAC address according to the preferences of a requesting DHCPv6 client. Such steps may differ depending on whether the SLAP quadrant is indicated by a DHCP client, e.g., an end point / IoT device, or by a DHCP relay.

[0089] FIG. 6 shows the steps defined in an exemplary extension for allowing address allocation when a preferred SLAP quadrant is indicated by a DHCP client. In step 1, link-layer addresses (i.e., MAC addresses) are allocated in blocks. The smallest block is a single address. To request an allocation, the client sends a solicitation message 606 that includes an IA_LL option in the message. The IA_LL option must include an LLADDR option. To indicate a preferred SLAP quadrant, the IA_LL option includes a new quadrant IA-LL option that includes the preferred quadrant. In step 2, upon receiving the IA_LL option, the server can inspect its contents and provide addresses for each LLADDR option according to the policy. The server sends back an advertise message 608 that includes an IA_LL option that includes an LLADDR option that specifies the address being offered. If the server supports the new quadrant IA-LL option and manages a block of addresses that belong to the requested quadrant, the offered address must belong to the requested quadrant. If the server does not have an address from the requested quadrant, it should return an IA_LL option with a status code option with status set to NoQuadAvail. In step 3, the client waits for available servers to send an Advertise response and picks one. The client then sends a Request message 610 containing an IA_LL container option with an LLADDR option copied from the Advertise message sent by the selected server. It contains the preferred SLAP quadrant of the new quadrant IA-LL option. In step 4, upon receiving the Request message 610 with the IA_LL container option, the server allocates the requested address. The server may change the allocation at this point. It then generates a Response message 612 and sends it back to the client. Upon receiving the Response message 612, the client can parse 614 the IA_LL container option and start using all the addresses offered.Note that a client that included the Rapid Commit option in its solicitation may receive a response in response to the solicitation and skip the advertise and request steps above (per standard DHCPv6 procedures). In step 5, when the assigned address is about to expire 616, the client sends a Renew message 618. In step 6, the server responds with a Response message 620 that includes an LLADDR option with an extended lifetime.

[0090] FIG. 7 shows the steps defined in an example extension to enable address allocation when a preferred SLAP quadrant is indicated by a DHCP relay. This is useful when a DHCP server operates on a large infrastructure divided into different network regions, where each region may have different requirements. An example of this is a deployment where IoT and regular WiFi-enabled end-user terminals coexist, but are divided into two different WiFi networks, each managed by a different DHCPv6 relay. In step 1, link-layer addresses (i.e., MAC addresses) are assigned in blocks. The smallest block is a single address. To request an allocation, the client sends a Solicit message 708 that includes an IA_LL option in the message. The IA_LL option must include an LLADDR option. In step 2, the DHCP relay receives the Solicit message and encapsulates it in a Relay-Forward message 710. The local knowledge and policy based relay includes the preferred quadrant in the Relay Agent Remote ID option. The relay may know which quadrant to request based on local configuration (e.g., ELI / SAI is required because the offered network contains only IoT devices) or other means such as based on analysis of the Solicit message from the client. In step 3, when the server receives the forwarded Solicit message containing an IA_LL option, it may inspect its contents and provide addresses for each LLADDR option according to its policies. The server sends back an Advertise message containing an IA_LL option that contains an LLADDR option specifying the offered address. This message is sent to the relay in a Relay-Response message 712. If the server supports the preferred quadrant semantics contained in the Relay Agent Remote ID option and manages a block of addresses that belong to the requested quadrant, the offered address should belong to the requested quadrant. In step 4, the relay sends the received Advertise message 714 to the client.In step 5, the client waits for available servers to send Advertisement Responses and picks one. Then, the client sends a Request message 716 containing an IA_LL container option with the LLADDR option copied from the Advertisement message sent by the selected server. In step 6, the relay forwards the received Request in a Relay-Forward message 718. It adds a Relay Agent Remote ID option to the Preferred Quadrant. In step 7, upon receiving the Request message forwarded with the IA_LL container option, the server allocates the requested address. The server may change the allocation at this point. It then generates a Response message and sends it back to the relay in a Relay-Response 720. In step 8, upon receiving the Response message 722, the client can parse the IA_LL container option and start using all the addresses offered. In step 9, when the assigned address 724 is about to expire 726, the client sends a Renewal message 728. In step 10, this message is forwarded by the relay in a Relay-Forward message 730. In step 11, the server responds with a Reply message that includes a LLADDR option with an extended lifetime. This message is sent in a Relay-Reply message 732. In step 12, the relay sends a Reply message 734 back to the client.

[0091] Further disclosed herein are various new DHCPv6 options and values ​​that are used to indicate one or more preference quadrants.

[0092] FIG. 8 provides an example format of a quadrant (IA-LL) option 800 along with an example field description. As discussed with reference to FIG. 4, a quadrant (IA-LL) option can be used to specify preferences for a selected quadrant within an IA_LL. The options can be encapsulated in the IA_LL-options field of the IA_LL option. In this example, a 16-bit option_quadrant field 802 can be set to a value assigned by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). A 16-bit option-length field 804 can represent the number of quadrants and preferences included in the quadrant (IA-LL) option 800. Fields quadrant-1 806 and preference-1 808 can refer to the quadrant identifiers and preferences. A second quadrant and preference can be indicated by the quadrant-2 810 and preference-2 812 fields. 32 bits 814 can be reserved for future use or can be used to indicate additional quadrants and / or preferences. In an embodiment, the quadrants may be listed in order of preference, so that the preference may not need to be explicitly indicated.

[0093] Figure 9 provides an example format of an Additional CID (IA-LL) option 900 along with a description of the fields included. The Additional CID option 900 can be used to transport additional CIDs in addition to the one used as the source address of the message in the IA_LL (i.e., the written temporary one). This option should be used when the ELI is included as one of the preferred SLAP quadrants in the IA_LL option.

[0094] The Additional CIDs (IA-LL) option 900 includes a 16-bit Option_CID field 902, which may be a value assigned by IANA. The Option-Length field may be used to indicate the number of CIDs included in the Additional CIDs (IA-LL) option 900. In the example shown, three CIDs are included: cid-1 906, cid-2 908a-908b, and cid-3 910.

[0095] The Relay Agent Remote ID option can also be used to include the quadrant in DHCPv6 signaling. The definition of the values ​​used in the Relay Agent Remote ID option is vendor specific. The vendor is indicated in the Enterprise Number field of the option. The remote-id field can be used to encode the preferred SLAP quadrant.

[0096] Although features and elements are described above in certain combinations, one skilled in the art will understand that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. Additionally, the methods described herein can be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware embodied in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), registers, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, optical media such as CD-ROM disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), and the like. A processor in association with software can be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by a wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU), comprising: receiving context information from an infrastructure device; selecting a Structured Local Address Plan (SLAP) quadrant for media access control (MAC) address allocation based on the context information; transmitting a message indicating the selected SLAP quadrant.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the message is a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) message.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the context information comprises a number of nodes in a network, a type of network deployment, a type of network, a mobility configuration, a type of device management, a battery life, a location, or a privacy configuration.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the infrastructure device is a bootstrap server.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is an Extended Local Identifier (ELI) quadrant and the context information indicates restricted mobility or no mobility.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is a Standard Allocation Identifier (SAI) quadrant and the context information indicates mobility.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is an administratively assigned identifier (AAI) quadrant and the context information indicates a large scale deployment.

8. receiving a DHCP message from a DHCP server, the DHCP message including a MAC address, the MAC address being in the selected SLAP quadrant; The method of claim 2.

9. The method of claim 2 , wherein the DHCP message passes through at least one DHCP version 6 (DHCPv6) relay.

10. further comprising randomly selecting a MAC address from the AAI quadrant. The method of claim 7.

11. 1. A wireless transmit receive unit (WTRU), comprising: a memory configured to store context information; a circuit configured to select a structured local address plan (SLAP) quadrant for media access control (MAC) address allocation based on the context information; 11. A WTRU comprising: a transmitter configured to transmit a message, the message indicating the selected SLAP quadrant.

12. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the message is a Dynamic Host Control Protocol (DHCP) message.

13. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the context information includes a number of nodes in a network, a type of network deployment, a type of network, a mobility configuration, a type of device management, a battery life, a location, or a privacy configuration.

14. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the context information is received from a bootstrap server.

15. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is an extended local identifier (ELI) quadrant and the context information indicates restricted mobility or no mobility.

16. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is a Standard Allocation Identifier (SAI) quadrant and the context information indicates mobility.

17. The WTRU of claim 11 , wherein the selected SLAP quadrant is an administratively assigned identifier (AAI) quadrant and the context information indicates a large scale deployment.

18. a receiver configured to receive a DHCP message from the DHCP server, the DHCP message including a MAC address, the MAC address being in the SLAP quadrant; The WTRU of claim 12.

19. The WTRU of claim 12 , wherein the DHCP message passes through at least one DHCP version 6 (DHCPv6) relay.

20. and further comprising circuitry configured to randomly select a MAC address from the selected AAI quadrant.

20. The WTRU of claim 17.

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