Foreign Network Mobile Home Agent for MIPv6 Policy Enforcement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing Mobile IP (MIP) standards, particularly MIPv6, lack network-centric control, leading to issues with enforcing local policies in foreign networks during roaming, as they operate on an end-to-end basis without involving individual networks, potentially breaking network-centric control models.

Innovation Solution

Introducing a Mobile Home Agent (MHA) in the foreign network as an intermediate node that acts with direct contact to the correspondent node, using a Secondary Care-of Address (SCoA) with a one-to-one relationship to the mobile node's home address, to manage and route packets transparently, ensuring seamless roaming and policy enforcement.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If Mobile IP standards operate on an end-to-end basis without involving individual networks, then mobility support is achieved, but network-centric control and local policy enforcement are broken

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemobility supportVSAvoidnetwork control structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a Mobile Home Agent (MHA) as an intermediary node in the foreign network that mediates between the mobile node and correspondent nodes. The MHA maintains binding updates and enables network-centric control by acting as a local representative, allowing policies to be enforced while preserving end-to-end mobility functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If a Mobile Home Agent is introduced as an intermediate node, then network-centric control is enabled, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork control structureVSAvoidpolicy enforcement

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The MHA serves as a trusted intermediary that enforces local network policies while maintaining mobility support. By positioning the MHA within the foreign network, the system ensures that local policies can be reliably enforced without compromising the mobile node's ability to communicate with correspondent nodes.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Ease of operation

If Secondary Care-of Address with one-to-one relationship to home address is used, then transparent packet routing is achieved, but address management complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepacket routing transparencyVSAvoidaddress management

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the address management function by introducing the SCoA as a distinct address type that separates the mobility management functions from the packet routing functions. The SCoA maintains a one-to-one relationship with the home address, enabling transparent routing while allowing the MHA to manage address bindings independently.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentUS9641999B2Telecommunications

Publication Date: 2017.05.02 3G LICENSING SA

AI summary

In a MIPv6 network, a mobile home agent (MHA) in a foreign network (FN) acts as an intermediate node between a mobile node (MN) and a correspondent node (CN) and allocates itself a secondary care-of address (SCoA) different from the care-of address (CoA) of the mobile node (MN), with a one-to-one relationship between the secondary care-of address (SCoA) and the home address (HAddr) of the mobile node.