Residential Gateway Protocol Integration for Mobile IP Authentication
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Solution Overview
Problem
The complexity and cost of residential gateways in wireless networks are increased due to the need to support multiple communication protocols for authenticating and authorizing mobile devices accessing the Internet through both private and community/public WLANs, as they must communicate with AAA servers and implement various protocols like RADIUS and EAP, in addition to IP tunneling protocols like PMIPv6.
Innovation Solution
Extending the Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6) protocol to integrate authentication and authorization functions, allowing residential gateways to establish IP tunnels and authenticate mobile nodes directly with local mobility anchors, thereby eliminating the need for separate authentication protocols and simplifying the communication process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the residential gateway implements multiple communication protocols (RADIUS, EAP, PMIPv6, DHCP) to support authentication and IP tunneling, then the authentication and authorization functionality is comprehensive, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate protocols (PMIPv6 for IP tunneling and RADIUS/EAP for authentication) into a single integrated protocol framework. The gateway uses extended PMIPv6 messages to simultaneously handle IP address assignment, tunnel establishment, and authentication verification, eliminating the need to implement and coordinate multiple independent protocols.
Solution Approach 2:
The extended PMIPv6 protocol serves multiple functions that were previously handled by separate protocols. It provides both mobility management (IP tunneling) and authentication capabilities in a single protocol framework, allowing the gateway to perform diverse functions through one universal protocol rather than multiple specialized protocols.
2Reliability
If the residential gateway communicates with AAA servers using separate authentication protocols, then the authentication security is maintained, but the operational burden and number of interactions increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the authentication protocol interactions with the IP tunneling protocol interactions into a single streamlined process. The gateway establishes the IP tunnel and performs authentication verification through integrated message exchanges, reducing the number of separate communication phases and simplifying operational procedures while maintaining security requirements.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the gateway establishes IP tunnels through default local mobility anchor with redirect to serving local mobility anchor, then the mobility management is flexible, but the number of message exchanges and processing steps increases
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing the IP tunnel through the default local mobility anchor before actual data transmission begins. This preliminary tunnel setup allows for faster subsequent communication, as the basic tunnel infrastructure is already in place and can be quickly redirected to the serving local mobility anchor when needed, reducing the time impact of mobility management operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A gateway is preconfigured to establish an Internet Protocol (IP) tunnel with a default local mobility anchor on behalf of a mobile node. The gateway receives from the mobile node an Internet access request including a mobile identifier and authorization and authentication protocol information, and sends to the default local mobility anchor an IP tunnel request to establish an IP tunnel. The gateway receives from the default local mobility anchor a tunnel redirect message to redirect the IP tunnel from the default local mobility anchor to a serving local mobility anchor and, responsive to the tunnel redirect message, authenticates the mobile node and establishes an IP tunnel with the serving local mobility anchor through which the mobile node communicates.