IPv6 Flow Handle Embedding for Mobile Packet Forwarding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional packet-based networks face challenges in efficiently forwarding packets in mobile environments, particularly in maintaining quality of service (QoS) and service-specific processing requirements while minimizing overhead, as existing solutions incur significant signaling overhead and disrupt existing packet flows due to changes in IP addresses and tunneling complexities.
Innovation Solution
Embedding a flow handle (FH) within the IPv6 address portion of packets, which includes flow treatment information, allows network nodes to process or forward packets based on the embedded information without adding additional overhead, using conventional route selection functions to identify paths or next-hop addresses, thus enabling flow-based forwarding without modifying existing routers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If tunneling solutions such as PMIPv6 are used to maintain IP address continuity in mobile environments, then device mobility is supported, but signaling overhead and network resource requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the flow identification information from separate signaling messages and embeds it directly within the IPv6 packet header itself. By taking out the need for external tunnel context maintenance and embedding flow handles (FH) in the packet destination address field, the solution eliminates the signaling overhead associated with PMIPv6 while maintaining flow-based forwarding capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the flow identification function with the existing IPv6 address structure by embedding the flow handle within the destination address field. This combining of routing and flow identification functions into a single data structure eliminates the need for separate tunnel headers and context maintenance mechanisms, reducing overall system complexity.
2Reliability
If tunneling solutions are implemented to support mobile devices, then packet forwarding continuity is maintained, but the number of tunnel addresses and context information that must be maintained increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the requirement for maintaining tunnel context at network nodes by extracting flow identification information from external signaling and embedding it directly in the packet headers. This eliminates the need for tunnel address allocation and context maintenance while ensuring packets are correctly forwarded to mobile devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The packet itself carries all necessary flow identification information through the embedded flow handle in the destination address field. This self-contained approach allows any network node to independently determine the correct forwarding path without consulting external tunnel context databases, making the system self-sufficient and eliminating the need for context maintenance.
3Reliability
If flow-based packet forwarding is used to meet QoS requirements, then service-specific processing is enabled, but network node complexity increases due to specialized processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the flow handle extraction and interpretation a universal function that can be performed by any standard IPv6 router. By embedding the flow identification information in a format that can be processed using conventional route selection functions, the solution enables QoS-aware forwarding without requiring specialized processing elements at each network node.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the representation of flow identification from external signaling parameters to embedded parameters within the packet header itself. By encoding flow treatment information directly in the destination address field, the solution allows network nodes to use their existing routing logic to perform flow-based forwarding, avoiding the need for complex specialized processing.
4Adaptability or versatility
If conventional IPv6 flow label fields are used for flow identification, then flow-based forwarding is enabled, but the fields cannot be preserved across the entire end-to-end path as they may be changed anywhere along the path
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary encoding of flow identification information directly into the packet destination address field before the packet enters the network. By embedding the flow handle that contains flow treatment information in advance, the solution ensures that the flow identification remains stable and recognizable throughout the entire end-to-end path, as it is carried within the packet itself rather than being subject to external modification.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embedding a flow handle (FH) in an IPv6 address portion of a packet may reduce the amount of overhead needed to support path selection in flow-based packet forwarding. The FH may replace an interface identifier in a standard IPv6 address such that the FH does not add any additional overhead to the IPv6 packet itself. Information specified by the FH embedded in the IPv6 address may be used to select the path or next-hop. In addition, the FH may identify a quality of service (QoS) requirement associated with the packet, and the route selection function may identify a path capable of satisfying the QoS requirement, a service function chain (SFC) ID, an access point (AP) ID, a radio bearer ID, a path ID, and/or a device ID.