Signalling Delegation in Moving Networks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for maintaining service continuity in moving networks during hand-offs between Mobile Routers result in excessive processing burdens on Peer Nodes due to sub-optimal routing and increased packet sizes, particularly when delegating location update signalling rights.
Innovation Solution
A Mobile Node generates a second symmetric key derived from a shared first symmetric key with a Peer Node, providing an authorisation ticket to a Mobile Router to sign location update messages, allowing the Router to act on behalf of the Node without excessive processing burdens on Peer Nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the Mobile Node itself notifies Peer Nodes of its new location, then service continuity is maintained, but a large volume of location update signalling is generated and hand-off reaction times increase
Solution Approach 1:
The Mobile Router acts as an intermediary between the Mobile Node and Peer Nodes. It receives location information from the Mobile Node and sends location update messages to Peer Nodes on behalf of the Mobile Node, reducing the signalling burden on the Mobile Node while maintaining service continuity
2Reliability
If a tunnel is created between the Mobile Router and home router, then service continuity is maintained, but sub-optimal triangular routing and increased packet size due to tunnelling overhead occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tunnelling overhead and triangular routing complexity from the data path by using direct routing for data traffic while maintaining a separate signalling path through the Mobile Router for location updates, eliminating the need for tunnels in the data path
3Measurement precision
If the Mobile Router sends location update messages signed with the Mobile Node's private key, then authentication is accurate, but the Peer Node must process a relatively long certificate chain
Solution Approach 1:
The authentication process is segmented into two parts: the Mobile Router sends a signature using its own private key, and separately includes a reference to the Mobile Node's public key. The Peer Node verifies the signature with the Mobile Router's public key and independently verifies the Mobile Node's identity using the referenced public key, avoiding the need to process a long certificate chain
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of including the entire certificate chain in every location update message, the patent uses a copy/reference approach where the Mobile Router includes a reference to the Mobile Node's public key that the Peer Node can independently verify, reducing the message size and processing complexity
Data Source
AI summary
In order to delegate location update signaling responsibility from a Mobile Node to a Mobile Router, the Mobile Router is provided with a second symmetric key generated by a Mobile Node using a first symmetric key shared between the Mobile Node and a Peer Node. The Mobile Router is additionally provided with a “certificate” authenticating the second symmetric key using the first symmetric key. In this way, the mobile router can sign location update related messages sent to the Peer Node with the second symmetric key, and can provide the Peer Node with the certificate in order to allow the Peer Node to authenticate the right of the Mobile Router to act on behalf of the Mobile Node.