Network entity selection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11388202-B2
Application number	US-201816055653-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2018
Priority date	Apr 25, 2008
Publication date	Jul 12, 2022
Grant date	Jul 12, 2022

Abstract

There are disclosed measures of network entity selection, for example including furnishing an identity of a network entity being pre-selected by a first network apparatus, and providing verification information for said pre-selected network entity identity, enabling to verify whether the pre-selected network entity identity is applicable for network entity selection at a second network apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of network entity selection, comprising
a first network apparatus furnishing, in a first sub-field of an attribute of a session description protocol encapsulation, an identity of a network entity being pre-selected with the first network apparatus,
the first network apparatus providing, in a second sub-field of the attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation, verification information that includes a network address for said pre-selected network entity,
the first network apparatus providing, in a connection line field of the session description protocol encapsulation, the network address of the pre-selected network entity, and
transmitting, to a second network apparatus either directly or through an intermediate network apparatus, the session description protocol encapsulation comprising the first sub-field, the second sub-field, and the connection line field,
wherein the verification information is configured to cause the second network apparatus to verify whether the pre-selected network entity identity is applicable for network entity selection at the second network apparatus as a result of the connection line field of the session description protocol encapsulation having a network address having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus to be different from the second sub-field of the session description protocol encapsulation having the network address for the pre-selected network entity, or not having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus such that the network address of the connection line field matches the network address within the second sub-field of the encapsulation, following transmission of the verification information from the first network apparatus.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the furnishing of the identity comprises
encoding the pre-selected network entity identity in the first sub-field of the attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation, and
wherein the providing of the verification information comprises
adding the network address of the pre-selected network entity to the second sub-field of the attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation.

3. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising
defining the network address of the pre-selected network entity as session description protocol connection data, and
transmitting the thus defined network address as session description protocol connection data in a session initiation protocol message together with the session description protocol encapsulation.

4. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving an assignment from the pre-selected network entity, the assignment comprising the identity of the network entity;
wherein the identity of the pre-selected network entity is furnished in the first sub-field of the attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation, based on the assignment received from the pre-selected network entity.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving a second session description protocol encapsulation;
wherein the second session description protocol encapsulation comprises a second identity of a second network entity pre-selected with a third network apparatus within a first sub-field of an attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation, a network address of the second network entity within a second sub-field the attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation, and information within a second connection line field;
comparing the network address of the second network entity within the second sub-field of the attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation to the information within the second connection line field; and
in response to the network address of the second network entity within the attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation being equal to the information within the second connection line field, using the identity of the second network entity within the attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation for network entity selection; and
in response to the network address of the second network entity within the attribute of the second session description protocol encapsulation not being equal to the information within the second connection line field, using the information within the second connection line field for network entity selection.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein:
the verification information is further configured to cause the second network apparatus to verify the pre-selected network entity identity as not being applicable for network entity selection at the second network apparatus as a result of the network address within the connection line field having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus to a network address different from the network address of the pre-selected network entity, following transmission of the verification information from the first network apparatus; and
the verification information is further configured to cause the second network apparatus to verify the pre-selected network entity identity as being applicable for network entity selection at the second network apparatus as a result of the network address within the connection line field not having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus to a network address different from the network address of the pre-selected network entity, following transmission of the verification information from the first network apparatus.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the connection line field of the session description protocol encapsulation having been modified is due to the intermediate network apparatus not supporting the network address of the pre-selected network entity.

8. A method of network entity selection, comprising
a second network apparatus obtaining an identity of a network entity pre-selected with a first network apparatus and verification information for the pre-selected network entity, the verification information including a network address of the pre-selected network entity;
receiving, either directly from the first network apparatus or from an intermediate network apparatus, a session description protocol encapsulation comprising the identity of the network entity, the verification information, and a connection line field initially having the network address of the pre-selected network entity;
wherein the identity of the network entity pre-selected with the first network apparatus is obtained from a first sub-field of an attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation, and the verification information that includes the network address of the pre-selected network entity is obtained from a second sub-field of the attribute of the session description protocol encapsulation; and
verifying, on the basis of the verification information, whether the obtained network entity identity is applicable for network entity selection as a result of the connection line field of the session description protocol encapsulation having a network address having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus to be different from the second sub-field of the session description protocol encapsulation having the network address for the pre-selected network entity or not having been modified with the intermediate network apparatus such that the network address of the connection line field matches the network address within the second sub-field of the encapsulation, following transmission of the verification information from the first network apparatus.

9. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising
receiving the pre-s

Assignees

• Nokia Solutions & Networks Oy

Inventors

• Belling Thomas

Classifications

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title

• H04L65/1043 Primary

  Gateway controllers, e.g. media gateway control protocol [MGCP] controllers · CPC title

• H04M7/1285

  Details of finding and selecting a gateway for a particular call · CPC title

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04L65/103

  in the network · CPC title