Method, network element and UE achieving identifier and location separation and interface identifier allocation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9480091-B2
Application number	US-201214358481-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2012
Priority date	Nov 15, 2011
Publication date	Oct 25, 2016
Grant date	Oct 25, 2016

Abstract

The embodiments of the present invention disclose a method, network element and terminal of achieving identity and location separation and interface identifier allocation. The method of achieving an identity and location separation network includes: an EPS network side network element acquiring an Access Identifier (AID) of a User Equipment (UE), and transmitting the acquired AID to the UE; a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) to which the UE is attached allocating a subnet prefix for the UE, and transmitting the subnet prefix to the UE; and the UE combining into an IPv6 address using the AID as an interface identifier part of the IPv6 address and the subnet prefix as a subnet prefix part of the IPv6 address, and using the IPv6 address to configure the IPv6 address of the UE itself.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of achieving an identity and location separation network, which is suitable to be applied in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) network of an identity and location separation technology, the method comprising:
an EPS network side network element acquiring an Access Identifier (AID) of a User Equipment (UE), and transmitting the acquired AID to the UE;
a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) to which the UE is attached allocating a subnet prefix for the UE, and transmitting the subnet prefix to the UE; and
the UE combining into an IPv6 address by using the AID as an interface identifier part of the IPv6 address and the subnet prefix as a subnet prefix part of the IPv6 address, and using the IPv6 address to configure the IPv6 address of the UE;
the method further comprising: when the UE transmits a data packet to a Correspondent Node (CN), using the combined IPv6 address as a source address of the data packet, and using the AID of the CN as the interface identifier part of a destination address of the data packet; and
after the P-GW to which the UE is attached receives the data packet transmitted by the UE, inquiring to obtain a Routing Identifier (RID) of the CN, and after the subnet prefix part of the destination address of the data packet is substituted with the RID, transmitting the data packet to an IP network.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the EPS network side network element acquiring an AID of a UE comprises:
the EPS network side network element acquiring the AID of the UE by inquiring an Identity Location Register (ILR) or an authentication and authorization server according to an International Mobile Subscriber Identification Number (IMSI) of the UE.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein,
the authentication and authorization server comprises any one of an Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (AAA) server, a home location register and a home subscriber server.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the EPS network side network element comprises any one of a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a P-GW and a Serving Gateway (S-GW).

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the EPS network side network element is a Mobility Management Entity (MME), and the MME transmitting the acquired AID to the UE comprises:
the MME transmitting the acquired AID to the UE in a process of establishing a bearer for the UE or attaching the UE or the UE requesting a PDN connection.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein,
the MME transmitting the acquired AID to the UE in a process of establishing a bearer for the UE comprises:
in a process of establishing a bearer for the UE, the MME carrying the AID of the UE, acquired by the MME inquiring an ILR or an authentication and authorization server according to an IMSI of the UE before establishing a bearer for a terminal, in an activate default EPS bearer context request message to be transmitted to the UE;
or
the MME transmitting the acquired AID to the UE in a process of attaching the UE comprises:
when an Attach Request transmitted by the UE or a Create Session Response message returned by a Serving Gateway (S-GW) is received, acquiring the AID of the UE by inquiring an ILR or an authentication and authorization server according to an IMSI of the UE, and carrying the acquired AID of the UE in an Attach Accept message to be transmitted to the UE;
or
the MME transmitting the acquired AID to the UE in a process of the UE requesting a PDN connection comprises:
when the MME receives a PDN Connectivity Request message transmitted by the UE or a Create Session Response message returned by a S-GW, acquiring the AID of the UE by inquiring an ILR or an authentication and authorization server according to an IMSI of the UE, and carrying the acquired AID of the UE in a PDN Connectivity Accept message to be transmitted to the UE.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the EPS network side network element is the P-GW, and the P-GW transmitting the acquired AID to the UE comprises:
the P-GW transmitting the acquired AID to the UE in a process of attaching the UE or the UE requesting a PDN connection;
or
the EPS network side network element is the P-GW, and the EPS network side network element acquiring the AID of the UE and transmitting the acquired AID to the UE comprises:
in a process of attaching the UE or the UE requesting a PDN connection, when the P-GW receives a Create Session Request message, acquiring the AID of the UE by inquiring an ILR or an authentication and authorization server according to an IMSI of the UE, and carrying the AID of the UE in a Create Session Response message returned to a S-GW and transmitting the AID to the UE through the S-GW and MME;
or
the network side network element is a S-GW, and the S-GW transmitting the acquired AID to the UE comprises:
in a process of attaching the UE or the UE requesting a PDN connection, the S-GW transmitting the acquired AID to the UE;
or
the EPS network side network element is a S-GW, and the EPS network side network element acquiring the AID of the UE and transmitting the acquired AID to the UE comprises:
in a process of attaching the UE or the UE requesting a PDN connection, when the S-GW receives a Create Session Request message transmitted by MME or a Create Session Response message transmitted by the P-GW, acquiring the AID of the UE by inquiring an ILR or an authentication and authorization server according to an IMSI of the UE, and carrying the AID of the UE in a Create Session Response message returned to the MME and transmitting the AID to the UE through the MME.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
after determining the P-GW to which the UE is attached, the EPS network side network element allocating a Routing Identifier (RID) for the UE, wherein, the RID is a subnet prefix of an IPv6 address pointing to the P-GW; and the EPS network side network element transmitting the RID of the UE to an ILR which stores a mapping relationship between the AID and the RID of the UE.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein,
the UE using the AID as an interface identifier part of an IPv6 address comprises:
the UE using the AID as a part of the interface identifier part of an IPv6 address, generating another part of the interface identifier part, and combining the two parts into the interface identifier part of the IPv6 address.

10. An Evolved Packet System (EPS) network side network element, comprising a processor, a storage device and a plurality of modules in the storage device, the modules comprising an acquisition module and a first transmission module, wherein,
the acquisition module is configured to acquire an Access Identifier (AID) of a User Equipment (UE); and
the first transmission module is configured to transmit the AID acquired by the acquisition module to the UE;
wherein when the EPS network side network element is a P-GW to which the UE is attached, the P-GW further comprises a subnet prefix allocation module, a second transmission module and a substitution module, wherein,
the subnet prefix allocation module is configured to allocate a subnet prefix for the UE; and
the second transmission module is configured to transmit the subnet prefix allocated by the subnet prefix allocation module to the UE;
the substitution module is configured to: after receiving a data packet transmitted by the UE, inquire to obtain a Routing Identifier (RID) of a Correspondent Node (CN) of the UE, and after a subnet prefix part of a destination address of the data packet is substituted with the RID, transmit the data packet to an IP network.

11. The network element according to

Assignees

• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Luo Wen
• Shen Jiong
• Sun Mo

Classifications

• H04W8/08

  Mobility data transfer · CPC title

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W8/26

  Network addressing or numbering for mobility support · CPC title

• H04L61/103 Primary

  across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP] · CPC title

• H04W72/20

  Control channels or signalling for resource management · CPC title