Protocol configuration options (PCOS) in untrusted WLAN access

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9538560-B1
Application number	US-201213614394-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Sep 13, 2012
Priority date	Sep 13, 2012
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for exchanging network protocol configuration option (PCO) parameters for a mobile device in a communications network (IP) address to enable communication with the mobile device with untrusted WLAN access. In one embodiment, the PCO is passed in a first interface from mobile device to first gateway and passed as is over a second interface to a packet gateway. In a second embodiment, the first interface carries information used in PCO in configuration options/Information elements, such as configuration option in IKE in case of ePDG. The serving gateway, such as an ePDG, creates PCO and extracts the information from first interface and then sends PCO over the second interface. In the response path the PCO response is used to fill in information that is sent in the first interface.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method comprising:
receiving, at a serving gateway, a request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters associated with an Internet Protocol address of a mobile device, the one or more network protocol configuration parameters to be provided by a packet gateway, the request to be received from the mobile device over an untrusted wireless local area network (WLAN) through a first interface using a first communication protocol comprising an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, the request comprising an IKE configuration request;
the serving gateway converting the IKE configuration request into a protocol configuration option (PCO) request;
the serving gateway making the PCO request for the one or more network protocol configuration parameters to the packet gateway over a second interface;
the serving gateway receiving a first response with the one or more network protocol configuration parameters from the packet gateway over the second interface; and
providing a second response comprising the one or more network protocol configuration parameters provided by the packet gateway to the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN through the first interface using the first communication protocol;
wherein the request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters to be received at the serving gateway from the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN specifies at least one of a domain name system (DNS) server address request or a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) address request.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request for the one or more network protocol configuration parameters includes a domain name system (DNS) query to obtain an Internet Protocol (IP) address to enable communication with the mobile device over a public communications network.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the serving gateway includes a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN), a serving gateway (SGW), or an evolved packet data gateway (ePDG).

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first interface comprises an SWu interface and the second interface comprises an S2b interface.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein providing the second response to the mobile device comprises providing the one or more network protocol configuration parameters as configuration payload attributes.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the IKE protocol comprises Internet Key Exchange (IKE)v2.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the request and response are provided to support password authentication protocol (PAP).

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising converting the IKE configuration request into the PCO request using a PCO mapping module in the serving gateway.

9. The method of claim 6 , wherein the request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters comprises the PCO request.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein receiving the request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters comprises receiving the PCO request in a payload field, associated with the Internet Key Exchange(IKE)v2 protocol, dedicated to carry the PCO request.

11. The method of claim 6 , wherein providing the second response to the mobile device comprises sending the one or more network protocol configuration parameters in a payload field, associated with the Internet Key Exchange(IKE)v2 protocol, dedicated to carry the one or more network protocol configuration parameters.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more network protocol configuration parameters requested by the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN and to be provided by the packet gateway comprise an address of a domain name system (DNS) server.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the one or more network protocol configuration parameters requested by the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN and to be provided by the packet gateway comprise an address of a Proxy-Call Session Control Function.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first response with the one or more network protocol configuration parameters is a PCO response and the second response comprising the one or more network protocol configuration parameters is an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) configuration response, the method further comprising: translating, by the serving gateway, the PCO response received from the packet gateway to the IKE configuration response.

15. A serving gateway comprising:
a first interface configured to receive, at the serving gateway using a first communication protocol comprising an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, a request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters associated with an Internet Protocol address of a mobile device, the request comprising an IKE configuration request, the one or more network protocol configuration parameters to be provided by a packet gateway, the request to be received from the mobile device over an untrusted wireless local area network (WLAN);
a second interface configured for the serving gateway to make a PCO request for the one or more network protocol configuration parameters to the packet gateway, wherein the IKE configuration request is converted into the PCO request by the serving gateway; and
a processor for receiving a first response comprising the one or more network protocol configuration parameters from the packet gateway over the second interface, and for providing a second response comprising the one or more network protocol configuration parameters provided by the packet gateway to the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN through the first interface using the first communication protocol;
wherein the request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters received at the serving gateway from the mobile device over the untrusted WLAN specifies at least one of a domain name system (DNS) server address request or a Proxy-Call Session Control Function (P-CSCF) address request.

16. The gateway of claim 15 , wherein the request for the one or more network protocol configuration parameters includes a domain name system (DNS) query to obtain an Internet Protocol (IP) address to enable communication with the mobile device over a public communications network.

17. The gateway of claim 15 , wherein the serving gateway includes a Serving GPRS Support Node(SGSN), a serving gateway (SGW), or an evolved packet data gateway (ePDG).

18. The gateway of claim 15 , wherein the first interface is an SWu interface and the second interface is an S2b interface.

19. The gateway of claim 15 , wherein the IKE protocol comprises Internet Key Exchange (IKE)v2.

20. The gateway of claim 19 , wherein the request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters comprises an IKE configuration request, and the processor is configured to convert the IKE configuration request into the PCO request using a PCO mapping module in the serving gateway.

21. Logic encoded on one or more tangible, non-transient media for execution and when executed operable for:
receiving, at a serving gateway, a request for one or more network protocol configuration parameters associated with an Internet Protocol address of a mobile device, the one or more network protocol configuration parameters to be provided by a packet gateway, the request to be received from the mobile device over an untrusted wireless local area network (WLAN) through a first interface using a first communication protocol comprising an Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol, the request comprising an IKE configuration request;
converting, by the serving gateway

Assignees

• Velandy Rajesh
• Dodd-Noble Aeneas
• Cisco Tech Inc

Inventors

• Velandy Rajesh
• Dodd-Noble Aeneas

Classifications

• H04W12/06

  Authentication · CPC title

• H04W88/16

  Gateway arrangements · CPC title

• H04W76/02 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W12/04

  Key management, e.g. using generic bootstrapping architecture [GBA] · CPC title

• H04W76/12 Primary

  Setup of transport tunnels · CPC title