Method and system for realizing application detection and control in IP-CAN session supporting dual stack

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9565052-B2
Application number	US-201113978603-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 31, 2011
Priority date	Jan 18, 2011
Publication date	Feb 7, 2017
Grant date	Feb 7, 2017

Abstract

The disclosure provides a method and a system for realizing application detection and control in an IP-Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session supporting dual stack. The method includes: a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) informs a Traffic Detection Function (TDF) of an IPv4 address via a TDF session established for the IP-CAN session if a gateway where the PCEF is located or another external network element allocates the IPv4 address according to a request of the UE and the UE accesses a service using the IPv4 address, after the UE establishes the IP-CAN session and accesses a service using an IPv6 address in the IP-CAN session supporting dual stack; and the TDF performs application detection and control on traffic, of which the source address and/or the destination address is/are the IPv4 address, according to an Application Detection and Control (ADC) rule related to the TDF session. With the method of the disclosure, the PCRF will no longer initiate a request for establishing a new TDF session, in this way, the service detection for one same IP-CAN session needs to be reported via one same TDF session only, thus, resources are saved and signalling overhead is reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for realizing application detection and control in an IP-Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session supporting dual stack, comprising:
establishing, by a User Equipment (UE), the IP-CAN session;
constructing, by the UE, an IPv6 address according to an IPv6 address prefix received through the IP-CAN session;
establishing, by a Traffic Detection Function (TDF) or a Policy and Charging Rules Function entity (PCRF), a TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address;
allocating, by a gateway where a Policy and Control Enforcement Function entity (PCEF) is located or another external network element, an IPv4 address to the UE according to a request from the UE;
the method further comprising:
informing, by the PCRF, the TDF of the IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address; and
associating, by the TDF, the IPv4 address with the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address;
performing, by the TDF, application detection and control on traffic, of which a source address and/or a destination address is/are the IPv4 address, according to an Application Detection and Control (ADC) rule related to the TDF session;
when the IPv4 address is released, informing, by the PCRF, the TDF of the released IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address; and
stopping, by the TDF, applying the ADC rule related to the TDF session to traffic matched with the released IPv4 address.

2. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising: after the TDF associates the IPv4 address with the TDF session,
reporting, by the TDF, detected application information related to the IPv4 address to the PCRF via the TDF session if the PCRF subscribes to an event trigger for Start of application traffic detection and Stop of application traffic detection with the TDF.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the ADC rule related to the TDF session includes an ADC rule applied to an IPv6 address and/or an ADC rule separately applied to an IPv4 address of the IP-CAN session.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein informing, by the PCRF, the TDF of the released IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address comprises:
sending, by a Policy and Control Enforcement Function entity (PCEF), a message of indication of IP-CAN session modification to the PCRF, and making the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification carry an IP address release indicator and a released IPv4 address;
releasing, by the PCRF, the IPv4 address carried in the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification and returning an acknowledgement message to the PCEF;
sending, by the PCRF, a TDF session modification request to the TDF via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address, and making the TDF session modification request message carry the IP address release indicator and the released IPv4 address.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein informing, by the PCRF, the TDF of the allocated IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address comprises:
sending, by the PCEF, a message of indication of IP-CAN session modification to the PCRF, and making the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification carry an IP address allocation indicator and an allocated IPv4 address;
storing, by the PCRF, the IPv4 address carried in the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification and returning an acknowledgement message to the PCEF;
sending, by the PCRF, a TDF session modification request to the TDF via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address, and making the TDF session modification request message carry the IP address allocation indicator and the allocated IPv4 address.

6. A system for realizing application detection and control in an IP-Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session supporting dual stack, at least comprising a Policy and Charging Rules Function entity (PCRF), a Policy and Control Enforcement Function entity (PCEF), a Traffic Detection Function (TDF) a gateway where the PCEF is located or another external network element and User Equipment (UE), wherein;
the UE is configured to establish an IP-CAN session and to construct an IPv6 address according to an IPv6 address prefix received through the IP-CAN session;
the TDF or the PCRF is configured to establish a TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address;
the gateway where the PCEF is located or another external network element is configured to allocate an IPv4 address to the UE according to a request from the UE;
the PCRF is configured to inform the TDF of the IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address;
the TDF is configured to associate the IPv4 address with the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address;
the TDF is configured for application detection and control on traffic, of which a source address and/or a destination address is/are the IPv4 address, according to an Application Detection and Control (ADC) rule related to the TDF session;
wherein when the IPv4 address is released, the PCRF is configured to inform the TDF of the released IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address; and
the TDF is configured for applying the ADC rule related to the TDF session to traffic matched with the released IPv4 address.

7. The system for realizing application detection and control in an IP-CAN session supporting dual stack according to claim 6 , wherein the TDF is further configured to report detected application information related to the IPv4 address to the PCRF via the TDF session if the PCRF subscribes to an event trigger for Start of application traffic detection and Stop of application traffic detection with the TDF.

8. The system according to claim 6 , wherein
the PCEF is further configured to send a message of indication of IP-CAN session modification to the PCRF, and to make the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification carry an IP address release indicator and a released IPv4 address;
the PCRF is further configured to release the IPv4 address carried in the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification and to return an acknowledgement message to the PCEF, to send a TDF session modification request to the TDF via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address and to make the TDF session modification request message carry the IP address release indicator and the released IPv4 address;
the TDF is further configured to disassociate the IPv4 address from the TDF session and to return an acknowledgement to the PCRF;
the PCRF is further configured to: when the IPv4 address is released, inform the TDF of the released IPv4 address via the TDF session corresponding to the IPv6 address; and
the TDF is further configured to stop applying the ADC rule related to the TDF session to traffic matched with the released IPv4 address.

9. The method according to claim 2 , further comprising:
performing, by the TDF, application detection and control on traffic, of which a source address and/or a destination address is/are the IPv4 address, according to an Application Detection and Control (ADC) rule related to the TDF session.

10. The method according to claim 9 , further comprising:
the ADC rule related to the TDF session includes an ADC rule applied to an IPv6 address and/or an ADC rule separately applied to an IPv4 address of the IP-CAN session.

11. The system according to claim 6 , wherein the PCEF is configured to send a message of indication of IP-CAN session modification to the PCRF, and to make the message of indication of IP-CAN session modification carry an IP address allocation indicator and an allocated IPv4 address;
the PCRF is config

Assignees

• Zhou Xiaoyun
• Zte Corp

Inventors

• Zhou Xiaoyun

Classifications

• H04L12/1407

  Policy-and-charging control [PCC] architecture · CPC title

• H04L69/167

  Adaptation for transition between two IP versions, e.g. between IPv4 and IPv6 (translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses H04L61/2503) · CPC title

• H04L67/147

  Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation · CPC title

• H04L61/2007

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L29/0863 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic