METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR UPDATING AND RETRIEVING STATE INFORMATION FOR MOBILE NODES

Abstract

A method for updating and retrieving information for one or more nodes includes sending an update of at least a first indicator from at least a first node of a group of nodes to a home agent. Each of the group of nodes is associated with the home agent and corresponds to at least one of a plurality of indicators. The plurality of indicators is related to an internet protocol and includes the first indicator. The method further includes sending a request to the home agent for group node information that is associated with at least information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes. Additionally, the method includes receiving the group node information from the home agent and transferring the group node information to one or more applications capable of accessing all the group of nodes. Moreover, the method includes sending one or more communication messages to at least a second node of the group of nodes via the one or more applications without using the home agent for routing.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a simplified method for updating information for one or more nodes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a simplified method for retrieving information for one or more nodes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a simplified method for updating group node information for one or more mobile nodes according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is simplified diagram illustrating a mobile internet protocol client node architecture including features of group retrieval, cache, and mobility interface according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a simplified diagram illustrating a plurality of mobile nodes specified in some defined groups denoted as Group A through Group N and their associated home agents according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a simplified diagram illustrating two or more sub-groups of nodes in each group of nodes are cross associated with two or more different home agents according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a simplified diagram illustrating an arbitrary relationship of a group of nodes with one of many home agents according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary application for mobile group communications according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for updating information for one or more nodes, the method comprising: receiving an update for at least a first indicator from at least a first node, the first node being selected from a group of nodes, each of the group of nodes corresponding to at least one of a plurality of indicators, the plurality of indicators being related to an internet protocol (IP) and including the first indicator, the at least one of the plurality of indicators being associated with mobility of the each of the group of nodes;processing information associated with the update;receiving a request from a second node for group node information, the second node corresponding to one or more of the plurality of indicators, the group node information being associated with at least information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes;determining whether the second node is authorized to receive the group node information;if the second node is determined to be authorized, sending to the second node the group node information;wherein the first node and the second node are the same or different.

2. The method of claim 1 and further comprising sending a reject message to the second node if the second node is determined not to be authorized.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first indicator comprises one or more parameters associated with mobility binding information including a current temporary address for the first node under the internet protocol when the first node moves from a first network attachment location to a second network attachment location.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the group node information received by the second node includes the update for the first indicator and excludes the information related to the one or more of the plurality of indicators corresponding to the second node.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second node may support a mobile IP client device capable of running one or more mobility applications.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the one or more mobility applications running on the second node may obtain the group node information from a mobile IP binding cache via a mobility application programming interface (API).

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the one or more mobility applications may establish a peer-to-peer communication between the second node and at least a third node of the group of nodes without using a home agent for routing.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the third node is a correspondent node of the group of nodes other than the second node.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the group of nodes may include one or more subgroups of nodes, each of the one or more subgroups of nodes correspondingly being associated with one of a list of home agents.

10. The method of claim 1, and further comprising: receiving a node binding update from a fourth node, the fourth node not being selected from the group of nodes, the node binding update including at least information associated with a first temporary IP address of the fourth node;processing information associated with the node binding update from the fourth node;receiving a request from a fifth node for the node binding update from the fourth node, the fifth node being associated with a second temporary IP address;determining whether the fifth node is authorized to receive the node binding update from the fourth node; andif the fifth node is determined to be authorized, sending to the fifth node the node binding update from the fourth node.

11. A method for retrieving information for one or more nodes, the method comprising: sending an update of at least a first indicator from at least a first node of a group of nodes to a home agent, each of the group of nodes being associated with the home agent and corresponding to at least one of a plurality of indicators, the plurality of indicators being related to an internet protocol (IP) and including the first indicator;sending a request for group node information from the first node of the group of nodes to the home agent, the group node information being associated with at least information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes;receiving the group node information by the first node from the home agent;transferring the group node information to one or more applications at the first node, the one or more client applications being capable of accessing all the group of nodes;sending one or more communication messages to at least a second node of the group of nodes via the one or more applications with the group node information without using a home agent for routing;wherein the first node and the second node are different.

12. The method of claim 11, and further comprising receiving a reject message from the home agent if the first node is determined not to be authorized to receive the group node information.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the group node information requested by the first node includes the information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes other than one or more of the plurality of indicators corresponding to the first node.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the first indicator from the first node comprises one or more parameters associated with mobility binding information including a current temporary address of the first node under the internet protocol when the first node moves from a first network attachment location to a second network attachment location.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein each of the group of nodes is associated with the home agent with a given permanent address under the internet protocol with a same prefix of a home network.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the group node information received by the first node is stored in a mobile IP client binding cache.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the group node information is transferred from the mobile IP client binding cache to one or more applications at the first node via a mobility application programming interface.

18. The method of claim 11 wherein the sending one or more communication message from the first node to at least a second node of the group of nodes is a direct peer-to-peer communication in mobile environment.

19. The method of claim 11 wherein the group of nodes may include one or more subgroups of nodes, each of the one or more subgroups of nodes correspondingly being associated with one of a list of home agents.

20. A system for updating information for one or more nodes, the system comprising: a network home agent configured to: receive an update for at least a first indicator from at least a first node, the first node being selected from a group of nodes, each of the group of nodes corresponding to at least one of a plurality of indicators, the plurality of indicators being related to an internet protocol and including the first indicator, the at least one of the plurality of indicators being associated with mobility of the each of the group of nodes;process information associated with the update;receive a request from a second node for group node information, the second node corresponding to one or more of the plurality of indicators, the group node information being associated with at least information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes;determine whether the second node is authorized to receive the group node information;send to the second node the group node information if the second node is determined to be authorized;wherein the first node and the second node are the same or different.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the network home agent is further configured to send to the second node a rejection message if the network home agent determines the second node not to be authorized.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the group node information requested by the second node includes the information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes other than one or more of the plurality of indicators corresponding to the second node.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the first indicator from the first node comprises one or more parameters associated with mobility binding information including a current temporary address of the first node under the internet protocol when the first node moves from a first network attachment location to a second network attachment location.

24. A system for retrieving information of one or more nodes, the method comprising: a node component on a first node configured to: send an update of at least a first indicator to a home agent, the first indicator being associated with the first node selected from a group of nodes, each of the group of nodes being associated with the home agent and corresponding to at least one of a plurality of indicators, the plurality of indicators being related to an internet protocol (IP) and including the first indicator;send a request for group node information to the home agent, the group node information being associated with at least information related to the plurality of indicators corresponding to the group of nodes;receive the group node information from the home agent if the first node is determined to be authorized;a memory component on a first node configured to: store the group node information including the update of the first indicator;a mobile IP client-support configured to: support a client device attached to the first node, the client device capable of running one or more applications;a mobility application programming interface configured to: transfer the group node information from the memory component to one or more applications at the first node, the one or more client applications allowing the first node to send one or more communication messages to at least a second node of the group of nodes without using the home agent for routing;wherein the first node and the second node are different.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the group node information requested by the first node includes the information related to the plurality of indicators of the group of nodes other than one or more indicators corresponding to the first node.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the first indicator from the first node comprises one or more parameters associated with mobility binding information including a current temporary address of the first node under the internet protocol when the first node moves from a first network attachment location to a second network attachment location.

27. The method of claim 24 wherein the one or more communication messages sent from the first node to at least a second node of the group of nodes without using the home agent for routing is delivered via a peer-to-peer communication in mobile environment.