Performance optimization with integrated mobility and MPLS

Abstract

In one embodiment, a first node receives data associated with a mobile node. The mobile node includes a plurality of sessions associated with it. For example, the plurality of sessions may be associated with flows for different services, such as voice over IP. A session for the data is determined out of a plurality of sessions. Labels may be provided that correspond to sessions in the plurality of sessions and a label is then determined for the session. The data is sent to the second node in a packet that includes the label. The packet is sent using a label switched path (LSP) in a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS) network. When the second node receives the data, it uses the label to determine a performance treatment to apply to the data. For example, different labels may correspond to the different sessions and different sessions may be associated with different quality of service (QoS) levels.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts an example system for providing performance optimization using labels in an MPLS network.

FIG. 2 shows a more detailed embodiment of a foreign agent and a home agent.

FIG. 3 depicts a method for sending data using labels.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a method for processing a received packet and applying a performance treatment.

Claims

1. A method comprising: receiving, at a first node, data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;determining a session for the data in the plurality of sessions;determining a label in a plurality of labels for the session; andsending a packet including the data and the label to a second node, wherein the packet is routed from the first node to the second node using the label, wherein the second node uses the label to determine a performance treatment to apply to the data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sessions in the plurality of session are each associated with a label, wherein the label is used to send the packet including the data through a label switched path for the determined session.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each label switched path is associated with a performance treatment.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the performance treatment is statically or dynamically assigned to the label.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving, at the first node, second data associated with the mobile node;determining a second session for the second data in the plurality of sessions;determining a second label in a plurality of labels for the second session; andsending a second packet including the second data and the second label to the second node, wherein the second packet is routed from the first node to the second node using the second label, wherein the second node uses the second label to determine a second performance treatment to apply to the second data.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the second data is sent in the second packet including a same source and destination as the packet used to send the data, wherein the second label is used to determine the second performance treatment to apply to the second data and the determined label is used to determine the performance treatment to apply to the data.

7. A method comprising: receiving, at a first node, a packet including data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;determining a label from the packet, wherein labels in one or more labels correspond to one or more sessions;determining a performance treatment for the label; andapplying the performance treatment to the data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein sessions in the plurality of session are each associated with a label, wherein the label is used to apply a performance treatment to packets sent in the sessions.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the packet including the data is received from a label switched path for the determined session.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the performance treatment is statically or dynamically assigned to the label.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receiving, at the first node, a second packet including second data associated with the mobile node;determining a second label from the second packet, wherein labels in one or more labels correspond to one or more sessions;determining a second performance treatment for the second label; andapplying the second performance treatment to the second data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second data is sent in the second packet including a same source and destination as the packet used to send the data, wherein the second label is used to determine the second performance treatment to apply to the second data and the determined label is used to determine the performance treatment to apply to the data.

13. An apparatus comprising: one or more processors; andlogic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to:receive, at a first node, data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;determine a session for the data in the plurality of sessions;determine a label in a plurality of labels for the session; andsend a packet including the data and the label to a second node, wherein the packet is routed from the first node to the second node using the label, wherein the second node uses the label to determine a performance treatment to apply to the data.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein sessions in the plurality of session are each associated with a label, wherein the label is used to send the packet including the data through a label switched path for the determined session.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each label switched path is associated with a performance treatment.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the performance treatment is statically or dynamically assigned to the label.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to: receive, at the first node, second data associated with the mobile node;determine a second session for the second data in the plurality of sessions;determine a second label in a plurality of labels for the second session; andsend a second packet including the second data and the second label to the second node, wherein the second packet is routed from the first node to the second node using the second label, wherein the second node uses the second label to determine a second performance treatment to apply to the second data.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the second data is sent in the second packet including a same source and destination as the packet used to send the data, wherein the second label is used to determine the second performance treatment to apply to the second data and the determined label is used to determine the performance treatment to apply to the data.

19. An apparatus comprising: one or more processors; andlogic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution by the one or more processors and when executed operable to:receiving, at a first node, a packet including data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;determining a label from the packet, wherein labels in one or more labels correspond to one or more sessions;determining a performance treatment for the label; andapplying the performance treatment to the data.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein sessions in the plurality of session are each associated with a label, wherein the label is used to apply a performance treatment to packets sent in the sessions.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the packet including the data is received from a label switched path for the determined session.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the performance treatment is statically or dynamically assigned to the label.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the logic when executed is further operable to: receive, at the first node, a second packet including second data associated with the mobile node;determine a second label from the second packet, wherein labels in one or more labels correspond to one or more sessions;determine a second performance treatment for the second label; andapply the second performance treatment to the second data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the second data is sent in the second packet including a same source and destination as the packet used to send the data, wherein the second label is used to determine the second performance treatment to apply to the second data and the determined label is used to determine the performance treatment to apply to the data.

25. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a first node, data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;means for determining a session for the data in the plurality of sessions;means for determining a label in a plurality of labels for the session; andmeans for sending a packet including the data and the label to a second node, wherein the packet is routed from the first node to the second node using the label, wherein the second node uses the label to determine a performance treatment to apply to the data.

26. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a first node, a packet including data associated with a mobile node, wherein the mobile node includes a plurality of sessions for sending data;means for determining a label from the packet, wherein labels in one or more labels correspond to one or more sessions;means for determining a performance treatment for the label; andmeans for applying the performance treatment to the data.