Patent ID: 7283523
Filing Date: 2007-10-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for applying a Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) network to support Quality of Service (QoS) in General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), the MPLS including multiple Label Switch Routers (LSRs) for providing Label Switch Paths (LSPs) established by label stack, the MPLS network defining level 1 label and level 2 label, wherein a level 1 LSP is formed by switching multiple level 1 labels while a level 2 LSP is formed by switching multiple level 2 labels, and the level 1 label of the label stack is used to address routing LSP outside the GPRS core network while the level 2 label of label stack is used to address routing LSP inside the GRPS core network, the packet switching network being connected to at least one Corresponding Node (CN), the GPRS core network including at least one Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) connected to the packet switching network and multiple Serving GPRS Support Nodes (SGSNs), each SGSN connected to base stations (BSs) of at least one wireless access network, the method comprising the steps of: (A) pre-configuring level 2 LSP connections with reserved bandwidth respectively between Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) and each Service GPRS Support Node (SGSN), and between two SGSNs, thereby forming level 2 LSP tunnels with multiple fixed paths; (B) establishing level 1 LSPs on-demand from a corresponding node (CN) to a mobile station (MS), wherein the SGSN establishes a first mapping table for recording relation between Merge ID (MID) label and International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI) and Network Layer Service Subscriber Access Point Identifier (NSAPI) for MSs when the level 1 LSP is established, and the SGSN accordingly recognizes and locates the MS; and (C) forwarding a packet between the CN and the MS according to the level 1 LSP, wherein when the packet is forwarded to the SGSN, the SGSN finds corresponding IMSI and NSAPI from the first mapping table with reference to the MID label for addressing the MS's location.