Patent ID: 8767728
Filing Date: 2014-07-01
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method to implement network caching in an access network, the method comprising: receiving, at a tunnel gateway (TGW), a terminal request directed to a data server for a flow, the terminal request originating from a requesting terminal and forwarded to the TGW by a downlink (DL) endpoint through a FROM-DL tunnel, the DL endpoint being an endpoint of the FROM-DL tunnel; selecting, at the TGW, based on the FROM-DL tunnel, a network cache to handle the flow; and redirecting, at the TGW, the terminal request to the selected network cache through a TO-SELECTED-CACHE tunnel, the selected network cache being an endpoint of the TO-SELECTED-CACHE tunnel, wherein a mapping table associated with the TGW includes information regarding wherein for each lower endpoint, there is a corresponding data path between that lower endpoint and an IP point of presence, that lower end point being located below the IP point of presence in that data path, and the TGW being located in between that lower endpoint and the IP point of presence in that data path, wherein the mapping table is arranged such that each from-lower tunnel is mapped to one of the one or more network caches, and such that each of the one or more flows is mapped to one of the one or more to-cache tunnels, wherein the FROM-DL tunnel is one of the one or more from-lower tunnels whose lower endpoint identifier identifies the DL endpoint and whose from-lower tunnel identifier is associated with a bearer of the flow related to the terminal request, wherein the TO-SELECTED-CACHE tunnel is one of the one or more to-cache tunnels whose cache identifier identifies the selected network cache and whose to-cache tunnel identifier is associated with the bearer of the flow related to the terminal request, and wherein the tunnel switch is arranged to select a network cache mapped to the FROM-DL tunnel in the mapping table as the selected network cache.