Patent ID: 8311014
Filing Date: 2012-11-13
Classification: H04L,H04W

Abstract:
1. A method in a foreign agent for providing an IP (Internet Protocol) session from a home agent to a mobile node offering a virtual care-of address, the method comprising the steps of: sending an agent advertisement to the mobile node to offer to provide the IP session to the mobile node, wherein the agent advertisement includes one or more IP addresses from the foreign agent, one of which is the virtual care-of address, wherein the virtual care-of address is dynamically mapped to one of a plurality of regular care-of addresses in the foreign agent for the IP session, wherein each of the plurality of regular care-of addresses mark the foreign agent's endpoint of each of a plurality of tunnels, wherein the plurality of tunnels are adapted to carry traffic for the IP session between the foreign agent and the home agent that provides a network connection for the IP session; receiving a registration request from the mobile node in response to the agent advertisement, wherein the registration request identifies only one IP address, out of the one or more IP addresses, for use in the IP session for the mobile node; determining whether services in connection with the virtual care-of address should be provided to the mobile node; responsive to determining that the services in connection with the virtual care-of address should not be provided to the mobile node, applying services to the mobile node in connection with one of the plurality of regular care-of addresses in the foreign agent; responsive to determining that the services in connection with the virtual care-of address should be provided to the mobile node, performing the following steps: