Patent Publication Number: US-2013230036-A1

Title: Devices and methods for pre-association discovery in communication networks

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/606,665, filed on Mar. 5, 2012, U.S. Provisional application 61/645,882, filed on May 11, 2012, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/701,298, filed on Sep. 14, 2012, U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/701,335, filed on Sep. 14, 2012, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/751,595, filed on Jan. 11, 2013, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Often a person or device would like a service from a network. For example, a user may be entering a new hotel for the first time, and may want to use a high-resolution color 3D printer to prepare materials for a sales meeting. The user&#39;s laptop computer may report that there are 6 wireless local area networks (WLANs) reachable by the user&#39;s laptop, but 5 may require payment or a user name and password before the user can determine whether or not the WLANs have a high resolution color printer. The sixth WLAN may be advertised as being a free network belonging to the hotel; however, the user may be unsure whether or not the network really belongs to the hotel and is secure. The user may want to know which of the WLANs has a high-resolution color printer, but may not want to logon to a WLAN first or provide credit card information prior to knowing whether the WLAN has a high-resolution color printer and possibly what the cost would be to use the printer. 
     In a second example, a user may want to watch on a device sports events while traveling. The user may want to watch free edited highlights, or pay for a high quality match. However, the user&#39;s current mobile operator may not allow either of these services to be streamed to the user&#39;s device. There may be many other networks that the user&#39;s device could attach to, but the user does not want to attach to each of the networks to find out which video services are available on the different networks. The reason the use may not want to attach to the different network is that to attach to a network may take time and cost money. Additionally, the user may be unsure whether or not to trust the network. 
     In a third example, a user may be roaming and may not want to use a cellular connection for their data connection. The user may wish to download a significant amount of data for a short time or the user may wish to use a VoIP service. Networks that are reachable by the user&#39;s device may provide an indication of their data connection capabilities, or preferences, but not until the user has attached to the network. 
     In a fourth example, a user may want to use an electronic book application to access a new online electronic book. The electronic book service provider may pay for access to the electronic book across a local network; however, the device may need to discover which networks have a contract with the electronic book service provider for the access to the electronic book to be free to the user. Alternatively, a user may want to make a telephone call but their telephone network may not be available; however, there may be other networks available. The telephone network may provide free access for telephone calls using other networks, but only if the user&#39;s device can determine the least cost alternative network to use. 
     Therefore, there is a need in the art for devices to be able to perform pre-association discovery (PAD) to determine services offered by networks without having to associate with the network. 
     SUMMARY 
     Wireless transmit and receive units (WTRUs), and methods for the purpose of performing pre-association discovery (PAD) are disclosed. The methods may include obtaining an IP address to communicate with a wireless local area network (WLAN) before associating with the AP for the purposes of performing pre-association discovery (PAD) through the AP. 
     The methods may include communicating with a remote information server (IS) by sending messages to a WLAN using an L2 address and receiving responses from the IS through the WLAN. The WTRU may not have associated with the WLAN. 
     WLANs and methods for use in WLANs for the purpose of performing PAD are disclosed. The methods may include receiving a message including a source IP address from an unassociated wireless transmit and receive unit (WTRU); and restricting the use of the source IP address by the unassociated WTRU. 
     The methods may include receiving a PAD request from an WTRU; and relaying messages between the WTRU and a remote information server (IS) for PAD information exchange, wherein the WTRU does not have an IP address for use with the WLAN and the WTRU is not associated with the WLAN. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       A more detailed understanding may be had from the following description, given by way of example in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  is a diagram of an example communications system  100  in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented; 
         FIG. 1B  is a system diagram of an example WTRU  102 ; 
         FIG. 1C  is a system diagram of the RAN  104  and the core network  106  according to an embodiment; 
         FIG. 2  is a system diagram of an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented; 
         FIG. 3A  illustrates an example of a WTRU  102  obtaining an IP address for pre-associating discovery (PAD) according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of a WTRU obtaining an IP address for PAD from the AP  170  according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 3C  illustrates an example of a WTRU obtaining an IP address for PAD from the AP according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 6  illustrates a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 7  illustrates a WTRU according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 8A  illustrates a method for PAD according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 8B  illustrates the PAD session request  804  according to some embodiments; 
         FIG. 9  illustrates a method of PAD discovery where a PAD session ID is broadcast using a session digest according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 10  illustrates a method for PAD discovery where EAPOL start is used according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 11  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments; 
         FIG. 12  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments. 
         FIG. 13  illustrates a bitmap of service categories according to some embodiments; and 
         FIG. 14  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       FIG. 1A  is a diagram of an example communications system  100  in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. The communications system  100  may be a multiple access system that provides content, such as voice, data, video, messaging, broadcast, etc., to multiple wireless users. The communications system  100  may enable multiple wireless users to access such content through the sharing of system resources, including wireless bandwidth. For example, the communications system  100  may employ one or more channel access methods, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA), and the like. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the communications system  100  may include wireless transmit/receive units (WTRUs)  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d , a radio access network (RAN)  104 , a core network  106 , a public switched telephone network (PSTN)  108 , the Internet  110 , and other networks  112 , though it will be appreciated that the disclosed embodiments contemplate any number of WTRUs, base stations, networks, and/or network elements. Each of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  may be any type of device configured to operate and/or communicate in a wireless environment. By way of example, the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals and may include user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a fixed or mobile subscriber unit, a pager, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a smartphone, a laptop, a netbook, a personal computer, a wireless sensor, consumer electronics, and the like. 
     The communications system  100  may also include a base station  114   a  and a base station  114   b . Each of the base stations  114   a ,  114   b  may be any type of device configured to wirelessly interface with at least one of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  to facilitate access to one or more communication networks, such as the core network  106 , the Internet  110 , and/or the other networks  112 . By way of example, the base stations  114   a ,  114   b  may be a base transceiver station (BTS), a Node-B, an eNode B, a Home Node B, a Home eNode B, a site controller, an access point (AP), a wireless router, and the like. While the base stations  114   a ,  114   b  are each depicted as a single element, it will be appreciated that the base stations  114   a ,  114   b  may include any number of interconnected base stations and/or network elements. 
     The base station  114   a  may be part of the RAN  104 , which may also include other base stations and/or network elements (not shown), such as a base station controller (BSC), a radio network controller (RNC), relay nodes, etc. The base station  114   a  and/or the base station  114   b  may be configured to transmit and/or receive wireless signals within a particular geographic region, which may be referred to as a cell (not shown). The cell may further be divided into cell sectors. For example, the cell associated with the base station  114   a  may be divided into three sectors. Thus, in one embodiment, the base station  114   a  may include three transceivers, i.e., one for each sector of the cell. In another embodiment, the base station  114   a  may employ multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) technology and, therefore, may utilize multiple transceivers for each sector of the cell. 
     The base stations  114   a ,  114   b  may communicate with one or more of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  over an air interface  116 , which may be any suitable wireless communication link (e.g., radio frequency (RF), microwave, infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), visible light, etc.). The air interface  116  may be established using any suitable radio access technology (RAT). 
     More specifically, as noted above, the communications system  100  may be a multiple access system and may employ one or more channel access schemes, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and the like. For example, the base station  114   a  in the RAN  104  and the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  may implement a radio technology such as Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), which may establish the air interface  116  using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). WCDMA may include communication protocols such as High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and/or Evolved HSPA (HSPA+). HSPA may include High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) and/or High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA). 
     In another embodiment, the base station  114   a  and the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), which may establish the air interface  116  using Long Term Evolution (LTE) and/or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). 
     In other embodiments, the base station  114   a  and the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  may implement radio technologies such as IEEE 802.16 (i.e., Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX)), CDMA2000, CDMA2000 1X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, Interim Standard 2000 (IS-2000), Interim Standard 95 (IS-95), Interim Standard 856 (IS-856), Global System for Mobile communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE), GSM EDGE (GERAN), and the like. 
     The base station  114   b  in  FIG. 1A  may be a wireless router, Home Node B, Home eNode B, or access point, for example, and may utilize any suitable RAT for facilitating wireless connectivity in a localized area, such as a place of business, a home, a vehicle, a campus, and the like. In one embodiment, the base station  114   b  and the WTRUs  102   c ,  102   d  may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.11 to establish a wireless local area network (WLAN). In another embodiment, the base station  114   b  and the WTRUs  102   c ,  102   d  may implement a radio technology such as IEEE 802.15 to establish a wireless personal area network (WPAN). In yet another embodiment, the base station  114   b  and the WTRUs  102   c ,  102   d  may utilize a cellular-based RAT (e.g., WCDMA, CDMA2000, GSM, LTE, LTE-A, etc.) to establish a picocell or femtocell. As shown in  FIG. 1A , the base station  114   b  may have a direct connection to the Internet  110 . Thus, the base station  114   b  may not be required to access the Internet  110  via the core network  106 . 
     The RAN  104  may be in communication with the core network  106 , which may be any type of network configured to provide voice, data, applications, and/or voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services to one or more of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d . For example, the core network  106  may provide call control, billing services, mobile location-based services, pre-paid calling, Internet connectivity, video distribution, etc., and/or perform high-level security functions, such as user authentication. Although not shown in  FIG. 1A , it will be appreciated that the RAN  104  and/or the core network  106  may be in direct or indirect communication with other RANs that employ the same RAT as the RAN  104  or a different RAT. For example, in addition to being connected to the RAN  104 , which may be utilizing an E-UTRA radio technology, the core network  106  may also be in communication with another RAN (not shown) employing a GSM radio technology. 
     The core network  106  may also serve as a gateway for the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  to access the PSTN  108 , the Internet  110 , and/or other networks  112 . The PSTN  108  may include circuit-switched telephone networks that provide plain old telephone service (POTS). The Internet  110  may include a global system of interconnected computer networks and devices that use common communication protocols, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP), user datagram protocol (UDP) and the internet protocol (IP) in the TCP/IP internet protocol suite. The other networks  112  may include wired or wireless communications networks owned and/or operated by other service providers. For example, the other networks  112  may include another core network connected to one or more RANs, which may employ the same RAT as the RAN  104  or a different RAT. 
     Some or all of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  in the communications system  100  may include multi-mode capabilities, i.e., the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c ,  102   d  may include multiple transceivers for communicating with different wireless networks over different wireless links. For example, the WTRU  102   c  shown in  FIG. 1A  may be configured to communicate with the base station  114   a , which may employ a cellular-based radio technology, and with the base station  114   b , which may employ an IEEE 802 radio technology. 
       FIG. 1B  is a system diagram of an example WTRU  102 . As shown in  FIG. 1B , the WTRU  102  may include a processor  118 , a transceiver  120 , a transmit/receive element  122 , a speaker/microphone  124 , a keypad  126 , a display/touchpad  128 , non-removable memory  130 , removable memory  132 , a power source  134 , a global positioning system (GPS) chipset  136 , and other peripherals  138 . It will be appreciated that the WTRU  102  may include any sub-combination of the foregoing elements while remaining consistent with an embodiment. 
     The processor  118  may be a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a conventional processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in association with a DSP core, a controller, a microcontroller, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs) circuits, any other type of integrated circuit (IC), a state machine, and the like. The processor  118  may perform signal coding, data processing, power control, input/output processing, and/or any other functionality that enables the WTRU  102  to operate in a wireless environment. The processor  118  may be coupled to the transceiver  120 , which may be coupled to the transmit/receive element  122 . While  FIG. 1B  depicts the processor  118  and the transceiver  120  as separate components, it will be appreciated that the processor  118  and the transceiver  120  may be integrated together in an electronic package or chip. 
     The transmit/receive element  122  may be configured to transmit signals to, or receive signals from, a base station (e.g., the base station  114   a ) over the air interface  116 . For example, in one embodiment, the transmit/receive element  122  may be an antenna configured to transmit and/or receive RF signals. In another embodiment, the transmit/receive element  122  may be an emitter/detector configured to transmit and/or receive IR, UV, or visible light signals, for example. In yet another embodiment, the transmit/receive element  122  may be configured to transmit and receive both RF and light signals. It will be appreciated that the transmit/receive element  122  may be configured to transmit and/or receive any combination of wireless signals. 
     In addition, although the transmit/receive element  122  is depicted in  FIG. 1B  as a single element, the WTRU  102  may include any number of transmit/receive elements  122 . More specifically, the WTRU  102  may employ MIMO technology. Thus, in one embodiment, the WTRU  102  may include two or more transmit/receive elements  122  (e.g., multiple antennas) for transmitting and receiving wireless signals over the air interface  116 . 
     The transceiver  120  may be configured to modulate the signals that are to be transmitted by the transmit/receive element  122  and to demodulate the signals that are received by the transmit/receive element  122 . As noted above, the WTRU  102  may have multi-mode capabilities. Thus, the transceiver  120  may include multiple transceivers for enabling the WTRU  102  to communicate via multiple RATs, such as UTRA and IEEE 802.11, for example. 
     The processor  118  of the WTRU  102  may be coupled to, and may receive user input data from, the speaker/microphone  124 , the keypad  126 , and/or the display/touchpad  128  (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) display unit or organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display unit). The processor  118  may also output user data to the speaker/microphone  124 , the keypad  126 , and/or the display/touchpad  128 . In addition, the processor  118  may access information from, and store data in, any type of suitable memory, such as the non-removable memory  130  and/or the removable memory  132 . The non-removable memory  130  may include random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), a hard disk, or any other type of memory storage device. The removable memory  132  may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, a memory stick, a secure digital (SD) memory card, and the like. In other embodiments, the processor  118  may access information from, and store data in, memory that is not physically located on the WTRU  102 , such as on a server or a home computer (not shown). 
     The processor  118  may receive power from the power source  134 , and may be configured to distribute and/or control the power to the other components in the WTRU  102 . The power source  134  may be any suitable device for powering the WTRU  102 . For example, the power source  134  may include one or more dry cell batteries (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-zinc (NiZn), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), etc.), solar cells, fuel cells, and the like. 
     The processor  118  may also be coupled to the GPS chipset  136 , which may be configured to provide location information (e.g., longitude and latitude) regarding the current location of the WTRU  102 . In addition to, or in lieu of, the information from the GPS chipset  136 , the WTRU  102  may receive location information over the air interface  116  from a base station (e.g., base stations  114   a ,  114   b ) and/or determine its location based on the timing of the signals being received from two or more nearby base stations. It will be appreciated that the WTRU  102  may acquire location information by way of any suitable location-determination method while remaining consistent with an embodiment. 
     The processor  118  may further be coupled to other peripherals  138 , which may include one or more software and/or hardware modules that provide additional features, functionality and/or wired or wireless connectivity. For example, the peripherals  138  may include an accelerometer, an e-compass, a satellite transceiver, a digital camera (for photographs or video), a universal serial bus (USB) port, a vibration device, a television transceiver, a hands free headset, a Bluetooth® module, a frequency modulated (FM) radio unit, a digital music player, a media player, a video game player module, an Internet browser, and the like. 
       FIG. 1C  is a system diagram of the RAN  104  and the core network  106  according to an embodiment. The RAN  104  may be an access service network (ASN) that employs IEEE 802.16 radio technology to communicate with the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  over the air interface  116 . As will be further discussed below, the communication links between the different functional entities of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c , the RAN  104 , and the core network  106  may be defined as reference points. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1C , the RAN  104  may include base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c , and an ASN gateway  142 , though it will be appreciated that the RAN  104  may include any number of base stations and ASN gateways while remaining consistent with an embodiment. The base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  may each be associated with a particular cell (not shown) in the RAN  104  and may each include one or more transceivers for communicating with the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  over the air interface  116 . In one embodiment, the base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  may implement MIMO technology. Thus, the base station  140   a , for example, may use multiple antennas to transmit wireless signals to, and receive wireless signals from, the WTRU  102   a . The base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  may also provide mobility management functions, such as handoff triggering, tunnel establishment, radio resource management, traffic classification, quality of service (QoS) policy enforcement, and the like. The ASN gateway  142  may serve as a traffic aggregation point and may be responsible for paging, caching of subscriber profiles, routing to the core network  106 , and the like. 
     The air interface  116  between the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  and the RAN  104  may be defined as an R1 reference point that implements the IEEE 802.16 specification. In addition, each of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  may establish a logical interface (not shown) with the core network  106 . The logical interface between the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  and the core network  106  may be defined as an R2 reference point, which may be used for authentication, authorization, IP host configuration management, and/or mobility management. 
     The communication link between each of the base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  may be defined as an R8 reference point that includes protocols for facilitating WTRU handovers and the transfer of data between base stations. The communication link between the base stations  140   a ,  140   b ,  140   c  and the ASN gateway  215  may be defined as an R6 reference point. The R6 reference point may include protocols for facilitating mobility management based on mobility events associated with each of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c.    
     As shown in  FIG. 1C , the RAN  104  may be connected to the core network  106 . The communication link between the RAN  104  and the core network  106  may be defined as an R3 reference point that includes protocols for facilitating data transfer and mobility management capabilities, for example. The core network  106  may include a mobile IP home agent (MIP-HA)  144 , an authentication, authorization, accounting (AAA) server  146 , and a gateway  148 . While each of the foregoing elements are depicted as part of the core network  106 , it will be appreciated that any one of these elements may be owned and/or operated by an entity other than the core network operator. 
     The MIP-HA may be responsible for IP address management, and may enable the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  to roam between different ASNs and/or different core networks. The MIP-HA  144  may provide the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  with access to packet-switched networks, such as the Internet  110 , to facilitate communications between the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  and IP-enabled devices. The AAA server  146  may be responsible for user authentication and for supporting user services. The gateway  148  may facilitate interworking with other networks. For example, the gateway  148  may provide the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  with access to circuit-switched networks, such as the PSTN  108 , to facilitate communications between the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  and traditional land-line communications devices. In addition, the gateway  148  may provide the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  with access to the networks  112 , which may include other wired or wireless networks that are owned and/or operated by other service providers. 
     Although not shown in  FIG. 1C , it will be appreciated that the RAN  104  may be connected to other ASNs and the core network  106  may be connected to other core networks. The communication link between the RAN  104  the other ASNs may be defined as an R4 reference point, which may include protocols for coordinating the mobility of the WTRUs  102   a ,  102   b ,  102   c  between the RAN  104  and the other ASNs. The communication link between the core network  106  and the other core networks may be defined as an R5 reference, which may include protocols for facilitating interworking between home core networks and visited core networks. 
       FIG. 2  is a system diagram of an example communication system in which one or more disclosed embodiments may be implemented. Illustrated in  FIG. 2  are WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f , 102   g , WLANs  160   a ,  160   b , core network  106 , PSTN  108 , other networks  112 , Internet  110 , services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , discovery information servers (DISs)  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , and D-domain name services (D-DNSs)  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c . The WLANs  106   a ,  106   b  may include access routers  165   a ,  165   b , access points (AP)  170   a ,  170   b , services  206   a ,  206   b , network management  167   a ,  167   b , and discovery information servers (DISs)  208   a ,  208   b . The WLANs  106   a ,  106   b  may be 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, or 802.1x networks where the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , are often referred to as STAs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or UEs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, a STA  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is defined by having an address to access the STA  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The WLAN  106  may be directly connected to or indirectly connected to one or more of the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , a core network  106 , a PSTN  108 , other network  112 , and the Internet  110 . 
     The WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be considered clients (CL)  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to the APs  170   a ,  170   b , in 802.1x. The WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may not be associated with a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . The WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be associated with one or more of the core network  106 , the PSTN  108 , other network  112 , the Internet  110 , service  206   c , another WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or the WLANs  106   a ,  106   b . A service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be something provided by the core network  106 , the PSTN  108 , other network  112 , the Internet  110 , the WLANs  106 , or one or more components of the core network  106 , the PSTN  108 , other network  112 , the Internet  110 , or the WLANs  106 , for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . Examples of a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , include a high-resolution color printer providing printer services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , access to the Internet  110  via a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , access to the Internet  110  with a certain bandwidth, access to VoIP, or access to a core network  106  such as a 3GPP LTE network. Although the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , is illustrated as being separate, the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be integrated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , access router  165   a ,  165   b , DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , d-domain name service  210   a ,  210   b , or another component of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . The service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may refer to a component or device of the core network  106 , the PSTN  108 , other network  112 , the Internet  110 , or the WLANs  106 . 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be an access point for 802.11, a base station for 802.16, or another transmit and receive device for access to the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b.    
     The network management  167   a ,  167   b  may provide network management  167   a ,  167   b  service for the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . The network management  167   a ,  167   b  may be a separate device or may be integrated with another component of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b  may be integrated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , the DIS  208   a ,  208   b , access router  165   a ,  165   b , d-domain name service  210   a ,  210   b , or service  206   a ,  206   b . Additionally, in some embodiments, some of the functionality of the network management  167   a ,  167   b  may be split between two or more components of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . The network management  167   a ,  167   b  may be configured to provide network management services such as NAT services, IP filter services, IP gateway services, etc. In some embodiments, some of the network management  167   a ,  167   b  may be performed outside the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . A DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be a server providing service information for one or more services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . The service information may identify services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , and may provide access information such as parameters for the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to access the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . For example, a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be a 3D printer  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , and the access information may include a cost per printing unit and an IP address for accessing the high-resolution color printer  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . Although the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , is illustrated as being separate, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be integrated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , access router  165   a ,  165   b , DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , or another component. The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be configured to implement a network protocol, which may be called a network discovery protocol or discovery protocol, such as 3GPP access network discovery and selection function (ANDSF,) which provides a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , for a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to identify which WLANs  160   a ,  160   b , a 3GPP provider would like the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to use to access the Internet  110 . The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be configured to implement other network protocols such as EAP, Bonjour®, ANQP, etc. The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be configured to implement link layer protocols such as GAS. The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be located within a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , a 3GPP network, or another network. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , has a static IP address. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , has a non-static IP address. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be called an advertisement server. In some embodiments, accessing the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be called a local access when the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is in the same WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , as the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . For example, the WTRU  102   e  may locally access the DIS  208   a , if the WTRU  102   e  access the DIS  208   a  via AP  170   a . In some embodiments, accessing the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be called a remote access when the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is in a different WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , as the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . For example, when the WTRU  102   e  is using AP  170   a  to access DIS  208   b  or DIS  208   c , then the WTRU  102   e  is remotely accessing DIS  208   b  or DIS  208   c.    
     In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , permits an open access to a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , that queries the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . For example, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may advertise printing services and other hotel services available to guests. In some embodiment, Bonjour® is open access. 
     In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , requires direct authentication. The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may require the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to authenticate to DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , in order to access the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may require the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , to authenticate with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . Examples include a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a cloud service providers or mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is an MVNO may not want to advertise which networks it has agreements with to anyone but its customers, which would require the customer to authenticate with the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a MVNO before the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a MVNO discloses information to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , of the customer. 
     In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , access permission may be bootstrapped from another set of credentials. For example, in a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is an ANDSF the access to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is an ANDSF may be bootstrapped from the 3GPP network authorization of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
     In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may perform discovery to obtain information regarding services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may discover information regarding local peer-to-peer devices (LPP) and provide the information to WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . For example, the DIS  208   a  may discover information regarding service  206   a . The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be located locally with a service  206   a , and the service  206   a , which may be a peer device, may want to advertise its service capabilities. 
     Proximity to the users (not illustrated) of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , who may want to use the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be an important aspect of discovery of services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , and so whether or not a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , is local to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be important. Additionally, physical proximity between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be important. For example, the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , may be a network printer, which may also be a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that advertises it location and accessibility via a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , as well as the details of the services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , it can provide. For example, the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , that is a network printer may advertise that it is a laser printer with photograph quality prints available at a particular price per print. 
     In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may use a Bonjour-based peer discovery to obtain information about services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may discovery proximate WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , that are part of a social network circle. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may discover proximate WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , that are part of the same service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , such as interactive game. The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may use this information to set up an optimized connection for the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , that are using the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c  that is an interactive game. 
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , seeks to discover the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , so that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , can query the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , for discovery information. 
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may want to discover information regarding a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c  that is a remote peer-to-peer (RPP) communications service. The service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , or peer may be remote to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . A service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , or peer may be considered remote to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , if the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , or peer is on a different network than the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , so that link-local IP addresses may not work for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to communicate with the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , or peer that is remote. For example, if WTRU  102   e  is communicating via AP  170   a , then service  206   b  and service  206   c  may be services  206   b ,  206   c  that are remote, since in order to access service  206   b  or service  206   c  an access router  165   a ,  165   b , is between the services  206   b ,  206   c  and the WTRU  102   e.    
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may want to discover information regarding local server-based discovery (LSD). This use case category captures those use cases where the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , is located in the same network as the AP  170   a ,  170   b , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is using for communications. For example, it can be functionally considered to be co-located with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or it is on the same network; thus, for example, link-local addressing IP addressing is sufficient for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , to communicate with the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c.    
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may not be directly interested in the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , for LSD. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be used to provide some other information which will be used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be a centralized database of available printers, a database of all services which a hotel provides to its guests, a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , hotspot&#39;s subscription information server accessed via ANQP, a localized mirror of a macro-network information service, such as ANDSF, or a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , advertising which services can be accessed through this WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , which may include costs. 
     Some WLANs  160   a ,  160   b , support a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , that is peer-to-peer by providing means for devices or service providers to register services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , that they support with a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . Service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , registration may be performed by the services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , which may be devices, with the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c.    
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may want to discover information regarding a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is remote. When the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , performs discovery accessing a DIS  280  that is a remote, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be performing remote server-based discovery (RSD). The DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may be called remote, when the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , is not part of the AP  170   a ,  170   b  that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is communicating with. The location, which may be an IP address, of a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is remote may be used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to access information that may be provided by the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is remote to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may not be accessible to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , by using local access means. Moreover, a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is remote may not include information about services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , that are local to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . Some examples include a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a MVNO database listing access networks which can be used for MVNO-based access; a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a cloud-service provider listing access networks with which it has contracted for its customers to access its services; and, a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a service provider, for example, a mobile operator or a content provider database listing hotspots, which can be used to access the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . Another example of a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , is a DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that is a RSD ANDSF, which may be accessed by a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , through a non-3GPP access network such as WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , via the Internet  110  or another network. 
     One or more of the APs  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to implement a network protocol such as Access Network Query Protocol (ANAQ), which is a standard for 802.11 specified in 802.11u. The APs  170   a ,  170   b , and the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be configured to implement generic advertising services (GAS) protocol, which may be implemented in 802.1x networks. 
     One or more of the components of the WLANs  160   a ,  160   b , may be configured to implement a network protocol such as zeroconf, or a deriviative implementation of zeroconf such as Bonjour®, which may be used to discover services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c.    
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or another component of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , may be configured to implement a network address translation (NAT). Portions of the functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be provided by another node or host of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , or another network, where the AP  170   a ,  170   b , provides access. 
     The D-DNSs  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be configured to return an IP address for a given name. In some embodiments, the D-DNSs  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be configured to restrict the IP addresses returned to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The D-DNSs  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be configured to restrict the IP addresses returned to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , when the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , has not associated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     Throughout the discussion that follows a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may refer to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the user of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or the user of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may want to use a service  106 , but would like to find out whether or not a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , provides the service  106  before associating with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . In some embodiments, for a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to associate with a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , perform a multi-step process that may require the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to provide payment information in order to associate with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b.    
     Additionally, there may be many WLANs  160   a ,  160   b , available, and it may be impractical to associate with each WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and then evaluate whether or not the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , is a good fit for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , based on the one or more services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may want to use. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may not have an Internet protocol (IP) address for a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , prior to associating with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b.    
       FIG. 3A  illustrates an example of a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , obtaining an IP address for pre-associating discovery (PAD) according to some disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may randomly select an IP address  302 . In some embodiments, a set or space of IP addresses  302  may be allocated for PAD purposes. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may randomly select an IP address from the space of IP addresses allocated for PAD purposes. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may select the IP address based on some criteria that may be based on a location of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , a current time, an 802.11 physical address, an Ethernet address, or another number associated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , or the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , which may be used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to reduce the likelihood of selecting an IP address that is already taken from the space of IP addresses. The space of available IP addresses  302  may be predefined. In some embodiments, the IP address  302  may be limited in use. Examples of the limitations  304  include a lifetime or an amount of time the IP address  302  can be used before expiring, and a number of packets that may be sent using the IP address  302  before the IP address expires. Other limitations  304  of the IP address  302  may be used. In some embodiments, the limitations  304  may be predefined. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may receive the limitations  304 . 
       FIG. 3B  illustrates an example of a WTRU obtaining an IP address for PAD from the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , according to some disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may send one or more IP addresses  302  in a broadcast message  306 . The network management  167   a ,  167   b  may determine the IP addresses  302  for the AP  170   a ,  170   b , to send in the broadcast message  306 . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and the network management  167   a ,  167   b  are integrated into the same device. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may select an IP address  302  from the broadcast message  306  to use for PAD. In some embodiments, the IP address  302  may be limited in use. In some embodiments, the limitations  304  may be sent to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , from the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and may be determined by the network management  167   a ,  167   b . In some embodiments, the broadcast message  306  may be part of the service digest broadcast. 
       FIG. 3C  illustrates an example of a WTRU obtaining an IP address for PAD from the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , according to some disclosed embodiments. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , sends a message  308  to the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , via the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , responds with one or more IP addresses  302  in a response message  310  via the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The network management  167   a ,  167   b  may determine the one or more IP addresses  302 . The message  308  may be part of an L2 discovery method. The message  308  may be a direct L2 PAD query. There may be more messages (not illustrated) exchanged between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to obtain the one or more IP addresses  302 . Additionally, the message  308  may be in response to a message (not illustrated) received by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , from the WLAN  16   a ,  16   b , that indicates that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may receive an IP address  302  from the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b.    
     In some embodiments, if multiple WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , use the same IP address  302 , the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , may be configured to reject one or more of the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , that are using the same IP address  302 . In some embodiments, the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , may be configured to cease broadcasting an IP address  302  if the IP address  302  is being used by a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, if the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , session request using the IP address  302  is rejected, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may obtain another IP address  302  according to one of the embodiments disclosed and attempt a new session with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may wait or back off a period of time before attempting to associate with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , after having a session request being rejected. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may wait a period of time that increases with the number of times the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , has been rejected. 
     In some embodiments, the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , may control the amount of PAD traffic by controlling the number of IP addresses it broadcasts and may discontinue all PAD traffic by discontinuing broadcasting IP addresses  302 . 
       FIG. 4  illustrates an example of a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments. The method  400  may begin with obtain IP address  402 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may obtain an IP address  302  according to one of the methods described in association with  FIG. 3 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may bind the IP address  402  with an 802.1x interface. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may obtain a session ID (not illustrated) from the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or network management  167   a ,  167   b . For example, the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b  may determine the session ID using the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which may be integrated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and send the session ID to the WTRU  120   e ,  102   f ,  102   g  via the AP  170   a , AP  170   b.    
     The method  400  may continue with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , sending a D-DNS request  404 , which may include a DIS name  406 , to the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c . The DIS name  406  may be a DIS name  406  that is predetermined. In some embodiments, the request must include the DIS name  406  and session ID. 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , restricts all communication for the IP address  302 , except for communication with a D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , that is local. A D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be considered local if the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , is co-located with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or part of the same private network, which may be a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b . For example, the AP  170   a  may restrict all communications with the WTRU  102   e  to communications with the D-DNS  210   a . The IP address of the D-DNS  210   a  may be provided to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , by the network management  167   a ,  167   b , via the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, AP  170   a ,  170   b , or network management  167   a ,  167   b  may provide the IP address of the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , as part of an initial L2 PAD procedure, which may be broadcast or query based. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , determines the IP address of the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , in another way such as an agreed upon address for purposes of PAD. 
     The method  400  may continue with a DIS name resolution process  406 . In some embodiments, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , performs the requested lookup to determine an IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may act as a DNS Proxy, or a proprietary name resolution server for the purpose of resolving the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may maintain a local list of IP addresses of DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , for some or all of supported DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be configured to check the DIS name  414  with a list of allowed DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , which the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is permitted to access. In some embodiments, if the DIS name  414  is not allowed, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , returns an error to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The error may terminate the PAD procedure, which may make the session ID invalid. The D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may notify the network management  167   a ,  167   b , or the AP  170   a ,  170   b , that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , attempted to use a DIS name  414  that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is not permitted to access, which may result in the network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , terminating the PAD procedure with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , for example, may make the IP address  302  invalid or return the IP address to a pool of available IP addresses  302 . 
     The method  400  may continue with the D-DNS sending a DIS access notification to the AP  408 . For example, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may be configured to notify the AP  170   a ,  170   b , of the resolution of a DIS name  414 , where the resolution may be an IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to associate the IP address  302  of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , with the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may then allow the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to communicate with the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may provide additional information regarding the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may include details of an application using PAD and/or protocol signatures for discovery on the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to load the signatures into a firewall of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , so as to immediately activate L7-based blocking without the need to perform DPI. In some embodiments, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , may respond to the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , by requesting to have the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , use a different IP address for the rest of the PAD session (not shown in  FIG. 4 ). 
     The method  400  may continue with the D-DNS sending a response to the WTRU  410 . For example, the D-DNS response  418  may include the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , based on the DIS name  414 . Additional information may be included in the D-DNS response  418 . For example, the D-DNS response  418  may include a new IP address for the WTRU  410  to use to switch to or use to communicate with the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c.    
     The method  400  may continue with WTRU-IS PAD exchange  412 . For example, a protocol specific WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , session may proceed where PAD information may be sent to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , from the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , or AP  170   a ,  170   b , is configured to allow this session to go ahead based on knowing the IP address of the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , and the IP address of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
     In some embodiments, the use of a DNS-based approach can be combined with a local IP for those cases when the D-DNS is local to the network. The D-DNS IP address advertised is a link local address. The address gets replaced by a non-link-local IP for the rest of the PAD procedure. The use of a link-local address minimizes impact to applications on the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , with background services that may wake up based on an IP session. 
     In some embodiments, the D-DNS  210   a ,  210   b ,  210   c , may need to be up-to-date to include an entry for the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 4  may be a peer to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, the method  400  of  FIG. 4  may be used for local and remote server based discovery. In some embodiment, the method  400  of  FIG. 4  may not be used for remote peer to peer discovery. 
       FIG. 5  illustrates an example of a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments. Illustrated in  FIG. 5  is a captive portal where the AP  170   a ,  170   b , captures messages from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and sends then to the PAD web server  510 . 
     The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 5  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The method  500  may begin with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , sending an HTTP request to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , at  502 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is in a pre-authorization or pre-association state relative to the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The method  500  continues with HTTP to HTTP messages redirect  504 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to intercept all messages from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , regardless of address until the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , which may be in a PAD state, sends browser messages and tries to access the Internet  110  using HTTP. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to intercept all packets with HTTP status code three hundred and two (“302”) and include information of the address of the PAD web server  510  in the packet. 
     The method  500  may continue with HTTP request directed to PAD web server  506 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may receive HTTP packets from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and re-direct the packets to the PAD web server  510 . 
     The method  500  may continue with PAD information  508 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may receive PAD information from the PAD web server  510 . The communication between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and PAD web server  510  may continue with steps  506  and  508  being repeated one or more times. 
     In some embodiments, the initial HTTP request may be made by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , prior to the authentication with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and may be made transparently to the user of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, a dedicated domain name may be used to access the PAD web server  510 . The dedicated domain name could be a new DNS name, which may not necessarily be human readable but machine comprehensive. In some embodiments, a new Special Domain Name Extension for PAD purpose, such as “.pad” may be reserved for PAD use. 
     In some embodiments, the method  500  is used for local and remote peer-to-peer discovery. In some embodiment, the method  500  is used for local and remote peer-to-server discovery. 
       FIG. 6  illustrates a PAD method according to some disclosed embodiments. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 6  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may send a message  602 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to examine the message  602  using allowed messages  604 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to only permit messages  602  that fit the criteria in allowed message  604  to be forwarded through the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The allowed messages  604  may include a list of IP addresses of DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . Allowed messages  604  may also include information relating to the transport protocol and port, and application signature so that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may only communicate according to the information in allowed messages  604 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to block all messages  602  unless the &lt;IS IP address, application signature&gt; pair are permitted in allowed messages  604 . In some embodiments, determining whether or not a message  602  conforms with allowed messages  604  may be computationally expensive. In some embodiments, the identification of application signatures by examining the port numbers may be unreliable since the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , may agree to use TCP port  80  for non-HTTP applications that are not service discovery, and many PAD applications are higher-layer protocols running on HTTP so that port based inspection cannot distinguish the difference between the use of a legitimate service discovery protocol and normal web browsing. Additionally, DPI-based application identification often takes time, and during this time some traffic may be permitted to go through. This traffic may be short non-PAD sessions to get around the AP  170   a ,  170   b , screening the messages  602 . In some embodiments, methods are used to quickly determine whether or not a message  602  is an allowed message  604 . 
       FIG. 7  illustrates a WTRU according to some disclosed embodiments. In some embodiments, a link-local IP address  702  may be used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . Link local IP addresses  702  are sufficient for communication with devices on the same L2 network. For example, a link local IP address for WLAN  160   a  ( FIG. 2 ) would be sufficient to address all the node or hosts in the WLAN  160   a.    
     The method may be used for link-local IP address  702 . For example, an IPv6 messages may be used. The method proceeds as follows, because it occurs over a direct L2, all communication may be direct between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may solicit PAD information by issuing an IPv6 router solicitation message ICMPv6 Type 133. In some embodiments, a new code for PAD advertisement may be used. Options field may be used to list specific services the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , wishes to discover. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , have agreed on binary designations for service codes. In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , issues an ICMP router advertisement (RA) message ICMPv6 Type 134. A new code may be used for PAD advertisements. The PAD RA may be broadcast at scheduled intervals and/or may be sent in response to a specific RS. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may use the PAD RA issues by DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , to proceed with a higher layer PAD procedure. If specific information about supported services was transmitted in the options field, it may be used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to decide whether or not to proceed with this step. Other ICMPv6 messages may be used in a similar fashion. For example, neighbor solicitation/advertisement ICMPv6 Types 135/136 may be modified in a similar way or PAD specific ICMP messages may be introduced. In some embodiments, IPv4 RS/RA messages may be used. 
     In some embodiments, using link-local IP addresses  702  enables the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to communicate with local peers and servers, but may not permit the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to communicate directly with remote peers or servers. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may communicate with an AP using link-local IP address  702  so as not to wake up applications  704 . In some embodiments, the AP transparently rely messages between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the DIS by using a non-link local IP address to communicate with the DIS, and a link local IP address to communicate with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, the AP will monitor the messages sent by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , with the allowed messages  604 , and if a message is sent that is not an allowed message  604  the AP may take action. Some examples of the actions the AP may take include invalidating the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , session ID, dropping the message, and sending a warning to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
       FIG. 8A  illustrates a method for PAD according to some disclosed embodiments. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 8  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The method  800  may optionally begin with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sending a service digest  802  to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The service digest  802  may be a broadcast message sent by the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The service digest  802  may include a summary of the available services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be configured to examine the service digest  802  and determine whether or not the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is looking for may be present through the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , and WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be configured to use L2 broadcast based service discovery to send and receive the service digest  816 . The service digest  816  may not include all the services  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , available by the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The method  800  may continue with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , initiating a PAD session request  804 . The PAD session request  804  as illustrated in  FIG. 8B  may include a WTRU identifier  818 , session identifier (ID)  820 , and service identifier  822 . Examples of a WTRU identifier  818  include a MAC ID and a random generated value. 
     The WTRU identifier  818  may also include the public identification information required to initiate authentication to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The session identifier  820  may just be a random generated value. The service identifier  822  may be a value or name, which indicates the service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is interested in discovering or receiving information regarding. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may use information derived from the service digest  816  to determine the value of the service identifier  822 . 
     The method  800  may continue with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , determining whether or not to service the PAD session request  806 . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to determine whether or not to service the PAD session request  804  based on a load of the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and whether or not the AP  170   a ,  170   b , determines that it can service the PAD session request  804 . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may determine whether or not to service the PAD session request  804  based on the WTRU identifier  818  or the session identifier  820 . 
     If the AP  170   a ,  170   b , determines to service the PAD session request  804  the method  800  may continue with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sending a PAD session initiate  808  to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The PAD session initiate  808  may include the identifying information of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The identifying information may be a session id for the AP  170   a ,  170   b , which may be different from the session identifier  820  used by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to keep a unique correspondence between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , session identification  820  and the AP  170   a ,  170   b , session identifier with the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c.    
     In some embodiments, the WTRU identifier  818  may be included in the PAD Session Initiate message  808 . In some embodiments, the WTRU identifier  818  may not be needed at all. In some embodiments, the WTRU identifier  818  may be requested by the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , as part of the follow-up exchange. 
     The method  800  may continue with a WTRU-DIS PAD exchange  810  between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may act as a transparent relay. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is configured to use one protocol for the messages from the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and another protocol from the AP  170   a ,  170   b , to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and AP  170   a ,  170   b , encapsulation may include ANQP. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and AP  170   a ,  170   b , encapsulation may be a protocol defined on top of GAS. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , encapsulation may include one or more of the protocols RADIUS, DIAMETER, or 802.21. 
     The method  800  may continue with PAD session complete  812 . In some embodiments, the WTRU-DIS PAD exchange  810  is transparent to the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , terminates the session with AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The method  800  may continue with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sending a PAD session terminate  814  to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, the method  800  uses a protocol with a defined EtherType, which may facilitate communications between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  120   f ,  102   g , and the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , transparently to the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, a new type for EtherType is defined for the protocol used in method  800 . In some embodiments, an existing EtherType protocol, for example EAP or 802.21, is modified for PAD discovery, and the modified EtherType protocol is used rather than defining a new EtherType protocol. 
     In some embodiments, the service digest  816  may be used to control the number of PAD sessions that an AP  170   a ,  170   b , supports and thus control the traffic overhead introduced by PAD service discovery. In some embodiments, when the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is configured to control the number of valid PAD session requests  804 , denial of service (DoS) attacks based on using a PAD session request  804  may fail, since the DoS would be limited in the number of valid PAD session requests  804  to start PAD sessions. 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , broadcasts one or several request identifiers as part of a service digest  816 . In some embodiments, a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , which wishes to initiate a PAD service discovery session must use one of the broadcast identifiers as the session ID  820 , which may be fixed for the duration of the PAD service discovery session. In some embodiments, if two or more WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , simultaneously use the same session ID  820  to make PAD session requests  804 , the AP  170   a ,  170   b , rejects all but one of these PAD session requests  804 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to cease to broadcast the session ID  820  once the session ID  820  is used. The one or more WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , whose PAD session requests  804  are rejected may listen for a new service digest  816  and select a new session ID  820  before initiating a PAD session request  804 . In some embodiments, the WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may use a back off procedure to determine how long to wait before sending a PAD session request  804 . 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may control the amount of PAD service discovery traffic by controlling the number of session IDs  820  broadcast in the service digest  816 . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may discontinue all PAD service discovery traffic by ceasing to broadcast any session IDs  820 . 
     In some embodiments, EAPOL is used for EAP transport; the PAD session request  804  can be carried using EAPOL-Start, where a new TLV type is defined for service discovery requests. An EAP exchange with EAP-Request/identity sent directly to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may then be used for PAD discovery. 
       FIG. 9  illustrates a method of PAD discovery where a PAD session ID is broadcast using a session digest according to some disclosed embodiments. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may need to establish which DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is attempting to contact. In some embodiments, it is not possible to define a method for each PAD discovery request for EAP due to the number of potential DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , and number of possible method definitions for EAP. 
     Two alternatives are disclosed for beginning a PAD session the first illustrated in  FIG. 9  and the second one illustrated in  FIG. 10 . 
     The first alternative uses a session ID  820  from the session digest  816 . The method  900  may begin with EAP-Request/Identity  902 . The method  900  may continue with EAP-Response/Identity  904 . The EAP-Response/Identity  904  may be transported in an EAPOL-EAP PDU in an IEEE 802 based system. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to identify the EAP-Response/Identity  904  as a PAD session request by examining the EAP session identifiers in the EAP-Response/Identify  904 . If EAPOL is used for EAP transport, then the EAPOL-start may not be sent by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , prior to the EAP-Response/Identify  904  being sent to the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to generate EAPOL-Start for identifiers associated with PAD sessions. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be configured to process EAPOL-EAP messages from the service digest  816  without having issued an EAPOL-start. The remainder of the method  900  will be disclosed after the second alternative for beginning a PAD session is disclosed in association with  FIG. 10 . 
       FIG. 10  illustrates a method for PAD discovery where EAPOL start is used according to some disclosed embodiments. Illustrated in  FIG. 10  is the second alternative for beginning a PAD session where the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may not use the session ID  820  from the session digest  816 . If EAPOL is used for EAP Transport, the session request can be carried using EAPOL-Start  1002 , where a new TLV type may be defined for service discovery requests. A typical EAP exchange with EAP-Request/identity  1004  sent directly to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be used with a new TLV type. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , will respond with an EAP-Response/Identity  1005 . 
     Once the PAD session has started using one of the two alternatives disclosed above in  FIG. 9  and  FIG. 10 , the methods  900  and  1000  continue with EAP-request with method [PAD-public]  906 ,  1006 . In some embodiments, a single EAP method is used to indicate that a PAD procedure is being use as in  906 ,  1006 . The EAP method may be of a type PAD-public as illustrated in  FIGS. 9 and 10 . 
     The methods  900  and  1000  continue with EAP-response with method [PAD-public, DIS info]  908 ,  1008 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , responds to message  906 ,  1006  with an EAP-Response with Method, indicating the name of the DIS  208  in the DIS info which is a Type-Data field. 
     In some embodiments, the Type-Data field is limited for EAP implementations to about 1020 octets. The DIS info may include vendor-specific DIS identifiers and generic description languages, for example XML, may need to be supported. The DIS info may be larger than 1020 octets and not fit into a single Type-Data field. In some embodiments, the Type-Data field includes a flag to indicate to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , has more data or that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , response is complete, which will cause the AP  170   a ,  170   b , to generate another EAP-Request with Method request  910 ,  1010  to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , for the transmission of more DIS info. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , response  912 ,  1012  may indicate with the flag that even more DIS info needs to be sent, in which case the AP  170   a ,  170   b , will repeat the process and send another EAP-Request with Method [PAD-public]  910 ,  1010 . The methods  900  and  1000  may continue with the CL-DIS PAD EXCHANGE  914 ,  1014 . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to associate a session ID with the destination DIS for routing EAP messages. The CL-DIS PAD EXCHANGE  914 ,  1014  may be terminated in a similar manner as in method  800 . In some embodiments, the methods  900  and  1000  have at least two additional steps compared with the method  800 . 
     In some embodiments, Generic Advertisement Protocol (GAS) is used. In some embodiments, a new GAS-based protocol is used by reserving a new GAS protocol value. In some embodiments, a service  206   a ,  206   b ,  206   c  that is an 802.21 media independent handoff (MIH) Information Service is defined, which has the benefit of having both a GAS Protocol Value and an EtherType. 
     In some embodiments, a second PAD-related EAP method, EAP-Private is defined. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to forward EAP packets to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , without examining packets when the EAP-Private method is indicated. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be configured to encapsulate the EAP packets from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , without examining the packets when EAP-Private method is indicated. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may encapsulate the packets using another protocol such as RADIUS, DIAMETER to the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , and to encapsulate the packets from the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , using EAPOL. The methods  900  and  1000  may be used to access DISs  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , that are remote. 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , provides open access from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , so that a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , capable of communicating with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be permitted to initiate a PAD method with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , with authentication. In some embodiments, WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may identify them selves to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , but the identity may be unauthenticated. WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , identities may include a MAC ID or an arbitrarily generated one-time value. In some embodiments, PAD discovery communication between the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is not secured. In some embodiments, well-known techniques for link-security and device security may be utilized by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and the AP  170   a ,  170   b . An example of a PAD discovery is the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , requesting a publicly known value such as a service name. 
     In some embodiments, authenticated security may be required between the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . For example, when the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , provides the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , with service-specific access credentials for the given AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     In some embodiments, a form of security is used that requires an assurance that all the packets associated with the same session originate at the same terminal, for example WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is transparent to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , communication. In some embodiments, to permit the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to conduct PAD using the AP  170   a ,  170   b , the AP  170   a ,  170   b , requires only the following information WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , identity in a loose sense, DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , identity in a loose sense, and discovery session information. In some embodiments, the following set of discovery session commands may be used start, terminate, request, and response. 
     In some embodiments, generic service identification is provided. For example, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be able to identify the DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , using a generic name which the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , have pre-agreed on. If the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is aware of the generic name, it should be able to determine a means of communication with DIS  208   a ,  208   b ,  208   c , based on this generic name only. Otherwise, in some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , terminates the discovery session with an appropriate error message to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
     In some embodiments, the protocol used for indirect discovery is identifiable as a higher layer protocol by at least the key L2 technologies, these being the collection of 802 MACs and 3GPP. In some embodiments, a supported 3GPP protocol or standards modification is used for the indirect discovery. 
     In some embodiments, if appropriate WTRU-DIS security is used, man-in-the-middle attacks by the AP  170   a ,  170   b , are preventable by the WTRU-DIS security. 
     In some embodiments, a globally standardized service naming convention is not used. In some embodiments, a set of globally standardized service names is used. For example, a service name lookup service, DNS for service names may be used. In some embodiments, the service provider loads its service name into the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The loaded name is then private to the service provider and does not need to follow any globally agreed on conventions. 
       FIG. 11  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 11  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     The method  1100  may begin with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , selecting an AP  170   a ,  170   b , to send a message to. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , selects an AP  170   a ,  170   b  that allows EAP-based exchange with an ANDSF server  1102  that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , can obtain a policy from. The mobile operator which the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , subscribes to may maintain one or more ANDSF servers  1102  that can serve the given WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . A new EAP method may be defined EAP-ANDSF for the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to acquire the provisioned MO from the ANDSF server  1102 . 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may advertise the availability of ANDSF servers  1102  over a beacon frame. In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and AP  170   a ,  170   b , may exchange packets according to ANQP to determine whether or not the AP  170   a ,  170   b , provides access to the ANDSF server  1102  of the mobile operator the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is interested in querying. In some embodiments, the ANDSF servers  1102  are identified by name as defined in the appropriate standard for names of ANDSF servers  1102 . In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , uses ANQP to discover whether or not the AP  170   a ,  170   b , supports EAP-ANDSF and the list of ANDSF servers  1102  to which the AP  170   a ,  170   b , allows access, or alternatively whether the AP  170   a ,  170   b , allows access to the ANDSF server  1102  that the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is interesting in accessing. 
     The method  1100  may continue with EAP-ANDSF Exchange  1106 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may initiate an EAP-based exchange with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , which is not illustrated. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may send a message to initiate an EAP-ANDSF exchange  1106 . In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , authenticates with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , but does not associate with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or obtain an IP address from the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, EAP over LAN Ethertype is used. In some embodiments, a new Ethertype is defined to transport the discovery protocol. 
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , does not associate with the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, the GAS protocol is modified to carry EAP request/response messages. In some embodiments, the EAP responses are mapped to the GAS query message from the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and EAP requests are mapped to GAS advertising responses. In some embodiments, the GAS protocol is modified differently to accommodate the discovery of the ANDSF management object (MO.) 
     In some embodiments, because the GAS protocol is designed for communication with an advertisement server as its destination, an EAP-ANDSF method may allow EAP-ANDSF peer-level communication termination at the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or at another entity. In some embodiments, the EAP-ANDSF  1106  may terminate at the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or another entity of the network. In this case, either the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or the other entity of the network may take over communication with the ANDSF server  1102 . For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 11 , the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sends a message EAP-ANDSF  1108  to the ANDSF server  1102 . Both  1106  and  1108  may involve multiple communications. In some embodiments, the other network entity may be an ANDSF proxy server (not illustrated) associated with the local area network of the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     In some embodiments, the GAS protocol may terminate directly at the ANDSF server  1102  so that the ANDSF server  1102  is acting as an advertising server for GAS. Thus, EAP-ANDSF  1106  would pass through the AP  170   a ,  170   b , and terminate at the ANDSF server  1102 . 
     The method continues with ANDSF MO exchange  1110 . An MO may be provisioned and sent to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The MO may be an abbreviated version of a full MO. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or another network entity may receive the ANDSF MO  1110  and send it to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g.    
     The method may continue with  1112 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may determine whether or not based on the provisioned MO to proceed with authentication, and in some embodiments association, with the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b  associated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or select and accesses a different WLAN  160   a ,  160   b.    
     In some embodiments, the EAP-ANDSF is defined as an EAP method, and has an EAP method number either proprietary or registered with Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). The EAP-ANDSF protocol or method may, in some embodiments, operates as follows: the EAP request/response exchange is used to carry protocol messages for a security protocol described in the 3GPP security protocols for evolved packet core identified as being permitted as a security mechanism for ANDSF. Because EAP allows multiple rounds of request/response, the full protocol, for example https, or open mobile alliance (OMA) device management (DM) bootstrap, may be implemented. 
     Upon successful completion of security establishment with the ANDSF server, the ANDSF server may indicate success using an EAP request message instead of an EAP success message. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may now use an EAP response message to request the appropriate MO. The ANDSF server may supply the MO using EAP request messages. Because EAP requires a response for each request, the UE may produce a response to each such request. The response may be empty, for example carry no information for ANDSF, or it may contain requests for further information, for example more MO, or an indication that all the necessary information has been received and the communication can stop. 
     Once the ANDSF MO is provisioned on the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , the ANDSF server issues an EAP success and/or EAP failure message. Both may terminate the EAP exchange with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . If the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , was associated with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , it will have to either disassociate from the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or initiate a second EAP exchange to actually authenticate to it. In some embodiments, an EAP failure message is preferred as the AP  170   a ,  170   b , will take this as a normal case, although usage of EAP success is permitted. In some embodiments, if a non-associated approach, for example GAS, was used to access the ANDSF, then the choice of EAP failure or success may not relevant. 
     In some embodiments, the services are defined with a hierarchy. For example, a top level may be a service category, for example, printers, video, VPN, gaming, and one or more detailed levels may be added under the service category. For example, a service category of printer may have service descriptions of 3D printer, color printer, printer model. 
     In another example, the Service Descriptions for printer may be printer type is color, black, white, or 3D printer; and, fee of printer to be paid or free. Another example may be for service category to be video, and the service description to be streaming, pre-paid, etc. As another example, service category may be gaming, and the service description may be multi-players, card games, human vs. computer, etc. In some embodiments, the service descriptions may have sub-categories as well. For example, multi-players may have further sub-categories of first person shoot, strategy board games, etc. 
       FIG. 12  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments.  FIG. 13  illustrates a bitmap of service categories. The AP  170   a ,  170   b , illustrated in  FIG. 12  may refer to both the network management  167   a ,  167   b  of the WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , and to the transmit and receive functionality of the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example, the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be configured to intercept and interpret higher layer packets such as IP and HTTP. The network management  167   a ,  167   b , or portions of the network management  167   a ,  167   b , may be incorporated into the AP  170   a ,  170   b ; or, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may forward the messages to the network management  167   a ,  167   b , which then sends messages back to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     In some embodiments, the bitmap of service categories  1300  may include printing service indication  1302 , video service indication  1304 , and gaming service indication  1306 . A 1 may be used to indicate that via the AP  170   a ,  170   b , some service is provided with the service category indicated. For example, a 1 in the bitmap of service categories  1300  in the printing service indication  1302  may indicate that printing services are available through the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, the service categories printing service indication  1302 , video service indication  1304 , gaming service indication  1306  may be represented differently in the service categories  1300 . The service categories  1300  may be a subset of available service categories  1300  selected based on a criteria such as services that are most frequently requested by WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , services that the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is trying to sell, etc. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may charge a fee to include a service in the service categories  1300 . 
     The method  1200  may begin with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sending a frame  1202  to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g  that includes a bitmap of service categories  1300 . In some embodiments, the frame  1202  may be a special-purpose beacon, for example, the beacon may be sent at a less frequent interval than a normal beacon, which is usually sent every 100 ms. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , broadcasts the service categories  1300  or a subset of the service categories in a broadcast or multicast frame, for example the beacon, short beacon, FILS discovery or broadcast probe response frame. In some embodiments, the frame  1202  can be carried using public action frames, which can be sent periodically or upon some trigger. In some embodiments, the bitmap of service categories  1300  can be sent on an extended capability information field, where the bitmap of service categories  1300  could be included. 
     Optionally, the method  1200  may continue at  1204  with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may examine the bitmap of service categories  1300 . For example, the connection manager of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , which may currently be displaying the list of available APs  170   a ,  170   b , with their associated SSID and signal strength can also display or process information about the services categories available at the AP based on the service categories  1300 . In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may perform incremental discovery based on the received service categories  1300  using a known method or a method disclosed herein. For example, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may be interested in printing services and printing service indication  1302  may indicate that printing services are available. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may then send another message to obtain more specific information regarding the printing services that are available via the AP  170   a ,  170   b . In some embodiments, a user may select which AP  170   a ,  170   b , to send an inquiry to regarding further information about printing services. 
       FIG. 14  illustrates a method according to some disclosed embodiments. The method  1400  may begin with the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , sending a probe request MLME-Scan.request  1402 , which may include a serviceToRequest  1420 . In some embodiments, the probe request may be a MLME-Scan.request. In some embodiments, a different frame type other than an MLME may be used. The serviceToRequest  1420  is disclosed in Table 1 and Table 2, according to some disclosed embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, as illustrated in Tables 1 and 2, a new field ServiceToRequest is added to the MLME-Scan.request primitive. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceToRequest added to the MLME-Scan.request primitive 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Name 
                 Type 
                 Valid Range 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceToRequest 
                 Bitmap 
                 Predefined K 
                 The bitmap indication 
               
               
                   
                 or 
                 bits 
                 of a service type or high 
               
               
                   
                 enumeration 
                   
                 level of service category 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 that the UE wants to 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 request. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceToRequest to the Probe Request Frame 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 Order 
                 Information 
                 Notes 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 14 or last 
                 ServiceToRequest 
                 The bitmap indication of a service 
               
               
                   
                   
                 type or high level of service category 
               
               
                   
                   
                 that the STA want to request. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In some embodiments, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may receive a MLME-Scan.request primitive indicating a service type or service category, the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may generate the probe request  1402  based on receiving the MLME-Scan.request primitive. 
     The method  1400  may continue with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , sending a probe response  1404  to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . The probe response  1404  may include serviceTypeResponse  1422 . The serviceTypeResponse  1422  is disclosed in Tables 3 and 4, according to some disclosed embodiments. 
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceTypeResponse added to the Probe Response Frame 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
            
               
                 Order 
                 Information 
                 Notes 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 55 or last 
                 ServiceTypeResponse 
                 If a specific Service type is queried 
               
               
                   
                   
                 in the received Probe Request, this 
               
               
                   
                   
                 field can be a simple indication of 
               
               
                   
                   
                 availability of the queried service 
               
               
                   
                   
                 (yes or no); If a high level of service 
               
               
                   
                   
                 category is queried in the received 
               
               
                   
                   
                 Probe Request, this field will include 
               
               
                   
                   
                 more detailed description of the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 service types it provide under the 
               
               
                   
                   
                 queried high level service 
               
               
                   
                   
                 category. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
             
               
                 TABLE 4 
               
             
            
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceTypeResponse added to the MLME-Scan.confirm Primitive 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
            
               
                   
                   
                 Valid 
                   
               
               
                 Name 
                 Type 
                 Range 
                 Description 
               
               
                   
               
               
                 ServiceType 
                 Type of 
                 N/A 
                 If a specific Service type is 
               
               
                 Response 
                 service 
                   
                 queried in the received Probe 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Request, this field can be a 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 simple indication of availability 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 of the queried service (yes or no); 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 If a high level of service category 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 is queried in the received Probe 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 Request, this field will include 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 more detailed description of the 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 service types it provide under the 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 queried high level service 
               
               
                   
                   
                   
                 category. 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In some embodiments, upon completion of active scanning or passive scanning, a MLME-Scan.confirm primitive will be generated and sent to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , indicating a particular service type or service category is available or not and may include associated detailed information. 
     In some embodiments, the method  1400  may continue with a second level of service discovery where the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may send another probe request  1402  for more details regarding one or more particular service categories or service descriptions. 
     In some embodiments, the probe request  1402  and probe response  1404  may be carried out quickly because the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may not need to query the IS or Advertisement Server as the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may store some service information locally, and because information regarding the service may be exchanged using a bit map. 
     In some embodiments, the method  1400  may include the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , receiving a frame  1202  prior to sending the probe request  1402 . The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may determine the probe request  1402  based on the received frame  1202 . 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is configured to send information regarding the highest level or service category in every one out of M1 broadcast management frames such as beacon frame as an optional IE. In some embodiments, the starting offset is O1 broadcast management frame intervals such as beacon intervals. 
     In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , is configured to send the second level of service type related information in every one out of M2 broadcast management frames such as beacon frame as an optional IE. In some embodiments, the starting offset is O2 broadcast management frame intervals such as beacon intervals. In some embodiments, the value of M2 is an integer multiple of M1. In some embodiments, the value of O2 is chosen appropriately so that the broad frames carrying the second level of service information will not overlap with those carrying the first level of service information. 
     In some embodiments, there are k levels of service related information in a hierarchy of service related information, and the kth level of service type related information is transmitted in every one out of Mk beacon frames as optional IE. In some embodiments, the starting offset is Ok beacon intervals. The value of Mk may be an integer multiple of Mk-1. And the value of Ok may be chosen appropriately so that the beacon frames carrying the kth level of service information will not overlap with those carrying the higher level of service information. 
     The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may listen to the broadcast management frames such as beacon frames that carry the highest level or first level of service type information. If the preferred service type of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , is indicated available at the first level of service type information, then it may continue to listen to the next level. The WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may continue doing so until either the service type information does not meet the need for service of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , or the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , obtains enough detail of the service provided by the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     In some embodiments, the AP may broadcast for mmW specific services. Services which require an exceptionally high service data throughput may benefit from the use of services over mmW air interface such as that supported by 802.11ad. In some embodiments, service discovery of services over mmW air interface may be performed using the beacons with an indication of services specifically available over an mmW air interface using 802.11ad. For example if high definition video is available on a mmW channel an indication may be made on the 802.11ac beacon. 
     In some embodiments, the 802.11ad beacon&#39;s range is limited using the semi-omni transmission mode, and in some embodiments the beacon may be used to provide very location specific application service information. Thus, pre-association of service discovery for services delivered on mmW devices such as 802.11ad may be performed. 
     In some embodiments, a HASH tag in an identity string of the beacon frame may be used. The HASH tag may be used to advertise support for certain application families, examples of these families include: social networks, social circles, music library, video library, GPS/location assistance, audio/video streaming, telephony, etc. 
     In some embodiments, the use of location parameters, and related location specific venues, may be used as an indication for the availability of, and/or indication of methods to retrieve, specific application services. In some embodiments, application services may be associated with specific VHT capabilities. For example some services such as streaming video may require a high data rate which can only be supported by certain capability categories. 
     In some embodiments, a device class may be associated with a specific type of application. For example a printer which advertises its services may be restricted to only providing printing services. In some embodiments, a location of the printer may be provided, or a name of the printer. The location of the printer may be useful to the user of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . Location information of the printer may be managed by a central database in a WLAN controller which facilitates the advertisement of location sensitive services through connected device AP&#39;s. In some embodiment, the printer may store a location of the printer using GPS or a user entered location. 
     A probe request may be used to inquire of an AP  170   a ,  170   b , which services are available via the AP  170   a ,  170   b . The AP  170   a ,  170   b , may respond in a probe request response with more detailed information. For example, the availability of specific API interfaces may be disclosed in the probe response. In some embodiments, a probe request for information regarding application services may be sent in response to a capability field in the beacon frame. Since the number of applications can be very large, and all known application developments may not be known, the above disclosed methods provide an extensible and scalable identification scheme for a WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to discover applications information regarding the applications. 
     In some embodiments, a WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may send service information to an AP  170   a ,  170   b , and the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may advertise the services provided by the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g . In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may advertise the service of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , through beacon frames using capability field or another field. 
     In some embodiments, a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may use the probe request and probe response frames to advertise services available through the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to the AP  170   a ,  170   b , or to notify the AP  170   a ,  170   b , that services are no longer available. In some embodiments, the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may respond to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , with services that the AP  170   a ,  170   b , would like the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , to use. 
     In some embodiments, a group of WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may advertise the capability to support services to the AP  170   a ,  170   b . A group ID mechanism may be used instead of a WTRU ID to advertise the services and to notify the AP  170   a ,  170   b , of the services available. 
     In some embodiments, an AP  170   a ,  170   b , may advertise D2D services that are available. In some embodiments, D2D service discovery may be facilitated by a probe request, probe response, frame exchange with the AP  170   a ,  170   b , at the same time a D2D beacon exchange between non-AP terminals. 
     In some embodiments, services advertised using beacon frames as described may direct an 802.11ad capable device to initiate a D2D service discovery session using an 802.11ad spatial sharing session. 
     Services discovered at a macro range may not be fully available in a macro network. In some embodiments, a beacon advertised in an 802.11ah network may include an indication of the capability dependency for the service. For example, services may be defined in a hierarchical fashion wherein services at a cell edge may be incremental, and restricted in capability, relative to those provided closer to the AP  170   a ,  170   b.    
     In some embodiments, methods which allow the seamless transition to additional capabilities as a WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , moves closer to an AP  170   a ,  170   b , may be supported by an indication in the beacon transmissions from the AP  170   a ,  170   b . For example the AP  170   a ,  170   b , may monitor a location of the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , and use this location information to provide an indication to the WTRU  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , when additional capabilities are supported. In some embodiments, when supporting the transition of services from a cellular network, to a WLAN  160   a ,  160   b , macro coverage network using 802.11ah, a capabilities field may indicate that the request for services originates in a cellular network request. In some embodiments, a service request that originates from a cellular network may be given a higher priority than other service requests. In some embodiments, an 802.11ah beacon may be used to broadcast location specific services to a macro coverage area. In some embodiment, WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , which receives this broadcast may use the location specific information to provide an indication to the user of location specific services. 
     In some embodiments, a 802.11ah beacon may in addition provide service discovery information that is available on an associated 802.11ac or 802.11ad network within its coverage area. In some embodiments, WTRUs  102   d ,  102   e ,  102   f ,  102   g , may use this information to prepare for a transition to an 802.11ac or 802.11ad network to receive services. 
     Although features and elements are described above in particular combinations, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that each feature or element can be used alone or in any combination with the other features and elements. In addition, the methods described herein may be implemented in a computer program, software, or firmware incorporated in a computer-readable medium for execution by a computer or processor. Examples of computer-readable media include electronic signals (transmitted over wired or wireless connections) and computer-readable storage media. Examples of computer-readable storage media include, but are not limited to, a read only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a register, cache memory, semiconductor memory devices, magnetic media such as internal hard disks and removable disks, magneto-optical media, and optical media such as CD-ROM disks, and digital versatile disks (DVDs). A processor in association with software may be used to implement a radio frequency transceiver for use in a WTRU, UE, STA, client, terminal, base station, RNC, or any host computer.