Patent ID: 7813319

Claim:
A method for performing media-independent pre-authentication (MPA) of a mobile node that is connected to a current network for handover of the mobile node to a candidate target network that the mobile node is not connected to, the method comprising: employing a mobility optimization scheme configured to work over a link-layer that supports internet protocol (IP) traffic at layer 3 and with a network layer or application layer mobility management protocol; providing a mobile node that has established connectivity to a first-media network; via the first-media network performing pre-authentication of the mobile node at higher layers and proactively establishing higher layer and lower layer contexts of a different-media candidate target network to which the mobile node can move using an authentication agent in the candidate target network, including executing an authentication protocol between the mobile node and said authentication agent to derive a key between the mobile node and said authentication agent; and executing a configuration protocol using a configuration agent in the candidate target network to obtain an IP address or new care-of address for a proactive handover of the mobile node to the candidate target network; wherein the mobile node completes higher layer handover to the candidate target network before starting link-layer handover to the candidate target network.