Patent ID: 8356343

Claim:
One or more non-transitory computer-readable media having computer-useable instructions embodied thereon for performing a method of maintaining a mobile IP session between a mobile node and a home network when the mobile node moves from a first foreign network to a second foreign network, the method comprising: establishing the mobile IP session between the mobile node and the home network through the first foreign network, wherein a home agent is configured to tunnel messages from the home network to the mobile node via a first care-of address on the first foreign network, and the mobile node is assigned a home address; establishing a connection to the second foreign network; providing, by the mobile node, an IP address of the home agent in response to a request to authenticate the mobile node to the second foreign network and utilizing, by an authentication element on the second foreign network, the IP address of the home agent to generate a mobility key for use in authenticating the mobile node to the second foreign network, wherein information identifying the home agent is used to build the mobility key so as to enable re-assignment of said home agent to said mobile node despite switching by said mobile node from said first foreign network to said second foreign network; receiving from the home agent a network registration request message sent on behalf of the mobile node and comprising a message authenticator value; performing a hashing function with the mobility key and at least a portion of the network registration request message and comparing a result of the hashing function with the message authenticator value in order to authenticate the mobile node and validate the network registration request message; and maintaining the mobile IP session between the mobile node and the home network by configuring the home agent to tunnel messages from the home network to the mobile node via a second care-of address on the second foreign network and reassigning the home agent to the mobile node.