Patent ID: 7080151

Claim:
A method for reducing communications failures associated with mobile network devices, comprising: providing a multicast network address on a home network for a plurality of non-mobile network devices, wherein the plurality of non-mobile network devices are used to control a plurality of mobile network devices, and wherein the plurality of non-mobile network devices include a plurality of active non-mobile network devices and a plurality of standby non-mobile network devices that transparently replace active non-mobile network devices in the event of failures of active non-mobile network devices; receiving an update message in a mobile protocol on an active non-mobile network device control node on the home network from a mobile network device whenever the mobile network devices roams to a foreign network and changes a network connectivity status; and sending mobile communications information associated with update message from the active non-mobile network device control node to the multicast network address, which sends the mobile communications information to a plurality of other active non-mobile network devices and the plurality of standby non-mobile network devices, thereby providing the plurality of other active non-mobile network devices and the plurality of standby non-mobile network devices with identical mobile communications information from the mobile network device that can be transparently used by a standby non-mobile network device to replace an active non-mobile network device in the event of a failure of an active non-mobile network device without downloading all of the mobile communications information.