Patent ID: 8155029

Claim:
A method of performing a local connectivity test between a first mobile router and a second mobile router assigned to a home agent, wherein the first mobile router belongs to a moving network and is assigned a first prefix, the method comprising the steps of: establishing a shared secret between the first mobile router in the moving network and the home agent; the home agent providing the second mobile router with unique one-time data; the second mobile router sending the unique one-time data to the first mobile router in a link-local message, and sending a prefix request to the home agent, the first mobile router deriving information specific to the first mobile router, wherein the MR specific information is provided with a calculated result based at least partly on the shared secret and the unique one-time data, the first mobile router sharing the MR specific information with the second mobile router in a message confined to the moving network; the second mobile router forwarding said MR specific information to the home agent; and the home agent determining if an age of the MR specific information is within a predetermined time limit, and if the received MR specific information originates from the first mobile router by comparing the received MR specific information with previously stored information associated with the unique one-time data and the shared secret between the first mobile router and the home agent, or with data generated using previously stored information associated with the unique one-time data and the shared secret between the first mobile router and the home agent, the home agent allowing the second mobile router to be assigned the first prefix only if local connectivity between the first and second mobile router is indicated and the age of the MR specific information is within the pre-determined time limit.