Apparatus and system for media independent handover using operation, administration and maintenance protocol

Use operation, management and maintenance protocols for independent media transfer equipment and systems

[Technical Field]

This creation involves communication systems. More specifically, this creation relates to a device and system for Media Independent Handover (MIH) using the Ethernet Operation, Management, and Maintenance (OAM) protocol.

[Background technique]

IEEE802.21 provides an architecture for seamless handover processing based on measurement results and triggers provided by the link layer. IEEE802.21 defines media-independent event service (ES), command service (CS) and information service (IS). IEEE802.21 also defines the media access control (MAC) layer service access point (SAP) and related primitives for each specific access technology.

The IEEE802.21 MIH event and information service (EIS) requires MAC or physical layer-based event notification for the link status update between the user equipment and the MIH point of service (PoS). MIH EIS events include link connection, link disconnection, link parameter change, link being disconnected, service data unit (SDU) transmission status, link event rollback, pre-trigger (L2 handover approaching), and so on. Currently, for different technologies, the link layer extension required to support MIH EIS is under study.

For Ethernet, when the physical layer signaling is insufficient to detect the connection status between two communication peers, a link monitoring process using continuous messages becomes necessary. IEEE802.3ah Ethernet in the first mile (EFM) extends 802.3 physical layer signaling to facilitate connection status determination. The IEEE802.3ah provides link monitoring, fault signaling and remote loopback. Link monitoring is used to detect and indicate link failures under different conditions, so that the entity can detect those connections that are faulty and performance-degraded. Fault signaling provides a mechanism for an entity to signal to another entity that it has detected an error. The remote loopback is usually used for fault diagnosis. It allows an entity to put another entity into a certain state, so that all inbound traffic can be reflected back to the link in real time.

IEEE802.1ag (also known as connection fault management (CFM)) specifies protocols, programs, and managed objects to support end-to-end Ethernet networks at the customer, operator, and service provider levels Management of transmission failures. These protocols, programs, and managed objects allow discovery and verification of paths through bridges and local area networks (LANs), as well as detection and isolation of connection failures to specific bridges or LANs.

The CFM mechanism for fault detection includes connection checking, trace routing, ping, alarm indication, etc. in different OAM domains (such as operator domain, supplier domain, and customer domain). Each maintenance domain uses the destination address and EtherType (Ethernet type field) to transmit CFM messages. CFM messages are initiated or received at the maintenance endpoint (MEP) after traversing zero or more maintenance intermediate points (MIP). The CFM message is transparently transferred via an 802.1Q or 802.1ad bridge. In addition, multiple CFM instances can work on multiple levels of the same bridge port at the same time.

Although the traditional technology provides a mechanism for detecting link problems and providing the information to the link end point, there is currently no means to trigger the handover operation for the replacement link by using the information.

[Creation content]

A system for media independent handover (MIH) that uses the operation, management, and maintenance (OAM) protocol, and the system includes: user equipment (UE); MIH point of service (PoS); and multiple access networks . MIHPoS provides MIH service for UE. Multiple access networks provide radio access for the UE. UE and MIH PoS are configured to monitor the link status between UE and MIH PoS by using OAM protocol. The UE and the MIH PoS also map the OAM trigger indicating the detected link status to an MIH event, and trigger the handover between access networks based on the MIH event.

[Detailed ways]

In the following, the term "UE" includes, but is not limited to, wireless and/or wired transmit/receive units (TRU), mobile stations (STA), fixed or mobile subscriber units, pagers, or those capable of operating in a wireless and/or wired environment Any other type of equipment.

The features of this creation can either be incorporated into an integrated circuit (IC) or configured in a circuit that includes multiple interconnected elements.

According to this creation, MIH endpoints (ie UE and MIH PoS) are considered as OAM peer entities, and the link status between UE and MIH PoS is monitored by using OAM protocols (such as 802.3ag or 802.1ag). The OAM triggers that indicate the status of the detected link are mapped to MIH events. The MIH event is then reported to the higher level for potential handover. MIH PoS is a network entity that provides MIH services. MIH PoS can be located anywhere in the network. For example, MIH PoS can be in the point of attachment (PoA) or in the core network. According to this creation, the current link status information can be used by the 802.21 PoS with MIH function, when it is informed that there is a problem with the current link At this time, the PoS can use this information to trigger a handover for the alternate link. This creation provides a mechanism for general use of the 802.1 link detection mechanism for making handover decisions on 802.3 and 802.11 networks.

Figure 1 shows the functional entities of the UE 100 based on this creation. The UE 100 includes a high layer 110, an MIH entity 120, and a low layer 130. The upper layer 110 includes a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) entity 112, a Mobile Internet Protocol Version 4 (MIP v.4) entity 114, a Mobile Internet Protocol Version 6 (MIP v.6) entity 116, and so on. The lower layer 130 (that is, layer 2 and layer 1) includes an IEEE 802.3 entity 132, an IEEE 802.11 entity 134, an IEEE 802.16 entity 136, a third generation partnership project (3GPP) entity 138, a 3GPP2 entity 140, and so on. The MIH entity 120 receives link events and link information from the lower layer 130. Based on the reported link events and information from the lower layer 130, the MIH entity 120 generates MIH events and information, and sends the MIH events and information to the upper layer 110. The MIH entity 120 receives MIH commands and information from the upper layer 110. Based on the MIH commands and information received from the upper layer 110, the MIH entity 120 generates link commands and link information, and sends the link commands and link information to the lower layer 130.

Figure 2 shows the UE 202 and MIH PoS 208 that use 802.3ah OAM messages to monitor the link status according to this creation. The connection between the UE 202 and the MIH PoS 208 is established via a network 210 including one or more hubs (or repeaters) 204, 206. The first hub (or repeater) 204 is PoA. When UE 202 and MIH PoS 208 are connected through hubs (or repeaters) 204, 206, the 802.3 physical layer signaling in the layer 1 interface of UE 202 cannot detect hubs (or repeaters) 204, 206 and MIH The link event between PoS 208 changes. Therefore, since the UE 202 or the MIH PoS 208 cannot see that the connection between the hubs (or repeaters) 204 and 206 is lost, the end-to-end meaning required for handover determination will be lost. It should be pointed out that the connection loss beyond MIH PoS 208 is beyond the processing range that can be achieved by IEEE 802.21.

According to the first implementation of this creation, MIH endpoints (ie UE 202 and MIH PoS 208) are considered as OAM peer entities, and the link status between UE 202 and MIH PoS 208 is monitored by using the IEEE 802.3ah protocol of. Both UE 202 and MIH PoS 208 include MIH entities. PoA 204 also includes MIH entities. In this case, PoA 204 works as a PoA with MIH function. The UE 202 and the MIH entity of the MIH PoS 208 (optionally, the MIH entity of the MIH PoA 204) use this link state information to generate an 802.21 MIH event notification about the link state.

When the link state is detected using the 802.3ah protocol, the OAM trigger will be forwarded to the MIH entity of the UE 202 (or MIH PoS 208 and MIH PoA 204) at this time. Then, the OAM trigger is mapped by the UE 202 (or the MIH PoS 208 and the MIH PoA 204) to the MIH entity of the MIH things member, and is reported to higher layers for triggering a handover.

Table 1 shows the mapping between 802.3ah triggers and 802.21 events. Some currently defined MIH events can be associated with 802.3ah triggers. The 802.3ah framework allows manufacturers to extend this subset using user type length value (TLV) specifications. The 802.3ah link connection event indicates that the physical layer has determined the link connection and the OAM remote entity connection is mapped to an 802.21 link Connection event. The 802.3ah link failure event indicates that the physical layer has determined that a failure has occurred in the receiving direction of the local data terminal equipment (DTE) and is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event. The 802.3ah dying gasp event indicates that an unrecoverable local fault condition has occurred and is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

<tables><img file="TWM319587U_D0001.tif" /></tables>

Figure 3 shows an exemplary system 300 that uses 802.3ah OAM messages to support MIH according to this creation. The system 300 includes a UE 302, a wireless local area network (WLAN) 310, an 802.3 network 320, and an MIH PoS 330. The 802.3 network 320 includes a plurality of hubs (or repeaters) 322 and 324 connected to each other. UE 302 has MIH function, and supports WLAN access technology and 802.3 access technology. UE 302 and MIH PoS 330 are two OAM peer entities, and the link status between UE 302 and MIH PoS 330 is monitored by using the IEEE 802.3ah protocol. Once a certain 802.3ah trigger is detected, the MIH of UE 302 (or MIH PoS 330) The entity maps 802.3ah triggers to 802.21 events. Therefore, the MIH communication between the UE 302 and the MIH PoS 308 is established through one of the WLAN 310 and the 802.3 network 320 shown in FIG. 3. Based on the reported MIH event, a handover can be triggered between the WLAN 310 and the 802.3 network 320.

According to the second embodiment of this creation, the link status between the UE and the MIH PoS is monitored by using the IEEE 802.1ag protocol. If the UE is connected to MIH PoS through the 802.1D or 802.1Q bridge network shown in Figure 4 and Figure 5, then the 802.3 layer 1 event notification or 802.3ah OAM message is not sufficient to detect the connection between the UE and the MIH PoS The connection is lost.

Figure 4 shows the UE 402 and MIH PoS 408 that are connected by an 802.1D bridge network according to this creation and use 802.1ag OAM messages to monitor the link status. The 802.1D bridge network 410 includes a hub 404 and a bridge/ Switches 405, 406. The connection between UE 402 and MIH PoS 408 is established via one or more 802.1D bridges or switches. When UE 402 and MIH PoS 408 are connected via 802.1D bridge network 410, the 802.3 level physical layer link state notification is not sufficient to detect the link connectivity involving MIH PoS 408, and IEEE 802.3ah OAM messages will not traverse 802.1D. D bridge/switch 405, 406.

Figure 5 shows the UE 502 and MIH PoS 508 that are connected via an 802.1Q bridge network according to this creation and use 802.1ag OAM messages to monitor the link status. The UE 502 is connected to a hub (ie PoA) 504. The connection between PoA 504 and MIH PoS 508 is established via one or more 802.1Q bridges or switches 512,522. When bridge or switch 512, When 522 is an 802.1Q bridge or switch, due to static configuration or through the configuration of the spanning tree running on each bridge, the reachability to MIH PoS 508 may be through different virtual local area networks (VLAN) Different links of 510 and 520. In this case, the MIH connection between the UE 502 and the MIH PoS 508 needs to be established and monitored based on each VLAN identification (ID).

According to the second embodiment of this creation, by mapping 802.1ag Management Information Base (MIB) objects into 802.21 events, the 802.1ag protocol for user-level OAM can be used to detect the end-to-end link status. Table 2 shows the mapping between 802.1ag MIB objects and 802.21 events.

The 802.1ag MIB object that indicates that the connection is detected or restored is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event. The 802.1ag MIB indicating that the management endpoint (MEP) loses contact with one or more MEPs is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnect event. A new 802.1ag MIB object is also defined to indicate the number of connection check frames that indicate a possible loss before the failure occurs, thereby mapping the 802.21 link disconnection event to the 802.1ag dying event.

Whenever the link is likely to fail (for example, due to poor radio conditions), use the link being disconnected event. If the current link is supported by 802.3, after checking the number of lost frames, if it is determined that the connection will be disconnected in a short time, it can be marked as the link is disconnected. For example, if the threshold is set to ten (10) frames lost before the link is determined to be faulty, then an indication that the link is disconnected can be sent when the ninth frame fails to verify.

Table 2<tables><img file="TWM319587U_D0002.tif" /></tables>

Figure 6 shows an exemplary system 600 that uses 802.1ag OAM messages to support MIH according to the second embodiment of the present creation. The system 600 includes UE 602, 802.11 network 604, 802.16 network (WIMAX) 606, 802.3 network 608, home network 614, and MIH PoS 616. 802.11 network 604 and 802.3 network pass through 802.1Q bridge 610, 612 and connected to the home network 614. UE 602 has MIH function and supports 802.11, 802.16 and 802.3 access technologies. UE 602 and MIH PoS 616 are two OAM peer entities, and the link status between UE 602 and MIH PoS 616 is monitored by using the IEEE 802.1ag protocol as described above. Once the 802.1ag event is detected, the MIH entity of the UE 602 (or MIH PoS 616 or PoA in the 802.11 network 604, 802.16 network 606, and 802.3 network 608) will map the 802.1ag MIB object to an 802.1ag event, and it can Based on the MIH event, an inter-technology handover is triggered between the 802.11 network 604, the 802.16 network 606, and the 802.3 network 608 or a technical handover within the currently connected network. IEEE 802.1Q VLAN traffic can be transmitted on 802.3, 802.11 and 802.16 frames through the relevant convergence sublayer. Therefore, the connection based on end-to-end 802.1ag is very valuable for inter-technology handover and intra-technology handover determination.

Example

1. A method for MIH using OAM protocol in a communication system, wherein the communication system includes user equipment (UE), MIH PoS, and multiple access networks.

2. The method according to embodiment 1 includes the following steps: monitoring the link connection between the UE and the MIH PoS by using the OAM protocol.

3. The method according to embodiment 2 includes the following steps: once the link status is detected, the OAM trigger indicating the OAM status is mapped into an MIH event.

4. The method according to embodiment 3 includes the following steps: reporting MIH events.

5. According to the method described in any one of embodiments 2 to 4, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.3ah.

6. According to the method of embodiment 5, wherein the 802.3ah link connection event is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

7. According to the method of any one of embodiments 5 to 6, wherein the 802.3ah link failure event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

8. According to the method of any one of embodiments 5 to 7, wherein the 802.3ah dying event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

9. According to the method described in any one of embodiments 2 to 4, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.1ag.

10. The method according to embodiment 9, wherein the 802.1ag MIB object indicating the detected connection is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

11. According to the method of any one of embodiments 9 to 10, the 802.1ag MIB object indicating that the MEP has lost contact with one or more MEPs is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnect event.

12. According to the method of any one of embodiments 9 to 11, the 802.21 link disconnection event is generated based on an 802.1ag MIB object indicating the number of connection check frames that can be lost before indicating a failure.

13. According to the method of any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the access network is an 802.1D bridged network.

14. According to the method of any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the access network is an 802.1Q bridged network.

15. A system that uses OAM protocol for MIH.

16. The system according to embodiment 15 includes a UE.

17. The system according to any one of embodiments 15 to 16, including MIH PoS for providing MIH services.

18. The system according to any one of embodiments 15-17 includes multiple access networks.

19. The system according to embodiment 18, wherein the UE and the MIH PoS are configured to monitor the link status between the UE and the MIH PoS by using the OAM protocol.

20. The system according to embodiment 19, wherein the UE and the MIH PoS are configured to map the OAM trigger indicating the detected link status to the MIH event.

twenty one. The system according to embodiment 20, wherein the UE and the MIH PoS are configured to trigger a handover between access networks based on MIH events.

twenty two. The system according to any one of embodiments 15-21, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.3ah.

twenty three. The system according to embodiment 22, wherein the 802.3ah link connection event is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

twenty four. According to the system of any one of embodiments 22 to 23, wherein the 802.3ah link failure event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

25. According to the system of any one of embodiments 22-24, wherein the 802.3ah dying event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

26. The system according to any one of embodiments 15-21, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.1ag.

27. The system according to embodiment 26, wherein the 802.1ag MIB object indicating the detected connection is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

28. The system according to any one of embodiments 26-27, wherein the 802.1ag MIB object indicating that the MEP has lost contact with one or more MEPs is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

29. According to the system of any one of embodiments 26-28, the 802.21 link disconnection event is generated based on an 802.1ag MIB object indicating the number of connection check frames that can be lost before indicating a failure.

30. The system according to any one of embodiments 18-29, wherein the access network is an 802.1D bridged network.

31. The system according to any one of embodiments 18-29, wherein the access network is an 802.1Q bridged network.

32. A device that uses OAM protocol for MIH in a communication system, wherein the communication system includes UE, MIH PoS, and multiple access networks.

33. The device according to embodiment 32 includes a low-level entity configured to monitor the link connection between the UE and the MIH PoS by using the OAM protocol, and send an OAM trigger indicating the status of the detected link.

34. The device according to embodiment 33, including an MIH entity, is configured to map an OAM trigger to an MIH event, and report the MIH event.

35. The device according to any one of embodiments 32 to 34, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.3ah.

36. The device according to embodiment 35, wherein the 802.3ah link connection event is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

37. According to the system of any one of embodiments 35 to 36, wherein the 802.3ah link failure event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

38. According to the system of any one of embodiments 35 to 37, wherein the 802.3ah dying event is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

39. The system according to any one of embodiments 32 to 34, wherein the OAM protocol is IEEE 802.1ag.

40. The system according to embodiment 39, wherein the 802.1ag MIB object indicating the detected connection is mapped to an 802.21 link connection event.

41. The system according to any one of embodiments 39-40, wherein an 802.1ag MIB object indicating that the MEP has lost contact with one or more MEPs is mapped to an 802.21 link disconnection event.

42. According to the system of any one of embodiments 39 to 41, wherein the 802.21 link disconnection event is generated based on an 802.1ag MIB object indicating the number of connection check frames that can be lost before indicating a failure.

43. According to the system of any one of embodiments 32 to 42, wherein the access network is an 802.1D bridged network.

44. According to the system of any one of embodiments 32 to 42, wherein the access network is an 802.1Q bridged network.

Although the features and elements of this creation are described in a specific combination in the preferred embodiment, each feature or element can be used alone without other features and elements of the preferred embodiment, or in combination with or It is used in various situations that are not combined with other features and elements of this creation.

<p>CS. . . Command service</p><p>ES. . . Event service</p><p>IS. . . Information Service</p><p>MIH. . . Independent handover of the media</p><p>MIP v.4. . . Mobile Internet Protocol Fourth Edition</p><p>MIP v.6. . . Mobile Internet Protocol Version 6</p><p>PoS. . . Service point</p><p>SIP. . . Session initiation protocol</p><p>UE. . . User equipment</p><p>3GPP. . . The third generation partner project</p><p>WLAN. . . Wireless local area network</p><p>405, 406. . . Bridge/Switch</p><p>410. . . Bridged network</p><p>510, 520. . . Virtual local area network</p><p>512, 522. . . 802.1Q bridge or switch</p><p>606, 608. . . network</p><p>610,612. . . Bridge</p>

Figure 1 shows the functional entities of the UE according to this creation; Figure 2 shows the UE and MIH PoS that use 802.3ah OAM messages to monitor the link status according to this creation; Figure 3 shows the UE based on this creation Create an exemplary system using 802.3ah OAM messages to support MIH according to the first embodiment; Figure 4 shows UEs and UEs that are connected via an 802.1D bridged network and use 802.1ag OAM messages to monitor link status according to this creation. MIH PoS; Figure 5 shows the UE and MIH PoS that are connected via an 802.1Q bridge network according to this creation and use 802.1ag OAM messages to monitor the link status; Figure 6 shows the second implementation of this creation An exemplary system that uses 802.1ag OAM messages to support MIH.