WO2008049368A1

WO2008049368A1 - A management method and system of the multicast broadcast service

Info

Publication number: WO2008049368A1
Application number: PCT/CN2007/070919
Authority: WO
Inventors: Jianyong Li; Wenliang Liang
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-10-18
Filing date: 2007-10-18
Publication date: 2008-05-02
Also published as: CN101166333A

Abstract

A management method and system of multicast broadcast service can effectively manage MBS. In the present invention, the subscriber equipment carries the identity authentication information of the subscriber equipment and the information code corresponding to the MBS service ID in the MBS operation request message transmitted to the network side. After the network side receives the message, according to the information code in the message and the corresponding relationship between the saved information code and the MBS service ID, it retrieves the corresponding MBS service ID, and authenticates the subscriber equipment according to the identity authentication information in the message. If the identity authentication is passed and the subscriber equipment is entitled to implement the operation, the network side implements the operation to the MBS. Wherein, the MBS operation request message is the MBS subscribing request message or MBS canceling request message.

Description

The present invention claims the priority of a Chinese patent application submitted to the Chinese Patent Office on October 18, 2006, the application number is 200610137046.3, and the invention name is "Management Method and System of Multicast Broadcasting Service". The entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Technical field

The present invention relates to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to a method and system for managing a multicast broadcast service.

Background technique

WiMAX ( Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access, 3⁄4 Wave Interoperability) is a wireless metropolitan area network technology for wireless broadband access. Figure 1 shows the WiMAX end-to-end reference model. As can be seen, WiMAX mainly includes a mobile station (Mobile Station, referred to as "MS") / Subscriber Station ("Snack Station"), an Access Service Network ("ASN"), and a connection service network ( Connectivity Service Network, referred to as "CSN").

The ASN is defined as a network function set that provides wireless access services for WiMAX user terminals. The ASN includes a base station (Base Station, referred to as "BS") and an ASN Gate (ASN GateWay abbreviation "ASN-GW") network element, and an ASN may be Multiple CSNs are shared.

The main functions of the ASN include the functions of the base station and the functions of the ASN-GW. Among them, the functions of the base station are: providing L2 connection of the base station and the subscriber station SS/MS, radio resource management, measurement and power control, and compression and encryption of the air interface data. The functions of ASN-GW include: proxy function for SS/MS authentication, authorization and accounting functions; network discovery and selection for NSP; relay function for providing L3 information for SS, such as IP address allocation .

CSN is defined to provide IP connection services for WiMAX user terminals. The CSN mainly provides the following functions: IP address allocation of SS/MS, Internet access, Authentication, Authorization, Account ("AAA") proxy or service, user-based authorization control, ASN to CSN Tunnels, billing for WiMAX subscribers, and settlement between operators, tunneling between CSNs in roaming, switching between ASNs, and various WiMAX services (such as location-based services, multimedia multicast and broadcast services, IP Multimedia Subsystem Service). The MS/SS is a (mobile) user equipment that the user uses to access the WiMAX network.

With the rapid development of the Internet, people's demand for mobile communication is no longer satisfied with peer-to-peer communication, so a large number of multimedia services emerge, some of which require multiple users to receive the same data at the same time, such as video on demand, TV broadcast, Video conferencing, online education, interactive games, etc. Compared with general data, these mobile multimedia services have the characteristics of large data volume, long duration, and delay sensitivity. The current IP multicast technology is only applicable to wired IP networks, not to mobile networks, because mobile networks have specific network structures, functional entities, and wireless interfaces, which are different from wired IP networks.

In order to effectively utilize mobile network resources, WiMAX introduces Multicast Broadcast Service (MBS), which is a point-to-multipoint service that provides a data source to send data to multiple users in a mobile network. Resource sharing, improve the utilization of network resources, especially air interface resources. The MBS introduced by WiMAX can not only realize plain text low-rate message-like multicast and broadcast, but also realize high-speed multimedia service multicast and broadcast, which undoubtedly conforms to the trend of future mobile data development.

MBS based on WiMAX network supports two access modes: single base station access and multiple base station access. In multi-base station access mode, all base stations in an MBS zone (identified by MBS Zone ID) use the same multicast connection identifier (Multicast Connection ID, "MCID") and MBS multicast group security. The MBS Group Security Association (MBS GSA) transmits the content of the same MBS stream, and the terminal registered with the MBS service can receive the MBS content through multiple base stations in the MBS domain. Moreover, when the terminal in the idle (Idle) mode moves across the base station in the MBS domain, there is no need to re-establish the connection, and the MBS can be seamlessly received without receiving the affected MBS.

Some globally defined service flows can carry broadcast or multicast information to multiple SS/MSs. These service flows have Quality of Service (QoS) parameters and may require globally defined data encryption. The key is encrypted. In a WiMAX network, a Service Flow Identifier ("SFID") is used to identify a one-way service flow, and a Connection ID (CID) is used to identify a connection. All traffic flows are transmitted over the air interface through the MAC (Media Access Control) layer connection, ie the SFID is mapped to a CID. The MCID is a connection identifier dedicated to the multicast connection. At the same time, existing standards stipulate the use of MBS Content ID (Content ID) Identify a multicast service. A Protocol Data Unit ("PDU") transmitted on one MCID contains one or more MBSs.

The air interface link layer connection identifier can be either a CID or an MCID. An air interface link layer connection can carry one or more upper layer data streams. The standard definition uses the content identifier to distinguish different upper layer data streams carried by the air interface link layer connection. When an air interface link layer carries multiple contents, it is identified by a logical channel identifier ("LCID") at the link layer to indicate what content is carried in the current link layer. The LCID and MCID uniquely correspond to a content identifier.

However, there are currently no specific solutions for how to subscribe and unsubscribe MBS, and how MBS control information is transmitted.

Summary of the invention

The embodiment of the invention provides a management method and system for a multicast broadcast service, so that the MBS can be effectively managed.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for managing a multicast broadcast service, including:

Multicast broadcast service The MBS server transmits MBS control information to the gateway or MBS proxy through IP multicast mode, tunnel mode, or unicast mode.

The gateway or MBS proxy transmits control information of the MBS to the base station.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a management system for a multicast broadcast service, including a multicast broadcast service MBS server, a gateway or an MBS proxy, and a base station.

The MBS server includes a first control information transmission module for transmitting control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy by using an IP multicast mode, a tunnel mode, or a unicast mode;

The gateway or MBS proxy includes a second control information transmission module for transmitting control information of the received MBS to the base station.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a gateway, including:

A module for receiving control information of the MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode; a second control information transmission module for transmitting control information of the received MBS through an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a management method for a multicast broadcast service, including:

The network side receives a multicast broadcast service MBS operation request message from the user equipment, where the message carries the identity verification information and the information code of the user equipment; The network side searches for the corresponding MBS service identifier according to the correspondence between the information code and the saved information code and the MBS service identifier, and performs identity verification on the user equipment according to the identity verification information, and the user is authenticated. Whether the device has the right to perform the operation requested by the device for verification; the network side determines whether to allow the operation request of the user device according to the verification result.

The embodiment of the present invention further provides a management system for a multicast broadcast service, including a user equipment and a network side, where the network side includes:

a module for receiving an operation request message of the multicast broadcast service MBS, the message carrying the identity verification information and the information code of the user equipment;

And after receiving the operation request message of the MBS, searching for a corresponding MBS service identifier module according to the information code in the message and the corresponding relationship between the saved information code and the MBS service identifier;

a module for authenticating the user equipment based on the authentication information in the message;

A module for verifying whether the user device is authorized to perform the operation of its request.

The technical solution of the present invention, in the operation request message of the MBS sent by the user equipment to the network side, carries the identity verification information of the user equipment and the information code corresponding to the MBS, and after receiving the message, the network side receives the message according to the message. Corresponding relationship between the information code and the saved information code and the MBS Service ID, the corresponding MBS service identifier is found, and the user equipment is authenticated according to the identity verification information in the message, if The authentication passes and the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation, and the network side performs the operation on the MBS. The MBS operation request message is an MBS subscription request message or an MBS unsubscribe request message. Ensure that the user device can subscribe or unsubscribe MBS smoothly, so that MBS can be effectively managed.

The specific transmission mode of the MBS control information provided by the present invention from the MBS server to the user equipment provides a guarantee for the smooth transmission of the MBS control information.

DRAWINGS

1 is a schematic diagram of a WiMAX network architecture according to the prior art;

2 is a flowchart of a method for managing an MBS according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a flowchart of a method for managing an MBS according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

4 is a schematic diagram of a method for transmitting control information of an MBS according to a third embodiment of the present invention; 5 is a schematic diagram of a control information transmission method of an MBS according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a control information transmission method of an MBS according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 7 is an MBS according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a control information transmission method of an MBS according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. detailed description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more apparent, the present invention will be further described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the present invention, when the user equipment needs to subscribe to a certain MBS or unsubscribe from a certain MBS, it is required to send an operation request message of the MBS, such as an MBS subscription request message or an MBS unsubscribe request message, to the network side, and the message carries the user equipment. The authentication information and the information code corresponding to the MBS service identifier (ie, the subscription operation information code or the unsubscribe operation information code mentioned in the following embodiments). After receiving the message, the network side searches for the corresponding MBS service identifier according to the information code in the message and the corresponding relationship between the saved information code and the MBS service identifier, and performs the user equipment according to the identity verification information in the message. Authentication, if the authentication is passed and the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation, the network side performs the operation on the MBS.

The information code is a combination of information for subscribing or unsubscribing a specific MBS, and the MBS service identifier is an identifier of an MBS service object that the user subscribes to or unsubscribes, and may include one or several MBS content identifiers, and the MBS service identifier is in a certain The MBS range provided by an MBS server is unique. The correspondence between the MBS service identifier and the MBS content identifier is stored in the MBS server on the network side. The MBS content identifier may be a different MBS content identifier defined by IEEE 802.16e for identifying the same air interface link layer connection bearer. For details, see IEEE 802.16e.

The first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below. The present embodiment relates to a management method of the MBS. In the present embodiment, the user equipment transmits a subscription request message of the MBS to the network side.

It should be noted that before the subscription of the MBS is performed, the user equipment needs to open an account in an Authentication, Authorization, Account ("AAA") server in some manner, and establish the user in the AAA server. The basic information of the device, which specifies the information about the authentication required when adding, deleting, and/or changing the service, such as the identifier and password of the user device. Setting a range of the subscription capability that the user equipment can perform in the network in the AAA server, that is, the service performed by the user equipment in the network can only be the subscription capability. A subset of the range.

There are many ways to notify the MBS server of the subscription information. The present invention does not limit the specific subscription access method before the MBS server. The AAA server and/or the MBS server store the correspondence between the service subscription operation information code and the specific MBS, and may directly use the service identifier of the MBS as the subscription operation information code, or may be a combination of other characters or numbers or characters and numbers. The form generates the subscription operation information code, and at the time of subscription, the MBS server is notified by the subscription operation information code to subscribe to a specific MBS. The correspondence between the MBS and the subscription operation information code should be notified to the user equipment in some way, and the specific notification form is not limited. The MBS server also needs to maintain the correspondence between the MBS service identifier and the MBS content identifier, and the MBS content included in a certain service represented by the corresponding relationship also needs to notify the user equipment through some means, so that the user equipment can make a judgment. The MBS service identifier is unique within the scope of the MBS server service and is used to identify the MBS service object to which the user equipment subscribes.

The MBS subscription process is shown in Figure 2.

In step 210, the user equipment establishes a connection with the MBS server.

Next, proceeding to step 220, the user equipment sends an MBS subscription request message to the MBS server. Specifically, when the user equipment needs to subscribe to an MBS, it first needs to establish a connection, and then sends a high-level application signaling to the MBS server through the service flow of the connection, and carries the required information in the MBS subscription request message. The subscription operation information code and authentication information of the subscribed MBS, such as the identifier and password of the user equipment.

Then, proceeding to step 230, after receiving the subscription request message, the MBS server initiates an identity verification and subscription capability verification request to the home AAA server to which the user equipment belongs according to the identifier of the user equipment, if the MBS service identifier is saved on the MBS server. And the corresponding relationship between the subscription operation information code, the MBS server may select the service identifier of the MBS corresponding to the subscription operation information code, and refill the service identifier of the MBS into the verification request message. Alternatively, the subscription operation information code of the MBS service may be directly placed in the request message and sent to the AAA server for verification. Therefore, the verification request message contains authentication information of the user equipment, such as the identification and password of the user equipment, and the subscription operation information code or the service identifier of the MBS to be subscribed.

Then, proceeding to step 240, after receiving the verification request message, the AAA server needs to verify the identity of the user equipment and whether the user equipment has the right to subscribe to the MBS service. Specifically, since the user equipment has opened an account in the AAA server before subscribing to the MBS, the identity verification information of the user equipment and the subscription capability range that the user equipment can perform in the network are established in the AAA server. Therefore, the AAA server can verify whether the identity of the user equipment is legal by checking whether the authentication information matches the authentication information stored in the AAA server, and verify whether the requested subscription MBS service is within the subscription capability of the user equipment. That is, whether the user equipment has the right to subscribe to the MBS service. After verifying the identity and service capability of the user equipment, the AAA server returns an authentication request reply message to the MBS server, and notifies the MBS server whether the identity verification of the user equipment passes and whether the user equipment has the right to subscribe to the MBS service. That is to say, the verification request reply message needs to carry the user equipment identifier and the verification result. By double verification of the identity and service capability of the user equipment, it is ensured that the network side only authorizes the MBS subscription operation for the user equipment receiving the MBS capability, so that the MBS can be effectively managed.

In addition, if the subscription operation information code carried in the verification request message received by the AAA server is not the service identifier of the MBS, the correspondence between the subscription operation information code and the MBS service identifier may not exist in the MBS server. The AAA server needs to convert the subscription operation information code into a corresponding MBS service identifier according to the correspondence between the subscription operation information code and the MBS service identifier saved by itself, and send the MBS service identifier to the MBS server through the verification request reply message. . Since at least one entity in the AAA server and the MBS server stores the correspondence between the subscription operation information code and the MBS service identifier, the MBS server can always know which MBS the user equipment requests to subscribe to.

Therefore, in step 250, the AAA server returns an authentication request reply message to the MBS server, which carries the verification result and the identifier of the user equipment, and may carry the service identifier of the MBS that the user equipment requests to subscribe to.

Next, proceeding to step 260, the MBS server determines whether to authorize the subscription request of the user equipment according to the verification result in the verification request reply message, and returns a response of the subscription request message to the user equipment.

Specifically, if both the identity verification and the service capability verification are passed, that is, the identity of the user equipment is legal and the user equipment has the right to subscribe to the MBS service, the subscription information about the MBS of the user equipment is saved in the MBS server. . Ensure that the user equipment can successfully subscribe to the MBS, thereby Enables MBS to be effectively managed.

The MBS server needs to return a reply message of the subscription request to the user equipment, and carries the result of whether the subscription of the MBS is successful, or whether the message carries the success result of the MBS subscription and the service identifier of the MBS. Or the result of whether the subscription of the MBS service is successful in the message, the service identifier of the MBS, or other identifiers that are consistent within the scope of the MBS server and can be used to indicate the MBS.

Next, in step 270, the user device tears down the connection with the MBS server.

A second embodiment of the present invention relates to a method of managing an MBS. In addition to the first embodiment, the present embodiment provides an unsubscribe method for MBS.

It should be noted that there are many ways to notify the MBS server of the unsubscribe information. The present invention does not limit the specific access method before the MBS server. The AAA and/or the MBS server may store the correspondence between the unsubscribe operation information code (that is, the unsubscribe operation information code) and the specific MBS service identifier, and may directly use the service identifier of the MBS as the unsubscribe operation information code, or may be performed by one other The uncharted operation information code is generated in the form of a character or a combination of numbers or characters, and the unsubscribe operation information code is used to notify the MBS server to perform the unsubscribe operation at the time of unsubscribing. The correspondence between the MBS service identifier and the service unsubscribe operation information code should be notified to the user equipment through some means, and the specific notification form is not limited.

The MBS unsubscribe process is shown in Figure 3.

In step 310, the user equipment establishes a connection with the MBS server.

Next, proceeding to step 320, the user equipment sends an MBS unsubscribe request message to the MBS server. Specifically, when the user equipment needs to unsubscribe from an MBS, it first needs to establish a connection, and then sends a high-level application signaling through the connected service flow to send an unsubscribe request to the MBS server, and the unsubscribe request in the MBS. The message carries the unsubscribe operation information code and identity verification information of the MBS that needs to be unsubscribed, such as the identifier and password of the user equipment.

Then, proceeding to step 330, after receiving the unsubscribe request message, the MBS server initiates an identity verification request to the home AAA server to which the user equipment belongs according to the identifier of the user equipment, if the MBS service identifier and the unsubscribe are saved on the MBS server. The corresponding relationship between the operation information codes, the MBS server may select the service identifier of the MBS corresponding to the unsubscribed operation information code, and refill the service identifier of the MBS into the verification request message. You can also choose to The unsubscribe operation information code of the MBS service is directly put into the request message and sent to the AAA server for verification. Therefore, the verification request message includes the identity verification information of the user equipment, such as the identifier and password of the user equipment, and the unsubscribe operation information code or the service identifier of the MBS that needs to be unsubscribed.

Next, proceeding to step 340, after receiving the verification request message, the AAA server needs to verify the identity of the user equipment and whether the user equipment has the right to unsubscribe from the MBS service. The AAA server immediately determines that the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation after the authentication of the user equipment is passed, so that the user equipment subscribed to the MBS can unsubscribe the MBS, further ensuring that the MBS can be effectively managed.

Specifically, after receiving the verification request message, the AAA server verifies whether the identity of the user equipment is legal by checking whether the authentication information carried in the message matches the authentication information stored in the AAA server. Once it is determined that the identity of the user equipment is legal, the user equipment is deemed to be authorized to perform the operation, so that the user equipment subscribed to the MBS can unsubscribe the MBS. After verifying the identity of the user equipment, the AAA server returns an authentication request reply message to the MBS server to notify the MBS server whether the identity verification of the user equipment is passed, that is, the authentication request reply message needs to carry the user equipment identifier. And verify the results.

In addition, if the unsubscribe operation information code in the verification request message received by the AAA server is not the service identifier of the MBS, the correspondence between the unsubscribe operation information code and the MBS service identifier may not exist in the MBS server. The AAA server needs to convert the corresponding MBS service identifier according to the correspondence between the unsubscribed operation information code and the MBS service identifier saved by itself, and sends the MBS service identifier to the MBS server through the verification request reply message. Since at least one entity in the AAA server and the MBS server stores the correspondence between the unsubscribe operation information code and the MBS service identifier, the MBS server can always know which MBS the user equipment requests to unsubscribe.

Therefore, in step 350, the AAA server returns the verification result and the identifier of the user equipment to the verification request reply message returned by the MBS server, and may carry the service identifier of the MBS that the user equipment requests to unsubscribe.

Next, proceeding to step 360, the MBS server determines whether to allow the unsubscribe request of the user equipment according to the verification result in the verification request reply message, and returns a response of the unsubscribe request message to the user equipment. Specifically, if the identity verification is passed, that is, the identity of the user equipment is legal, the user equipment has the right to unsubscribe the subscribed MBS, and therefore, the MBS server needs to delete the MBS of the user equipment. Subscribe to the information. It is ensured that the user equipment can smoothly unsubscribe the subscribed MBS, so that the MBS service can be effectively managed.

The MBS server needs to return a reply message of the unsubscribe request to the user equipment, and carries the result of whether the unsubscribe of the MBS service is successful, or whether the unsubscribe of the MBS service is successful in the message and the message The service identifier of the MBS, or the result of whether the unsubscribe of the MBS service is successful in the message, the service identifier of the MBS, or other identifiers consistent with the MBS server may be used to indicate the identifier of the MBS.

Next, in step 370, the user device tears down the connection with the MBS server.

The various reply messages sent by the network side to the user equipment are actually a kind of control information. In addition, the network side also needs to provide other control information about the MBS to the user equipment, for example, the user equipment needs and is in the subsequent joining process of the MBS. Information that was not obtained in the previous subscription process. The control information of the MBS may include one of the following information or any combination thereof: a service identifier, an IP stream, an IP quintuple, a content identifier of the MBS, a content description of the MBS, a transmission time, an MBS domain identifier for transmitting the MBS, and multicast. Connection identifier, logical connection identifier, security association identifier, multicast group key encryption key, multicast group service encryption key, multicast service key, and correspondence between each other. .

(1) the correspondence between the service identifier and the IP flow, the correspondence between the IP flow and the IP quintuple, the correspondence between the IP quintuple and the content identifier of the MBS, the sending time, and the MBS domain identifier of the MBS, so that the user equipment After the MBS is added to the MBS through the multicast technology or added to the MBS through the DSA (Dynamic Service Addition) process, the content that the user equipment needs to receive is indicated. The IP quintuple is a combination of an IP source address, an IP multicast address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a protocol number; the IP flow is identified by an IP multicast address, as shown in Table 1.

IP quintuple (indicating content identifier 1)

Service ID1 IP1 IP quintuple (indicating content identifier 2)

(Business ID 1)

IP3 IP quintuple (indicating content identifier 3)

Service ID2

Table 1

Since the internal tunnel of the access service network is generally in the granularity of the base station, if the control information of the MBS and the service content of the MBS are overlapped, it may be considered that the MBS server fills in different information when transmitting the service content and the control information. The source address or port is convenient for accessing the difference in the service network. That is to say, the control information of the MBS and the service content of the MBS can be distinguished by the IP source address and/or the source port number, so that the network entity or the user equipment receiving the data packet can conveniently determine that the received data packet is the control of the MBS. The information, or the business content of the MBS, is differentiated.

(2) The sending time refers to the time when the user equipment is ready to receive data; it may be for Service-ID (service identification); it may also be for IP flow; it may also be for content identification; .

(3) Optionally, the identifier of all MBS domains that transmit the MBS may be included, so that the user equipment knows whether the current base station can receive the MBS service that it has subscribed to, and the content identifier before joining the MBS. Under the premise of different MBS domains, the user equipment can directly join the MBS service without first receiving the service broadcast after judging the cross-MBS domain handover. Of course, the premise is that the DSA joining process can be used.

Next, a third embodiment of the control information transmission method relating to the MBS of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, the MBS control information is sent to the access network entity.

It should be noted that the MBS control information transmission method is also a way to manage the multicast broadcast service, and is not described below.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the MBS control information transmission from the MBS server to the access network may be an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode. If it is an IP multicast mode, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy (the MBS proxy may be located in one of the access network gateways of one MBS domain, or may be an independent functional entity) needs to join the IP multicast group (can be utilized) IP multicast technology (IGMP (Internet Group Management Protocol) or MLD (Multicast Listener Discovery) protocol); if it is tunnel mode, it must be in the MBS server and all related access network gateways or A tunnel is established between the MBS agents. After receiving the control information of the MBS, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy processes the control information, and then sends the control information of the MBS to the base station by using a data tunneling manner or a signaling manner. The base station may transparently transmit the control information of the received MBS to the user equipment, and may also process the control information of the MBS and transmit the control information to the user equipment. The base station may encapsulate the MBS control information in a defined broadcast MAC (Media Access Control Layer) management message and send it to the user equipment, or may use the MBS control information as the service broadcast information sent by the base station to carry the specific service. The air interface link identified by the broadcast CID is sent to the user equipment.

In this embodiment, the MBS control information of the network side is periodically sent to the user equipment, and the periodic clock may be controlled by the MBS server, or may be controlled by the access network gateway or the MBS proxy. If the access network gateway or the MBS proxy controls the transmission period of the MBS control information, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy is required to buffer the received MBS control information. When the MBS server finds that the content of the MBS control information changes, it actively informs the access gateway or the MBS proxy to update the cached data on it.

It can be seen that the present embodiment provides a specific transmission mode of the MBS control information from the MBS server to the user equipment, which provides a guarantee for the smooth transmission of the MBS control information.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention relates to a control information transmission method of MBS. In this embodiment, the control information of the MBS is sent for a special IP multicast address, and the user equipment receives the control information of the MBS by joining the IP multicast group, and the MBS server passes the control information of the MBS through the gateway or the IP multicast mode. The MBS proxy, and the base station transmit to the user equipment.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the MBS server transmits the MBS control information to the gateway or the MBS proxy by IP multicast. The multicast IP address is reserved globally, or may be reserved internally by a network operator that provides the MBS service, and is used to transmit MBS control information; all user equipments wishing to receive the MBS service are required to join the multi-player IP address. Broadcast group.

Since all the user equipments that want to receive the MBS service join the multicast group, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy can transmit the control information of the MBS to the user equipment through the base station according to the IP multicast address. Specifically, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy may allocate the SFID to the control information according to the IP multicast address, and establish a tunnel inside the access service network, and then map to a connection of a special CID identifier. The connection of the CID identifier is specifically used to transmit the control information of the MBS, and one of the MCID or the transmission CID may be reserved for this special purpose (with the above multicast IP address) Similarly, it can be globally reserved, or it can be reserved internally by a network operator that provides MBS services.

In the present embodiment, the MBS control information period on the network side is transmitted to the user equipment, and the MBS server controls the transmission period of the MBS control information.

It can be seen that the present embodiment also provides a specific transmission mode of the MBS control information from the MBS server to the user equipment, which provides a guarantee for the smooth transmission of the MBS control information.

A fifth embodiment of the present invention relates to a control information transmission method of MBS. This embodiment is substantially the same as the fourth embodiment except that in the present embodiment, not only the user equipment joins the multicast group but also the multicast group to which the access network gateway or the MBS proxy joins.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, in order to save the communication resources of the MBS server to the access service network and reduce the transmission delay of the MBS control information, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy may be required to join the multicast group. When the access network gateway or the MBS proxy receives the MBS control information, it submits to its upper layer processing and caches; on the other hand, it is forwarded to each user equipment. In this way, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy can control the transmission period of the MBS control information. That is to say, the transmission period of the MBS control information can be controlled by the MBS server, or can be controlled by the access network gateway or the MBS proxy.

When the MBS server finds that the content of the MBS control information changes, it actively informs the access network gateway or the MBS proxy to update the cached data thereon.

A sixth embodiment of the present invention relates to a control information transmission method of MBS. In the present embodiment, the user equipment actively requests the MBS control information from the MBS server on the network side.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the user equipment triggers the MBS server to send MBS control information through the event, that is, the user equipment actively requests the MBS control information from the network side. At this time, after receiving the request message, the MBS server may send the MBS control information only to the user equipment, or may send the MBS control information to multiple user equipments.

If the MBS server sends the MBS control information only to the user equipment at this time, it can be understood as an interaction of the user equipment in a unicast form, but the interaction object is an MBS server. That is, the MBS server transmits the control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy by using the unicast mode, and the gateway or the MBS proxy continues to send the MBS control information to the user equipment in the unicast mode through the base station. If the MBS server sends the MBS control information to the multiple user equipments after receiving the request message, the method for transmitting the MBS control information is similar to the transmission method in the other embodiments, except that the triggering conditions of the MBS control information are different. This will not be repeated here.

It can be seen that the present embodiment provides a specific transmission mode of the MBS control information when the user equipment actively requests the network side to send the MBS control information.

A seventh embodiment of the present invention relates to a control information transmission method of MBS. In this embodiment, the user equipment actively requests the MBS control information from the access network gateway or the MBS proxy on the network side. It can be seen that the difference between this embodiment and the sixth embodiment is that, in the sixth embodiment, the user equipment requests the MBS server for the control information of the MBS, and in the embodiment, the user equipment accesses the access network gateway or the MBS. The proxy requests control information for the MBS.

As shown in FIG. 8, when the access network gateway or the MBS proxy caches the MBS control information, the user equipment can also directly request the MBS control information of interest from the access network gateway or the MBS proxy. At this time, after receiving the request message, the access network gateway or the MBS proxy may send the MBS control information only to the user equipment, or may send the MBS control information to multiple user equipments.

It will be understood that, although the above embodiments have been described in order to facilitate the understanding of the steps of the method, it should be noted that the order of the above steps is not strictly limited.

An eighth embodiment of the present invention relates to a management system of an MBS including a user equipment and a network side.

The user equipment includes: a module for sending an operation request message of the MBS to the network side, where the message carries the identity verification information of the user equipment and the information code corresponding to the MBS service identifier.

The network side includes: a module for receiving an operation request message of the multicast broadcast service MBS, where the message carries the identity verification information and the information code of the user equipment; and after receiving the request message, according to the information code in the message a module for identifying a corresponding MBS service identifier, a module for authenticating the user equipment according to the identity verification information in the message, and a module for verifying whether the user equipment has A module that performs the operations of its request. It may also include means for performing the operation on the MBS when the authentication is passed and the user device is verified to be authorized to perform the operation. Ensure that the user device can subscribe or unsubscribe MBS smoothly, so that MBS can be effectively managed.

The operation request message of the MBS sent by the user equipment may be a subscription request message of the MBS, It may be an unsubscribe request message of the MBS. If it is a subscription request message of the MBS, the module for determining whether the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation needs to determine whether the user equipment has the capability of subscribing to the MBS, and if so, determining that the user equipment is authorized to perform the subscription operation; If it is a subscription request message of the MBS, the module for determining whether the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation immediately determines that the user equipment is authorized to perform the unsubscribe operation after the identity verification is passed. It is ensured that the MBS subscription operation is authorized only for the user equipment that has received the MBS capability. The user equipment that subscribes to the MBS can unsubscribe the MBS, further ensuring that the MBS can be effectively managed.

It is worth mentioning that the module for authenticating the user equipment according to the identity verification information in the MBS operation request message in the network side, and the module for determining whether the user equipment is authorized to perform the corresponding operation are located in the AAA server; The module for finding the corresponding MBS service identifier is located in the MBS server and/or the AAA server according to the correspondence between the information code in the MBS operation request message and the saved information code and the MBS service identifier.

A ninth embodiment of the present invention relates to a WiMAX system having a function of managing a multicast broadcast service, including an MBS server, a gateway or an MBS proxy, and a base station.

The MBS server includes a first control information transmission module for transmitting control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy by means of an IP multicast mode, a tunnel mode, or a unicast mode. The gateway or MBS proxy contains a second control information transmission module for transmitting control information of the received MBS to the user equipment through the base station. It guarantees the smooth transmission of MBS control information.

Specifically, corresponding to the case where the user equipment receives the MBS by joining the IP multicast group, the first control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the user equipment via the gateway or the MBS proxy and the base station by using an IP multicast manner; The user equipment and the gateway or the MBS proxy receive the MBS by joining the IP multicast group, and the first control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy by means of IP multicast, and the MBS is transmitted by the IP multicast mode. The control information is transmitted to the user equipment via the gateway or the MBS proxy, and the base station; corresponding to the case where the gateway or the MBS proxy receives the MBS by joining the IP multicast group, the first control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS by the IP multicast mode. Give the gateway or MBS proxy.

If the first control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy through the IP multicast mode or the tunnel mode, the second control information transmission module may transmit the control information of the MBS to the user equipment by: The second control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the base station by using a data tunneling manner or a signaling manner; the base station transmits the MAC (Media Access Control Layer) management message or the air interface link identified by the specified connection identifier to the MBS Control information is transmitted to the user equipment.

The MBS control information may be sent by the MBS server, gateway or MBS proxy cycle; it may also be requested by the user equipment to the MBS server, or to the gateway or MBS proxy. A variety of trigger mechanisms are provided for the transmission of MBS control information. To this end, the MBS server may further comprise: means for receiving control information from the user equipment requesting to send the MBS. The gateway or MBS proxy may also include: means for caching MBS control information received from the MBS server. The gateway or MBS proxy may also contain a module for receiving a request to send control information for the MBS.

The embodiment of the invention further provides a gateway, comprising: a module for receiving control information of the MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode; and configured to transmit the received control information of the MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode. The second control information transmission module. The gateway can also include: a module for buffering received MBS control information.

It will be understood that the drawings (or in the embodiments) are merely illustrative and represent logical structures in which the units shown as separate components may or may not be physically separate, as part of the unit display. It may or may not be a physical unit, that is, it can be located in one place or distributed to several network units.

It can be seen from the above embodiments that, according to the technical solution of the present invention, the operation request message of the MBS sent by the user equipment to the network side carries the identity verification information of the user equipment and the information code corresponding to the MBS, and the network side receives After the message, according to the information code in the message and the correspondence between the saved information code and the MBS Service ID, the corresponding MBS service identifier is found, and the user equipment is determined according to the identity verification information in the message. The authentication is performed, and if the authentication is passed and the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation, the network side performs the operation on the MBS. The MBS operation request message is an MBS subscription request message or an MBS unsubscribe request message. Ensure that the user device can successfully subscribe or unsubscribe to the MBS, so that the MBS can be effectively managed.

If the operation request message of the MBS sent by the user equipment is the subscription request message of the MBS, the network side needs to perform identity verification on the user equipment, and also needs to determine whether the user equipment has the capability of subscribing to the MBS, ensuring that only the network side has The user equipment receiving the MBS capability authorizes the subscription operation of the MBS; if the operation request message of the MBS sent by the user equipment is the unsubscribe request of the MBS After the authentication is passed, the network side determines that the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation, so that the user equipment subscribed to the MBS can unsubscribe the MBS, further ensuring that the MBS can be effectively managed.

The MBS control information can be sent periodically by the MBS server, gateway or MBS proxy (MBS Proxy); it can also be sent by the user equipment to the MBS server, or to the gateway or MBS proxy. A variety of trigger mechanisms are provided for the transmission of MBS control information.

The control information of the MBS may include an MBS Zone (MBS Zone) identifier for transmitting the MBS, so that the user equipment knows whether the current base station can receive the MBS service that it has subscribed to, and the content identifier before joining the MBS. Under the premise of different MBS domains, the user equipment can directly join the service without first receiving the service broadcast after judging the cross-MBS domain handover. Of course, the premise is that the DSA (Dynamic Service Creation) joining process can be used.

The control information of the MBS may include: a correspondence between the service identifier and the IP flow, a correspondence between the IP flow and the IP quintuple, a correspondence between the IP quintuple and the content identifier of the MBS, a sending time, and an MBS domain identifier for transmitting the MBS. . The IP stream is identified by an IP multicast address, and the IP quintuple is a combination of an IP source address, an IP multicast address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a protocol number. The MBS control information and the MBS service content can be distinguished by the IP source address and/or the source port number in the IP quintuple, so that the network entity or the user equipment receiving the data packet can conveniently determine that the received data packet is an MBS. The control information, or the business content of the MBS, is differentiated. The software and hardware combination is implemented, and the method according to various embodiments of the present invention can be implemented by software, so the present invention can also be implemented by a data carrier or a data storage device carrying the software.

While the invention has been illustrated and described with reference to the preferred embodiments embodiments The spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

Rights request

A method for managing a multicast broadcast service, comprising:

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 1, wherein if the MBS server transmits the control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS proxy by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode, The gateway or the MBS proxy transmits the control information of the MBS to the base station by tunneling or signaling.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

And transmitting, by the base station, the control information of the MBS to the user equipment by using a broadcast medium access control layer management message or by using an air interface link identified by the specified connection identifier.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 3, wherein the MBS control information is periodically transmitted by the MBS server; or the user equipment requests a transmission from the MBS server.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 3, wherein the control information of the MBS is periodically sent by the gateway or the MBS proxy; or the user equipment requests the gateway or the MBS proxy. Send

The method also includes:

The gateway or MBS proxy caches MBS control information received from the MBS server, and when the MBS server finds that the content of the MBS control information changes, actively notifies the gateway or the MBS proxy to update its cache. MBS control information.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the control information of the MBS includes one of the following information or any combination thereof:

Service identifier, IP flow, IP quintuple, MBS content identifier, MBS content description, transmission time, MBS domain identifier for transmitting the MBS, multicast connection identifier, logical connection identifier, security association identifier, multicast secret Key encryption key, multicast group service encryption key, multicast service key, and correspondence between each other; The IP quintuple includes: an IP source address, an IP multicast address, a source port number, a destination port number, and a combination of protocol numbers; the IP stream is identified by an IP multicast address.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 6, wherein the control information of the MBS and the content of the MBS pass the IP source address and/or the source port number in the IP quintuple. distinguish.

A management system for a multicast broadcast service, comprising a multicast broadcast service MBS server, a gateway or MBS proxy, and a base station, wherein

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to claim 8, wherein the first control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the gateway or the MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode. And the second control information transmission module transmits the control information of the MBS to the base station by using a tunneling manner or a signaling manner.

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to claim 9, wherein the base station comprises:

a module for transmitting control information of the MBS through a broadcast medium access control layer management message; or

A module that transmits control information of the MBS with an air interface link identified by a specified connection identifier.

The management system for multicast broadcast services according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the MBS server further comprises: means for receiving a request for transmitting control information of the MBS.

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the gateway or MBS proxy further comprises:

A module for caching MBS control information received from the MBS server.

13. A gateway, comprising:

A module for receiving control information of an MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode; a second control for transmitting control information of the received MBS by using an IP multicast mode or a tunnel mode Information transmission module.

The gateway according to claim 13, further comprising:

A module for caching MBS control information received.

A method for managing a multicast broadcast service, comprising:

The network side receives a multicast broadcast service MBS operation request message from the user equipment, and the message carries the identity verification information and the information code of the user equipment;

The network side searches for the corresponding MBS service identifier according to the correspondence between the information code and the saved information code and the MBS service identifier, and performs identity verification on the user equipment according to the identity verification information, and the user is authenticated. Whether the device has the right to perform the operation requested by the device for verification; the network side determines whether to allow the operation request of the user device according to the verification result.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 15, wherein the operation request message of the MBS comprises: a subscription request message of the MBS and/or an unsubscribe request message of the MBS.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 16, wherein, when the operation request message of the MBS is a subscription request message of an MBS, if the user equipment has the capability of subscribing to the MBS, The user device is authorized to perform the operation it requested.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 16, wherein, when the operation request message of the MBS is an unsubscribe request message of the MBS, if the network side authenticates the user By passing, the user device is authorized to perform the operation of its request.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the authentication and the verification of whether the user equipment is authorized to perform its requested operation are performed by the network Side authentication, authorization, and accounting are performed by the AAA server.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 19, wherein the network side includes an MBS server, and the AAA server notifies the MBS server of the verification result after performing the verification.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 20, wherein the MBS server allows the user if the identity verification of the user equipment passes and the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation requested by the user equipment. Operation request for the device.

22. The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 19, wherein The authentication includes:

The authentication information of the user equipment is pre-stored in the AAA server; the AAA server verifies whether the identity of the user equipment is legal by checking whether the authentication information matches the identity verification information stored in the AAA server.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the correspondence between the information code and the MBS service identifier is saved in the MBS server on the network side and/or In the AAA server.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to claim 23, wherein if the MBS server does not store the correspondence, the AAA server according to the information code in the message Corresponding relationship between the saved information code and the MBS service identifier, the corresponding MBS service identifier is found, and the MBS service identifier is notified to the MBS server.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 15 to 18, wherein the identity verification information includes an identifier and a password of the user equipment.

The method for managing a multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 15 to 18, further comprising: the network side returning a response of the MBS operation request message to the user equipment.

A management system for a multicast broadcast service, comprising a user equipment and a network side, wherein the network side comprises:

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to claim 27, wherein, when the operation request message of the MBS is a subscription request message of the MBS, if the user equipment is used to verify whether the user equipment is authorized The module performing the requested operation verifies that the user device has a subscription The ability of the MBS to have the user device have the right to perform the operation it requested.

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to claim 27, wherein, when the operation request message of the MBS is an unsubscribe request message of the MBS, if the verifying that the user equipment is The module that performs the operation of its request verifies that the identity passed, and the user device is authorized to perform the operation it requested.

The management system of the multicast broadcast service according to any one of claims 27 to 29, wherein the module for authenticating the user equipment according to the identity verification information in the message And a module for verifying whether the user equipment is authorized to perform the operation is located in an AAA server;

And the module for finding the corresponding MBS service identifier is located in the MBS server and/or the AAA server according to the information code in the message and the corresponding relationship between the saved information code and the MBS service identifier.