WO2008078957A1

WO2008078957A1 - Apparatus and method for packet classification in mobile communication system

Info

Publication number: WO2008078957A1
Application number: PCT/KR2007/006824
Authority: WO
Inventors: Han-Kyung Lee
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Priority date: 2006-12-26
Filing date: 2007-12-26
Publication date: 2008-07-03
Also published as: KR20080059750A; KR101020048B1

Abstract

An apparatus and method for packet classification in a mobile communication system are provided. The method includes, upon receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) packet, evaluating an IP version and service type of the packet; classifying an IP version 4 (IPv4) packet and an IP version 6 (IPv6) packet which provide the same service into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet; and transmitting the packet by using the classified connection. Accordingly, an IPv4/IPv6 dual stack terminal can receive an IPv4/IPv6 service by using one air resource. Therefore, limited air resources can be effectively used, and system capacity can eventually increase.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PACKET CLASSIFICATION IN MOBILE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Technical Field

[1] The present invention relates to a mobile communication system. More particularly, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for effectively classifying a packet for an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)/Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) dual stack terminal. Background Art

[2] In a wireless communication system, when a terminal receives an Internet Protocol

(IP) packet from an upper application layer, or when a Base Station (BS) receives an IP packet from a core network, the terminal or the BS performs a packet classification function. The packet classification function is performed to determine a connection for transmitting the received packet among a plurality of possible connections. The terminal or the BS can transmit the IP packet by using the determined connection. If an IP layer protocol used by a user is an IP version 4 (IPv4), an IPv4 connection must be established, and if it is an IP version 6 (IPv6), an IPv6 connection must be established. That is, the IPv4 and the IPv6 occupy separate air resources.

[3] For example, in FIG. 1, a first IPv4 packet 101, a first IPv6 packet 103, a second

IPv4 packet 105, and a second IPv6 packet 107 are received through a core network. With respect to the received packets, a BS performs a packet classification function using a packet classification rule set 109. Thus, as a connection for transmitting each packet, a first IPv4 connection 111 is determined for the first IPv4 packet 101, a first IPv6 connection 113 is determined for the first IPv6 packet 103, a second IPv4 connection 115 is determined for the second IPv4 packet 105, and a second IPv6 connection 117 is determined for the second IPv6 packet 107.

[4] According to a Convergence Sublayer (CS) specification value transmitted by using a Dynamic Service Addition REQuest (DSA-REQ) message, the terminal (or system) reads a packet classification rule (i.e., CS specification) from the DSA-REQ message, stores the packet classification rule, and performs the packet classification function by using the packet classification rule. Conventionally, the CS specification value is defined distinctively in the IPv4 and the IPv6 as shown in Table 1 below. Therefore, the terminal (or system) cannot support the two types of IP packets (i.e., IPv4 and IPv6 packets) through one connection when the IPv4 and IPv6 CS specifications are read from one DSA-REQ message.

[5] Table 1

[6] In this case, in order for the conventional IPv4/IPv6 dual stack terminal to use IPv4 and IPv6 services, for example, in order for a user to access to both an IPv4 homepage and an IPv6 homepage to use services, separate air resources are required. That is, a packet is processed by using each of the IPv4 and IPv6 connections, which leads to waste of air resources.

Disclosure of Invention Technical Solution

[7] An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for packet classification in a mobile communication system.

[8] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for effectively classifying a packet for an Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)/Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) dual stack terminal in a mobile communication system.

[9] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for effectively classifying a packet so that an IPv4/IPv6 dual stack terminal can receive an IPv4/IPv6 service by sharing one air resource in a mobile communication system.

[10] According to an aspect of the present invention, a method of classifying a packet in a mobile communication system is provided. The method includes, upon receiving an IP packet, evaluating an IP version and service type of the packet; classifying an IPv4 packet and an IPv6 packet which provide the same service into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet; and transmitting the packet by using the classified connection.

[11] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of storing a

Convergence Sub-layer (CS) rule, performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system, is provided. The method includes, upon receiving a Dynamic Service Addition REQuest (DSA-REQ) message for connection establishment from a Base Station (BS), reading a CS specification value contained in the message; and if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting one or more IP versions, parsing a CS rule of the one or more IP versions contained in the message.

[12] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for classifying a packet in a mobile communication system is provided. The apparatus includes means for, upon receiving an IP packet, evaluating an IP version and service type of the packet; means for classifying an IPv4 packet and an IPv6 packet which provide the same service into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet; and means for transmitting the packet by using the classified connection.

[13] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for storing a CS rule, performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system, is provided. The apparatus includes means for, upon receiving a DSA-REQ message for connection establishment from a BS, reading a CS specification value contained in the message; and means for, if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting one or more IP versions, parsing a CS rule of the one or more IP versions contained in the message. Brief Description of the Drawings

[14] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

[15] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional packet classification method of a mobile communication system;

[16] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a packet classification method of a mobile communication system according to the present invention;

[17] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a packet classification method performed by a

Base Station (BS) in a mobile communication system according to the present invention; and

[18] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a Convergence Sublayer (CS) rule storing method performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[19] Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

[20] Hereinafter, an apparatus and method for packet classification in a mobile com munication system of the present invention will be described.

[21] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a packet classification method of a mobile communication system according to the present invention.

[22] Referring to FIG. 2, a first Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4) packet 201, a first

Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) packet 203, a second IPv4 packet 205, and a second IPv6 packet 207 are received through a core network. With respect to the received packets, a Base Station (BS) performs a packet classification function using a packet classification rule set 209. Thus, as a connection for transmitting each packet, a first IPv4/IPv6 connection 211 is determined for the first IPv4 packet 201 and the first IPv6 packet 203, and a second IPv4/IPv6 connection 213 is determined for the second IPv4 packet 205 and the second IPv6 packet 207. That is, determination is made such that the IPv4 and IPv6 packets providing the same service share the same connection.

[23] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a packet classification method performed by a BS in a mobile communication system according to the present invention.

[24] Referring to FIG. 3, the BS receives IP packets to be transmitted to one or more terminals from a core network in step 301. With respect to the received packets, the BS detects an IPv4 packet and an IPv6 packet providing the same service in step 303. If the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet providing the same service are detected, the corresponding IP packet is classified into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet in step 305. Then, in step 309, the remaining unclassified IP packets are classified into a connection for supporting a corresponding version of IP packet. On the other hand, if the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet providing the same service are not detected, all packets are classified into a connection for supporting a corresponding versions of IP packet in step 307. Then, the process of FIG. 3 ends.

[25] For each IP packet, the BS classifies an IP packet into an IPv4 packet or an IPv6 packet by using a version field of a header of the IP packet, and then determines a connection for transmitting the classified packet according to a service type by using a field that follows the version field. That is, the BS maps the IP packet to a connection predetermined in a call establishment process with respect to the terminal. [26] When the terminal attempts to connect to a network, the BS performs a ranging, basic capability negotiation, authentication, and registration process (i.e., call establishment process) with respect to the terminal, and then transmits a Dynamic Service Addition REQuest (DSA-REQ) message for connection establishment to the terminal. The DSA-REQ message includes connection information (e.g., a Service Flow IDentification (SFID), a Connection ID (CID), a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter, etc.), a Convergence Sublayer (CS) specification value indicating whether a connection supports either one or both of IPv4/IPv6 packets, and a CS rule of a corresponding IP version. In the CS rule, the IP version is related to an IP masked source address and an IP masked destination address.

[27] The CS specification of the present invention is defined as shown in Table 2 below. [28] Table 2

[29] In Table 2, IP denotes IPv4&IPv6. In the CS specification of the present invention, as shown in Table 2, '14: Packet, IP^b| is appended to the CS specification value of the DSA-REQ message. This indicates that a connection can process both IPv4 and IPv6 packets irrespective of IP version or header compression. In order to support both the IPv4 and IP6 versions by using one connection, the CS rule contained in the DSA- REQ message includes both the IPv4 CS rule and the IPv6 CS rule. [30] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a CS rule storing method performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system according to the present invention. The terminal is capable of using both IPv4 and IPv6 services by using an IPv4/IPv6 dual stack.

[31] Referring to FIG. 4, the terminal attempts to connect to a network, and then performs a ranging, basic capability negotiation, authentication, and registration process with respect to a BS. Then, in step 401, the terminal receives a DSA-REQ message for connection establishment from the BS. In step 403, the terminal stores connection information (e.g., a Service Flow IDentification (SFID), a Connection ID (CID), a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter, etc.) contained in the message.

[32] In step 405, the terminal evaluates a CS specification value contained in the message, and thus determines if the value indicates a connection for supporting only IPv4 (e.g., the CS specification value is 1), a connection for supporting only IPv6 (e.g., the CS specification value is 2), or a connection for supporting both IPv4 and IPv6 (e.g., the CS specification value is 14).

[33] If the CS specification value contained in the message indicates that the connection supports only IPv4 in step 405, the terminal parses an IPv4 CS rule contained in the message in step 407, and then stores the parsed IPv4 CS rule in an IPv4 CS pool in step 409. If the CS specification value contained in the message indicates that the connection supports only IPv6 in step 405, the terminal parses an IPv6 CS rule contained in the message in step 411, and then stores the parsed IPv6 CS rule in an IPv6 CS pool in step 413. If the CS specification value contained in the message indicates that the connection supports both IPv4 and IPv6, in step 405 the terminal parses the IPv4 CS rule and the IPv6 CS rule contained in the message in step 415, and then stores the parsed IPv4 CS rule and the IPv6 CS rule respectively in the IPv4 CS pool and the IPv6 CS pool in step 417. Therefore, both uplink and downlink connections are established, and an IP is allocated to the terminal. As such, according to the present invention, two types of IP packets (i.e., IPv4 and IPv6 packets) can be processed through one connection by transmitting both the IPv4 and IPv6 CS rules contained in one DSA-REQ message. That is, both the IPv4 and IPv6 services can be supported by sharing one air resource.

[34] According to the aforementioned process, the terminal can access the Internet.

When the terminal accesses the Internet by using a specific program, an IPv4 packet or an IPv6 packet are generated. In this case, the terminal processes the generated packet by using the following operation. First, when a user intends to use an application program (e.g., Internet Explorer), an IP packet is delivered to a Media Access Control (MAC) layer of the terminal, and then the MAC layer checks for a version field of the received IP packet. If the version field is a predetermined value (e.g., 4), the MAC layer performs a classification function by using information on the IPv4 CS rule stored in the pool. If the version field is another predetermined value (e.g., 6), the MAC layer performs the classification function by using information on the IPv6 CS rule stored in the pool. That is, a connection for transmitting a packet is determined according to a corresponding CS rule.

[35] Thereafter, the procedure of FIG. 4 ends.

[36] According to the present invention, a method for effectively classifying a packet is provided so that an IPv4/IPv6 dual stack terminal can receive an IPv4/IPv6 service by sharing one air resource. Therefore, when the terminal uses both the IPv4 and the IPv6, one connection is used to process IPv4 and IPv6 traffics, resulting in effective use of limited air resources. In addition, since a large number of terminals can be accommodated by using the same number of connections in comparison with the conventional case, system capacity can eventually increase.

[37] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the appended claims and their equivalents, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

Claims

[1] A method of classifying a packet in a mobile communication system, the method comprising: upon receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) packet, evaluating an IP version and service type of the packet; classifying an IP version 4 (IPv4) packet and an IP version 6 (IPv6) packet which provide the same service into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet; and transmitting the packet by using the classified connection.

[2] The method of claim 1, further comprising classifying an unclassified IPv4 packet and an unclassified IPv6 packet into a connection for supporting a corresponding version of IP packet.

[3] The method claim 1, wherein the IP version of the packet is evaluated by using a version field of a header of the packet.

[4] The method of claim 1, wherein the service type of the packet is evaluated by using a field that follows the version field.

[5] The method of claim 1, wherein the connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet is a connection that can process both the IPv4/IPv6 packets irrespective of the IP version or header compression.

[6] A method of storing a Convergence Sublayer (CS) rule, performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system, the method comprising: upon receiving a Dynamic Service Addition REQuest (DSA-REQ) message for connection establishment from a Base Station (BS), reading a CS specification value contained in the message; and if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting one or more IP versions, parsing a CS rule of the one or more IP versions contained in the message.

[7] The method of claim 6, further comprising storing the parsed CS rule in a CS pool of a corresponding IP version.

[8] The method of claim 6, further comprising, if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting only one IP version, parsing a CS rule of the IP version contained in the message.

[9] The method of claim 6, wherein the DSA-REQ message comprises at least one of connection information (e.g., a Service Flow IDentification (SFID), a Connection ID (CID), a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter, etc.), the CS specification value indicating whether a connection supports either one or both of IPv4/IPv6 packets, and the CS rule of a corresponding IP version.

[10] The method of claim 6, wherein the connection for supporting one or more IP versions, indicated by the CS specification value, can process both the IPv4 and IPv6 packets irrespective of the IP version or header compression.

[11] An apparatus for classifying a packet in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising: means for, upon receiving an Internet Protocol (IP) packet, evaluating an IP version and service type of the packet; means for classifying an IP version 4 (IPv4) packet and an IP version 6 (IPv6) packet which provide the same service into a connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet; and means for transmitting the packet by using the classified connection.

[12] The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising means for classifying an unclassified IPv4 packet and an unclassified IPv6 packet into a connection for supporting a corresponding version of IP packet.

[13] The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the IP version of the packet is evaluated by using a version field of a header of the packet.

[14] The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the service type of the packet is evaluated by using a field that follows the version field.

[15] The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the connection for supporting both the IPv4 packet and the IPv6 packet can process both the IPv4 and IPv6 packets irrespective of the IP version or header compression.

[16] An apparatus for storing a Convergence Sublayer (CS) rule, performed by a terminal in a mobile communication system, the apparatus comprising: means for, upon receiving a Dynamic Service Addition REQuest (DSA-REQ) message for connection establishment from a Base Station (BS), reading a CS specification value contained in the message; and means for, if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting one or more IP versions, parsing a CS rule of the one or more IP versions contained in the message.

[17] The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for storing the parsed CS rule in a CS pool of a corresponding IP version.

[18] The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising means for, if the CS specification value indicates a connection for supporting only one IP version, parsing a CS rule of the IP version contained in the message.

[19] The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the DSA-REQ message comprises at least one of connection information (e.g., a Service Flow IDentification (SFID), a Connection ID (CID), a Quality of Service (QoS) parameter, etc.), the CS specification value indicating whether a connection supports either one or both of IPv4/IPv6 packets, and the CS rule of a corresponding IP version.

[20] The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the connection for supporting one or more IP versions, indicated by the CS specification value, can process both the IPv4 and IPv6 packets irrespective of the IP version or header compression.