Access context management for macro-level mobility management registration in an access network

Abstract

In an access network which supports a mobile IP protocol, a packet data protocol context is opened at support node and a gateway node in order to establish a connection between a mobile node and a mobile IP foreign agent located at the gateway node. A mobile IP registration over the connection is initiated. The gateway node monitors whether the registration is successful or fails. The PDP context is deleted, if the registration irrecoverably fails. If the registration was unsuccessful but a retry could be successful, the PDP context may not deleted, but the registration is retried.

1 . A gateway node, configured to
 monitor a macro mobility registration in an access system which comprises a plurality of mobile nodes, access nodes and a first mobility entity which is associated with said first gateway node and arranged to provide macro mobility management services to the mobile nodes, each mobile node being able to perform a macro mobility registration to the first mobility entity over a respective dedicated access network connection established by opening an access network protocol context at a first access node and the first gateway node,   determine in response to detecting a failure in said macro mobility registration whether it is possible to retry the macro mobility registration or whether the registration has irrecoverably failed, and   trigger a deletion of any access network protocol context which is no longer necessary on the basis of the result of the registration.   
   
   
       2 . A gateway node as claimed in  claim 1 , comprising said gateway node being integrated into the same physical node with said access node. 
   
   
       3 . A gateway node, configured to
 monitor the macro mobility registration in an access system which comprises a plurality of mobile nodes, access nodes and a first mobility entity which is associated with said gateway node and arranged to provide macro mobility management services to the mobile nodes, each mobile node being able to perform a macro mobility registration to the first mobility entity over a respective dedicated access network connection established by opening an access network protocol context at a first access node and the gateway node, and   send a context deletion message to the first access node to trigger a deletion of any access network protocol context which is no longer necessary, when the macro mobility registration irrecoverably fails.   
   
   
       4 . A gateway node as claimed in  claim 2 , comprising said gateway node being integrated into the same physical node with said access node.