Method of Distributing Security Key Context, Mobility Management Entity, and Base Station

Abstract

A method of distributing a security key context, where the method includes receiving, by a mobility management entity, a first indication from a primary base station, where the first indication is used for requesting a path switch from the mobility management entity and indicating that the path switch is triggered by carrier aggregation between base stations, processing the path switch according to the first indication, keeping, according to the first indication, the security key context for the path switch unchanged, and sending a second indication to the primary base station to indicate the primary base station to keep the security key context unchanged, or sending a third indication to the primary base station to indicate the primary base station to acquire a quantity of times of reversal of a next hop chaining counter in the security key context.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a receiver configured to receive a first message from a primary base station, the first message comprising downlink general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP) information; and   a transmitter coupled to the receiver and configured to send a second message to the primary base station indicating the primary base station to keep a security key context unchanged, the second message avoiding carrying the security key context.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the downlink GTP information comprises a tunneling endpoint identifier (TEID) of a downlink GTP tunnel. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the transmitter is further configured to send a message to a serving gateway (SGW), and the message comprising the GTP information. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the GTP information is used for handing over a beaer between the primary base station and a secondary base station. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is a mobility management entity (MME). 
     
     
         6 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a transmitter configured to send a first message to a core network device, the first message comprising downlink general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP) information;   a receiver coupled to the transmitter and configured to receive a second message from the core network device; and   a processor coupled to the transmitter and the receiver and configured to keep a security key context unchanged, the second message avoiding carrying the security key context.   
     
     
         7 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to hand over a bearer to a secondary base station. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the downlink GTP information comprises a tunneling endpoint identifier (TEID) of a downlink GTP tunnel. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the processor is further configured to confirm a terminal to complete radio resource control (RRC) configuration with a secondary base station. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus of  claim 6 , wherein the core network device is a mobility management entity (MME). 
     
     
         11 . A method, comprising:
 receiving, by a core network device, a first message from a primary base station, the first message comprising downlink general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP) information; and   sending, by the core network device, a second message to the primary base station indicating the primary base station to keep a security key context unchanged, the second message avoiding carrying the security key context.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the downlink GTP information comprises a tunneling endpoint identifier (TEID) of a downlink GTP tunnel. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising sending, by the core network device, a message to a serving gateway (SGW), and the message comprising the GTP information. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the GTP information is used for handing over a beaer between the primary base station and a secondary base station. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the core network device is a mobility management entity (MME). 
     
     
         16 . A method, comprising:
 sending, by a primary base station, a first message to a core network device, the first message comprising downlink general packet radio service tunneling protocol (GTP) information;   receiving, by the primary base station, a second message from the core network device; and   keeping, by the primary base station, a security key context unchanged, the second message avoiding carrying the security key context.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising handing over, by the primary base station, a bearer to a secondary base station. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the downlink GTP information comprises a tunneling endpoint identifier (TEID) of a downlink GTP tunnel. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 16 , further comprising confirming, by the primary base station, a terminal to complete radio resource control (RRC) configuration with a secondary base station. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the core network device is a mobility management entity (MME).