Multi-network seamless roaming mobile router with auto-discovery and migration of downstream devices on the mobile network

摘要

A mobile router offers seamless roaming services to one or more locally connected mobile hosts over one or more simultaneously connected networks. The mobile router, as well as its local area network, roams across different subnets on similar networks, across networks that are dissimilar, or across a simultaneous combination of both. Simultaneous support is provided for mobile hosts configured for static IP addressing and mobile hosts configured for dynamic IP addressing. Seamless support is provided for mobile hosts that dynamically migrate from one mobile router to another mobile router, while avoiding the need for configuration settings on the mobile router that are associated with individual mobile hosts and avoiding the need for mobility support software on the mobile hosts themselves.

主权项

1. A method for discovering a mobile host that roams across wireless networks, each wireless network comprising a mobile router and the mobile routers being coupled to a gateway, the method comprising:
receiving over one of the wireless networks a packet from the mobile host, the packet including a source address and a destination address; determining whether the source address resides within a subnet of hosts manageable by the mobile router of the one wireless network; determining whether the destination address resolves to be within a remote subnet reachable by the gateway; when both the source address resides within the subnet of hosts manageable by the mobile router of the one wireless network, and the destination address resolves to be within a remote subnet reachable by the gateway, determining whether the source address is within a table of registered mobile hosts; and when both the source address resides within the subnet of hosts manageable by the mobile router of the one wireless network and the destination address resolves to be within a remote subnet reachable by the gateway, and the source address is not within the table of registered mobile hosts, adding the source address to the table of registered mobile hosts.