EFFICIENT DYNAMIC HOME AGENT DISCOVERY ALGORITHM AND SYSTEM

摘要

The present invention is an efficient and improveddynamic home agent discovery algorithm and system to be usedin a protocol for Internet or network communications. Thepresent efficient and improved dynamic home agent discoveryalgorithm and system for a protocol more efficiently usesthe wireless access, communications resources, and thenetwork resources. If a failure or error occurs at a homeagent, the efficient and improved dynamic home agentdiscovery algorithm and system provide recovery or backuphome agent services to the mobile node(s) associated orcoupled to the failed home agent. The efficient dynamichome agent discovery algorithm and system encapsulate andintegrate communications of the home agents into a singlehome agent communication. Communication between the mobilenode and the home agents is simplified to a single homeagent communication. Dynamic home agent discovery processesare performed based on the single home agent communication.Encapsulation is achieved by having each of the home agentsmaintain a home agent list that contains information abouteach of the home agents coupled to the home link. Heartbeat messages are used to communicate the informationbetween each of the home agents. A designated home agentfor the home agents receives and processes a single homeagent discovery request from the mobile node, and adesignated home agent for the home agents sends home agentadvertisement and communicates and processes a single homeagent discovery request to the mobile node.