IP Flow Mobility in PMIPv6 Based Networks: Solution Design and Experimental Evaluation Articles uri icon

publication date

  • December 2011

start page

  • 603

end page

  • 627

issue

  • 4

volume

  • 61

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0929-6212

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1572-834X

abstract

  • The ability of offloading selected IP data traffic from 3G to WLAN access networks is considered a key feature in the upcoming 3GPP specifications, being the main goal to alleviate data congestion in cellular networks while delivering a positive user experience. Lately, the 3GPP has adopted solutions that enable mobility of IP-based wireless devices relocating mobility functions from the terminal to the network. To this end, the IETF has standardized Proxy Mobile IPv6 (PMIPv6), a protocol capable to hide often complex mobility procedures from the mobile devices. This paper, in line with the mentioned offload requirement, further extends PMIPv6 to support dynamic IP flow mobility management across access wireless networks according to operator policies. Considering energy consumption as a critical aspect for hand-held devices and smart-phones, we assess the feasibility of the proposed solution and provide an experimental analysis showing the cost (in terms of energy consumption) of simultaneous packet transmission/reception using multiple network interfaces. The end-to-end system design has been implemented and validated by means of an experimental network setup.

keywords

  • proxy mobile ipv6; flow mobility; experimental evaluation