IETF Internet Draft H. Y. Lach
Expires: August 2002 J. Boot
C. Janneteau
A. Olivereau
A. Petrescu
Motorola
February 2002
Mobile Networks Scenarios, Scope and Requirements
<draft-lach-monet-requirements-00.txt>
Status of this Memo
This document is an Internet-Draft and is in full conformance with
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Abstract
This draft proposes scenarios, scope and requirements for mobile
networks, i.e. IP networks that change their points of attachment
to the Internet. The text is in support of chartering an IETF
Working Group whose purpose is to develop IP-level solutions for
the mobility of an IP-subnet.
Table of Contents
Status of this Memo................................................i
Abstract...........................................................i
Conventions used in this document..................................1
1. Introduction....................................................1
2. Definitions.....................................................1
3. Scenarios.......................................................1
4. Scope...........................................................2
5. Requirements....................................................3
References.........................................................4
Authors' Address...................................................4
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Conventions used in this document
The key words "MUST", "MUST NOT", "REQUIRED", "SHALL", "SHALL NOT",
"SHOULD", "SHOULD NOT", "RECOMMENDED", "MAY", and "OPTIONAL" in
this document are to be interpreted as described in RFC-2119 [1].
1. Introduction
Node mobility has been previously addressed in various IETF WGs.
However, the problems of IP-subnet mobility have not constituted
the focus of any WG, it has always been noticed as a side effect of
other protocols. With the rise of interests in vehicular networks
and personal area networks (PAN), which imply aggregated mobility
of nodes and devices therein, the overall IP connectivity framework
needs to be extended to provide support of mobile networks, in
addition of mobile nodes.
This draft starts with a description of mobile network scenarios,
followed by a recommendation of the scope for the development of
technical solutions, and ends with a recommendation of technical
requirements for the solutions.
2. Definitions
Definitions that pertain to mobile networks protocols are mainly
derived from Mobile IP [5] and Mobile IPv6 [4]. Mobile-network
terminology is defined in [2].
3. Scenarios
The formation of a mobile network can exist in various levels of
complexity. In the simplest case, a mobile network contains just a
mobile router and a host. In the most complicated case, a mobile
network is itself a multi-level aggregation of mobile networks with
collectively thousands of mobile routers and hosts.
The idea of the mobile router is taken for granted to refer to the
router in a mobile network that attaches the mobile network
dynamically to various parts of an IP infrastructure. Each mobile
node and router can have one or more IP interfaces.
Here are the scenarios of various instances of mobile networks:
- A cellphone with one cellular interface and one Bluetooth
interface together with a Bluetooth-enabled PDA constitute a
very simple instance of a mobile network. The cellphone is the
mobile router while the PDA is used for web browsing or runs a
personal web server.
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- A train's passengers use their laptops with Wireless LAN cards
to connect to Wireless LAN Access Points deployed in the train.
The mobile router is used to link together the Access Points
and to provide connectivity to the Internet. Similar scenario
can occur as well on a plane, on a ship, and any moving
vehicles.
- A car network links its electronic devices (such as brake or
injection electronics but also the onboard computer offering
maps on LCD's or the audio player) to the mobile router that is
connected to the Internet via a cellular network.
- Multi-level aggregation of mobile networks can be desirable.
For example, a person carrying a personal area network of a
cellphone and a PDA getting into a car, might wish to offer
Internet access to the car's electronic devices, or it might
want to use the car's own mobile router to connect his/her PDA
to the Internet (instead of the cellphone).
- More complex cases, but still real, arise when a larger number
of larger sets of equipments interact. One specific case is a
typical Fire Department deployment in action. A MESA [6]
firefighter would carry a personal area network (with a mobile
router and numerous IP-enabled devices). The firefighter's
mobile router has a wireless connection to a vehicle whose
mobile router is attached to a private public-safety backbone
via a wireless link (maybe satellite link). Being part of the
public-safety network, the firefighter can receive data such as
building plans, and send data such as photographs, thermal
images, lifesign information, etc.
4. Scope
A mobile network needs to provide its nodes access to an internet;
and logically it does so by means of its mobile router, which is
responsible for maintaining the mobile network's connectivity to
the IP infrastructure. Typically, when a mobile network is on the
move, its mobile router will need to change its point of attachment
to the IP infrastructure while moving into and out of different
network segments (typically radio cells) of the same or different
access networks.
A mobile network is assumed to be an IP-subnet, which MAY be
composed of a subtree of IP-subnets. Today, the size of a typical
mobile network ranges from several nodes in a car to hundreds in a
passenger train, a ship or a jetliner. Moreover, if embedded
IP-enabled devices are taken into account, this number is likely to
increase significantly in the near future.
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Since the nodes in a mobile network can behave as independent
mobile nodes with existing node-mobility supporting protocols
(i.e. Mobile IP), the scope of a mobile network necessitates that
network-mobility supporting protocols offer more efficient and
effective communication and mobility support for all the nodes
inside the mobile network (than the per-node pure Mobile IP).
The IPv6 environment is most likely to be more important than the
IPv4 environment for the support of mobile networks. Solutions
SHALL be developed for at least the IPv6 environment.
5. Requirements
When designing mobile networks solutions, the following overall
requirements MUST be taken into account:
- The solutions SHALL be developed at the IP level for extended
support of IP connectivity. They SHALL be transparent to upper
layer protocols.
- The overall basic addressing and routing architecture and
principle SHALL not be altered unless absolutely necessary.
The solutions SHOULD introduce only absolutely necessary and
minimal change of other existing protocols.
- The solutions SHALL be based on the minimum of existing node
mobility support, i.e. pure Mobile IP, in order to preserve the
maximum generality with respect to potential optimisation in
node and network mobility.
- The solutions SHALL have their security issues fully addressed.
Any new signalling between any pair of entities in the
solutions SHALL respect the need of authentication and
authorisation, taking into account [3].
- The solutions SHALL support a mobile network whose mobile
router is frequently topologically mobile with respect to the
IP infrastructure.
- The solutions SHALL enable the departure and return of its
local nodes and local IP-subnets.
- The solutions SHALL enable the visit and departure of foreign
nodes and foreign mobile networks.
- With respect to maintaining IP connectivity for the nodes in a
mobile network when its mobile router moves topologically in
the IP infrastructure, the performance of the solutions SHALL
not be worse than if the pure Mobile IP is used for individual
node-mobility support.
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- The solutions SHOULD allow for co-existence with the AAA and
access control frameworks (e.g. PANA) unless it is obvious that
extra mobile network-specific concerns need to be addresses in
these frameworks. Maximum transparency SHOULD be aimed.
- The solutions solution SHOULD allow for co-existence with the
QoS and multicast protocols unless it is obvious that extra
mobile network-specific concerns need to be addresses in these
frameworks.. Maximum transparency SHOULD be aimed.
References
[1] Bradner, S., "Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement
Levels", BCP 14, RFC 2119, March 1997.
[2] Ernst, T. and Lach, H. Y., "Network Mobility Support
Terminology", draft-ernst-monet-terminology-00.txt, IETF
Internet Draft, February 2002. (Work in Progress).
[3] Harkins, D., Mankin, A., Narten, T., Nikander, P., Nordmark, E.,
Patil, B. and Roberts, P., "Threat Models introduced by Mobile
IPv6 and Requirements for Security",
draft-ietf-mobileip-mipv6-scrty-reqts-02.txt, IETF Internet
Draft, November 2001. (Work in Progress).
[4] Johnson, D. B. and Perkins, C., "Mobility Support in IPv6",
IETF Internet Draft, draft-ietf-mobileip-ipv6-15.txt, July
2001. (Work in Progress).
[5] Perkins, C., ed., "IP Mobility Support for IPv4", RFC 3220,
January 2002.
[6] Project MESA, "Mobile Broadband for Emergency and Safety
Applications (MESA)", http://www.projectmesa.org, accessed
February 2002.
Authors' Addresses
Christophe Janneteau Alexis Olivereau
Motorola Labs Motorola Labs
Espace Tech de St Aubin Espace Tech de St Aubin
Gif-sur-Yvette 91193 Gif-sur-Yvette 91193
France France
Phone: +33 1 69352548 Phone: +33 1 69352516
Email: jannetea@crm.mot.com Email: oliverea@crm.mot.com
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Hong-Yon Lach Alexandru Petrescu
Motorola Labs Motorola Labs
Espace Tech de St Aubin Espace Tech de St Aubin
Gif-sur-Yvette 91193 Gif-sur-Yvette 91193
France France
Phone: +33 1 69352536 Phone: +33 1 69354827
Email: lach@crm.mot.com Email: petrescu@crm.mot.com
John Boot
Motorola Labs
1303 E. Algonquin Road
Schaumburg, IL 60196
U.S.A
Phone: +1 (847) 5389904
Email: johnboot@motorola.com
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