Cell Relay Archive

[rajeev@trillium.com (Rajeev Gupta)]

> From: albert.e.manfredi@boeing.com
> 
> If each mobile station has a globally-unique MAC-like address (i.e. flat
> space), then in principle, whenever such a station comes on line, it can
> retrieve its temporary prefix (autoconfiguration) from the nearest available
> WATM switch.

This would be equivalent to the temporary routing address to reach the
mobile terminal at its current location.

> As one moves about, the prefix assigned to your MAC-like address changes. So
> the trick is to have a sort of DNS-like network that keeps track, in real
> time, of the mapping between all of these MAC-like unique addresses and their
> temporary prefix.

The DNS-like network can be as simple as a single home location server
for that mobile terminal and the current visited switch where the mobile
is. The HLR keeps a mapping of the mobile's permanent address and it
current temporary address (among other things).

> I kind of won't be satisified until something like this shows up. Of course,
> the DNS-like network of servers will have to have an entry for every single
> solitary mobile unit on earth, but perhaps we're not too far away from making
> that feasible?

It is unlikely that there will be single network that will have to keep
track of all mobile terminals. Usually, mobile terminals are associated
with a home network (much like cellular networks).The home location
registers in the home network keep track of the mobiles that belong
to that network. All other networks/switches route calls for the
mobile terminal towards the home network, just as they would any
normal call. Note that the routing of the initial call is based on
the mobile's directory number (not a name that needs to be resolved
using DNS-like mechanisms). The home network, that recognizes the
mobile's directory number, can then translate that into *another*
routable (temporary) address to complete the call.

______________________________________________________________________
Rajeev Gupta                            Trillium Digital Systems, Inc.
mailto:rajeev@trillium.com                     http://www.trillium.com