Arrangement and method for delayed re-allocation of addresses
AssigneeTelefonaktiebolaget L M Ericsson (publ)
InventorNicholas Grandmaitre
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an arrangement, in a communications network, for allocating addresses to users or clients connecting to the network. It comprises at least one address holding means holding a plurality of addresses and allocating control means for, from said address holding means, allocating addresses to the users or clients, and for detecting when an address is released or when a user or a client allocated an address disconnects. It further comprises, for each pool of addresses, delay means for allowing control of the minimum time period to lapse before an address having been allocated to a user is reused, i.e. again allocated to a user, such that a minimum time period before reuse of each address can be guaranteed.
Claims19
An arrangement, in a communications network, for allocating addresses to users or clients connecting to the network, comprising:
- an address holding means for holding a plurality of addresses in a plurality of different states, wherein the plurality of different states comprises a first state that holds addresses available for allocation, a second state that holds addresses currently allocated, a third state that holds addresses released but not yet available for allocation, and a fourth state holds addresses in a waiting state;
- and
- delay means for transferring, at a first expiry of a timer, addresses held in the third state to the fourth state and, at a second expiry of the timer, addresses held in the fourth state to the first state, whereby addresses are held in the fourth state for at least the duration of the timer.
A node in a mobile communications system associated with an arrangement for allocating addresses to users/subscribers connecting to the network, comprising:
- an address holding means for holding a plurality of addresses in a plurality of different states, wherein the plurality of different states comprises a first state that holds addresses available for allocation, a second state that holds addresses currently allocated, a third state that holds addresses released but not yet available for allocation, and a fourth state holds addresses in a waiting state;
- delay means for transferring, at a first expiry of a timer, addresses held in the third state to the fourth state and, at a second expiry of the timer, addresses held in the fourth state to the first state, whereby addresses are held in the fourth state for at least the duration of the timer.
A method for, in a communications network, providing allocation of addresses to users/clients comprising the steps of:
- providing a plurality of addresses in address holding means associated with a node or a server in the network;
- keeping the addresses in four different states depending on use status of the respective addresses;
- transferring all addresses kept in a third state in which the addresses are released upon first expiry of a timer to a fourth, waiting, state, and
- transferring all the addresses in the fourth waiting state upon second expiry of the timer to a first, available, state in which the addresses are available for allocation to users, whereby addresses are held in the fourth state for at least the duration of the timer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.