Method and system for providing virtual private network services through a mobile IP home agent

A home agent comprising:

• logic encoded in media operable to:
• receive a registration request from a foreign agent and negotiate conditions of attachment of a mobile node to the foreign agent and further operable to store an IP address of the foreign agent in response to the negotiated conditions;
• determine a virtual private network membership of the mobile node based on a characteristic associated with the mobile node;
• map the mobile node to an identifier associated with the home agent and transmit the mapping to the foreign agent, the identifier indicative of the virtual private network membership of the mobile node;
• and receive packets containing the identifier from the foreign agent and in response direct the packets to an IP address associated with the virtual private network.

A Mobile IP network comprising:

• a mobile node;
• a foreign agent;
• and
• a home agent operable to:
• receive a registration request from the foreign agent and negotiate conditions of attachment of the mobile node to the foreign agent and further operable to store an IP address of the foreign agent in response to the negotiated conditions;
• determine a virtual private network membership of the mobile node based on a characteristic associated with the mobile node;
• map the mobile node to an identifier associated with the home agent and transmit the mapping to the foreign agent, the identifier indicative of the virtual private network membership of the mobile node;
• and
• receive packets containing the identifier from the foreign agent and in response direct the packets to an IP address associated with the virtual private network.

A method for providing a virtual network by a home agent in a Mobile IP environment comprising:

• establishing communication between a mobile subscriber and a foreign agent;
• providing a home agent operable to receive a registration request from the foreign agent and negotiate conditions of attachment of the mobile subscriber to the foreign agent and further operable to store an IP address of the foreign agent in response to the negotiated conditions;
• receiving at the home agent, from the foreign agent, a registration request for the mobile subscriber;
• determining, by the home agent, a virtual private network membership of the mobile subscriber based on a characteristic associated with the mobile subscriber;
• mapping the mobile subscriber to an identifier associated with the home agent and transmitting the mapping to the foreign agent, the identifier indicative of the virtual private network membership of the mobile subscriber;
• transmitting, to the foreign agent, packets from the mobile subscriber directed to the home agent;
• forwarding, by the foreign agent, the transmitted packets to the home agent;
• and
• identifying, by the home agent, the identifier in the received packets, and in response, directing the received packets to an IP address associated with the virtual private network.

A home agent for use in providing a virtual private network comprising:

• structure operable to receive a registration request from a foreign agent and negotiate conditions of attachment of a mobile node to the foreign agent and further operable to store an IP address of the foreign agent in response to the negotiated conditions;
• means for determining a virtual private network membership of the mobile node based on a characteristic associated with the mobile node;
• means for mapping the mobile node to an identifier associated with the home agent in transmitting the mapping to the foreign agent, the identifier indicative of the virtual private membership of the mobile node;
• and
• means for receiving packets containing the identifier from the foreign agent and in response directing the packets to an IP address associated with the virtual private network.