System and method for exchanging information in a mobile wireless network environment

One or more non-transitory tangible media that includes code for execution and when executed by a processor operable to perform operations comprising:

• communicating a message from a network element to a remote data plane element in order to request a data plane resource for hosting a session for a particular subscriber, wherein the remote data plane element is designated to host a data plane function for a particular mobile network subscriber and wherein the data plane resource comprises at least one of memory space and processor allocation;
• receiving a response at the network element acknowledging the message, wherein data plane traffic is managed at the remote data plane element based on enforcement rules, and wherein the enforcement rules are provisioned in a table element at the remote data plane element, and wherein the table element reflects a portion of a master table element included in the network element;
• and
• communicating subsequent messages to the remote data plane element in order to terminate the session in response to a termination event;
• wherein the network element comprises a control plane element for performing control plane functions for the session, including parsing a session create message, interacting with an external policy server, abstracting elements pertinent to the data plane, and controlling which portion of the master table is to be provisioned in the remote data plane element table element;
• wherein the remote data plane element comprises a general purpose router for performing data plane functions for the session;
• wherein the table element at the remote data plane element includes only enough information for the particular subscriber for mapping flows that are current for the remote data plane element;
• wherein the control plane element is divided into a first segment and a second segment in order to utilize resources within a chassis in which the remote data plane element resides;
• and
• wherein the operations further comprise:
• discovering nodes capable of supporting the control plane functions;
• discovering nodes capable of supporting the data plane functions for the session;
• and
• performing a system-specific internal configuration to support separation of the data plane functions and the control plane functions.

An apparatus, comprising:

• a memory element configured to store data;
• a mobility module;
• and
• a processor operable to execute instructions associated with the data, a network sensor configured to interface with the memory element and the processor,
• wherein the apparatus is configured to:
• communicate a message from a network element to a remote data plane element in order to request a data plane resource for hosting a session for a particular subscriber, wherein the remote data plane element is designated to host a data plane function for a particular mobile network subscriber and wherein the data plane resource comprises at least one of memory space and processor allocation;
• receive a response at the network element acknowledging the message, wherein data plane traffic is managed at the remote data plane element based on enforcement rules, and wherein the enforcement rules are provisioned in a table element at the remote data plane element, and wherein the table element reflects a portion of a master table element included in the network element;
• and
• communicate subsequent messages to the remote data plane element in order to terminate the session in response to a termination event;
• wherein the network element comprises a control plane element for performing control plane functions for the session, including parsing a session create message, interacting with an external policy server, abstracting elements pertinent to the data plane, and controlling which portion of the master table is to be provisioned in the remote data plane element table element;
• wherein the remote data plane element comprises a general purpose router for performing data plane functions for the session;
• and
• wherein the table element at the remote data plane element includes only enough information for the particular subscriber for mapping flows that are current for the remote data plane element;
• wherein the control plane element is divided into a first segment and a second segment in order to utilize resources within a chassis in which the remote data plane element resides;
• and
• wherein the apparatus is further configured to:
• discover nodes capable of supporting the control plane functions;
• discover nodes capable of supporting the data plane functions for the session;
• and perform a system-specific internal configuration to support separation of the data plane functions and the control plane functions.