Table Of Contents
About Home Agent Service Manager
Communicating With Mobile Nodes
Key Features in Home Agent Service Manager
Prerequisites to Using the Home Agent Service Manager
About Home Agent Service Manager
Cisco Systems offers mobile operators a seamless roaming solution based on the Cisco Mobile Wireless Home Agent (HA) part of the Cisco Mobile Exchange framework. The Home Agent Service Manager (HA SM) facilitates service activation or de-activation in Cisco Home Agent devices in Cisco Mobile Exchange networks. The HA SM also helps you troubleshoot and debug, connectivity, and performance issues.
The main components of the HA SM are:
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Inventory—See "Using Inventory"
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This section provides information on the following:
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About Home Agent
In Mobile Internet Protocol (Mobile IP), a mobility agent is a router that facilitates Internet traffic forwarding for a mobile node (MN) when it changes its point of attachment from one network or subnet to another. The two types of mobility agents are: a Home Agent and a Foreign Agent.
The Home Agent (HA) is a router on the home network of the MN that maintains information about the current location of the MN, as identified in its care-of address (CoA). The CoA is a temporary IP address of the MN on a foreign or visited network. The HA redirects packets by tunneling them to the MN at its current location.
The Foreign Agent (FA) is a router on a foreign network that assists the MN in informing its HA of its current care-of address. The FA detunnels and delivers packets to the MN that the HA tunnels. The FA also acts as the default router for packets for packets that the MN generates while it is connected to the foreign network.
The HA, in conjunction with the Packet Data Servicing Node (PDSN) and FA, allows a mobile station with Mobile IP client function, to access the Internet or corporate intranet by using Mobile IP-based service access. Mobile IP extends user mobility beyond the coverage area of the current PDSN or FA. Figure 1-1 shows a Home Agent in a Mobile IP network.
Figure 1-1 Home Agent in a Mobile IP Network
Home Agent identifies a host device by a single IP address; even if the device moves its physical point of attachment from one network to another. As a result, subscribers with mobile devices can roam to another network without restarting applications, or terminating and re-establishing a connection.
The Home Agent, then, is the anchor point for mobile nodes for which Mobile IP or Proxy MobileIP services are provided. Traffic is routed through the Home Agent, and it also provides Proxy Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) services. In the case of reverse tunneling, traffic from the MN is also routed through the Home Agent. Data packets addressed to the MN are routed to its home network, where the Home Agent now intercepts and tunnels them to the CoA of the mobile node.
The Cisco Mobile Wireless Home Agent is deployed at the mobile operator's data center. The Home Agent resides on the Cisco 7206VXR or the Cisco Catalyst Series Multiprocessor WAN Application Module (MWAM), which is used in the Cisco Catalyst 6500 Series and the Cisco 7600 Series platforms. The Home Agent routes all traffic that is sent to the subscriber's terminal, regardless of the network where the traffic originates. Likewise, the Home Agent also routes traffic from the subscriber s terminal, regardless of its ultimate destination. As a result, the subscriber retains a constant connection and remains addressable; even while roaming across different access networks.
Communicating With Mobile Nodes
Figure 1-2 Communication Between Home Agent and a Mobile Node
The sequence of events in the communication process between a mobile node and a Home Agent is:
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A Point to Point Protocol (PPP) link is established between the MN and the FA, and an IP-in-IP or generic routing encapsulation (GRE) tunnel is set up between the FA and the HA.
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Step 5
Step 6
Step 7
Step 8
Key Features in Home Agent Service Manager
Table 1-1 describes the key features of HA Service Manager.
Table 1-1 Key Features in Home Agent Service Manager
Synchronizes with the Device Credentials Repository (DCR) to keep the inventory updated.
Group Management
Inventory > Group Mgmt
Use this feature to:
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See Managing HA Device Groups, for more information.
Display Configuration
Service Manager > Display Config
Displays HA-specific configurations commands of specified HA devices in the selected group.
Sync Report
Service Manager > Sync Report
You can check the latest status of the master device and other devices in a group, from RME or DCR.
You also use this feature to compare HA-specific configurations of:
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You use this feature to activate the following services in an HA device group:
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Local IP Pool
Service Activation > Local IP Pool
Virtual Networks
Service Activation > Virtual Networks
Home Address Assignment:
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Security Associations
Service Activation > Security Associations
HA VRF
Service Activation > HA VRF
Hot Lining
Service Activation > Hot Lining
ODAP Manager:
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Service Activation > ODAP Manager:
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Home Agent Domain Name System (HA-DNS)
Service Activation > HA-DNS
Batch Mode Operation
Service Manager > Batch Configuration
Use this feature to:
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Prerequisites to Using the Home Agent Service Manager
You should complete several tasks before you use the HA SM. Please see the Release Notes for Mobile Wireless Center for Cisco Mobile Exchange at http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps6401/prod_release_notes_list.html. View the section on "Limitations, Restrictions, and Prerequisites."
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