Mobile IP

Mobile communication solves the mobility problem that overcomes some of the limitations of the original
IP addressing scheme. Thus IP mobility support is known as mobile IP. The characteristic are:

 Transparency: Mobility is transparent to applications and transport layer protocols as well as to

the routers not involved in the change.
 Interoperability with IPv4: Host using Mobile IP can interoperate with stationary hosts that run
conventional Ipv4 software as well as with other mobile hosts.
 Scalability: It permits mobility across the global Internet.
 Macro mobility: Rather than attempting to handle rapid network transitions such as one
encounters in a wireless cellular system, mobile IP focuses on the problem of long duration
moves. For example, mobile IP works well for a user who takes a portable computer on a
business trip and leaves it attached to the new location for a week.

IP Address is the logical address and used to assign any networking device. The IP addresses are
designed to work with stationary hosts because part of the address defines the network to which the host
is attached

Figure: Home and Foreign Agent

A host or router that changes its point of attachment from one network to another, without changing its IP
addresses. A mobile node can continue to communicate with other Internet nodes at any location using
its constant IP address. Home agent is a router on a mobile hosts home network delivers datagrams to
departed mobile nodes and maintain current location information for each. Foreign agent is a router on a
mobile node’s visited network which co-operates with the home agent to complete the delivery of
datagrams to the mobile node while it is away from home. Mobile node has two addresses for a mobile
host: one home address and one care-of address. The home address is permanent; the care-of
addresses changes as the mobile host moves from one network to another.
Three phases in Mobile Hosts communication are:

 Agent Discovery

 Registration

 Data Transfer

Figure: Tunneling Process

Agent discovery: When mobile host goes from one place to another, it needs to discover its new agent,
hence agent discovery frame is used to discover new agent. Mobile IP does not use a new packet type
for agent solicitation; it uses the router solicitation packet of ICMP Foreign agents advertises their
presence by using a special message which is constructed by attaching a special extension to a router
advertisement.

Registration: Foreign agent broadcasts a packet. A mobile host waits for the messages and registers
with the foreign agent. Foreign agent contacts the home agent and receives the acknowledgement from
it. Foreign agent makes an entry in its tables and informs the mobile hosts that it is not registered.

Data Transfer: In order for datagrams to be delivered to the mobile node when it is away from home, the
home agent has to tunnel the datagrams to the care-of-address. A tunnel is a logical path between the
source and the destination endpoints between two networks. Every packet is encapsulated at the source
will be de-capsulated at the destination. When the packet is transmitted from A to B, it reaches router R1
which inserts payload field and send it router R2. When Router R2 gets the packet, it removes IP packet
and sends it to B.