Support for fault tolerance in local registration mobile-IP systems

The mobile-IP (M-IP) protocol allows IP hosts to move between different networks without the need to tear down established transport layer sessions. The mobile-IP systems supporting local registration were introduced to reduce the number of times when home registration with the remotely located home agent is needed. The local registration systems consider requirements and assumptions that may affect other aspects of the mobile-IP systems as the fault tolerance. In an environment where the probability of failure of mobility support stations is relatively high, as in the battlefield or where those stations are located in hazardous conditions, the issue of fault tolerance becomes of a particular interest. In this work we present the issues associated with fault tolerance in local registration mobile-IP systems and suggest approaches to enhance the robustness of such systems against both home agent and foreign agent failures. Simulation result describing the performance of the suggested fault tolerance mechanisms are presented