HK1067489B - Synchronization of stored service parameters in a communication system - Google Patents

Description

Synchronization of stored service parameters in a communication system

FIELD

The present invention relates generally to communications, and more particularly to a novel and improved method and apparatus for synchronizing stored service parameters in a communication system.

Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication such as voice and data. These systems may be based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), or some other modulation technique. CDMA systems provide certain advantages over other types of systems, including increased system capacity.

The CDMA System may be designed to support one or more CDMA standards, such as (1) the "TIA/EIA-95-BMobject State-Base State Compatibility Standard for Dual-Mode Wireless broadband Spectrum Cellular System" (IS-95 Standard), (2) standards set forth by the Association entitled "third Generation partnership project" (3GPP) included in a set of documents including document numbers 3G TS25.211, 3G TS 25.212, 3G TS 25.213, and 3G TS 25.214(W-CDMA Standard), (3) standards set forth by the Association entitled "third Generation partnership project 2" (3GPP2) included in a set of documents including "C.S.0002-A Physical Layer Standard for CD 2000Spread Spectrum Specification C.S.2000-Splayr"and "Layer Standard" Layer 2000 S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.P.S.S.S.S.S.S. Specification hybrid Standard for Dual-Spread Spectrum Cellular Systems "(3 GPP) including" S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S. 2000 Standard for CDMA2000Spread Spectrum Specification and "S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S.S., And (4) some other criteria.

Call setup is the process by which a mobile station and a base station establish communication. During call setup, various parameters may be negotiated, and other parameters may be specified directly by the base station without negotiation. These parameters are referred to as Service Configuration Record (SCR) and non-negotiable service configuration record (NNSCR), respectively. A large number of parameters may be included in these records and the time taken to negotiate and communicate these parameters increases call setup time and uses system resources. These parameters and descriptors are collectively referred to as configuration. Also, a set or subset of these parameters and/or descriptors is also referred to as a configuration. The actual makeup of a configuration may be specific to an implementation, system, design, and/or operation.

Release a of the Cdma2000 standard provides a procedure to minimize the time taken for call setup when parameters have been previously negotiated. When the mobile station releases all dedicated channels and returns to the idle state, the mobile station may store a configuration of mutually agreed services. The mobile station may then attempt to re-establish the connection, whether to initiate a new voice call or to reconnect the dormant data communication session. The mobile station sends an indication to the base station that the configuration has been stored and is still available for the new session. The mobile station issues an identifier, referred to in the cdma2000 standard as a SYNC _ ID, that identifies the stored configuration. The SYNC _ ID may be sent in an Origination (Origination) message for mobile originated calls or in a Page Response (Page Response) message for mobile terminated calls. In response, after establishing the dedicated channel, the base station may indicate, via a Service Connect message, that the mobile station should use the stored configuration. If so, no service negotiation needs to be performed and call setup time is reduced.

For this procedure to be successful, the stored service configurations at the mobile station and the base station must be the same. In other words, the stored service configurations should be synchronized. If the mobile station and base station attempt to use the unsynchronized stored service configurations, the communication may fail, requiring additional system access attempts and subsequent renegotiation of the parameters, thereby effectively increasing call setup time. There is therefore a need in the art for synchronizing stored service parameters.

SUMMARY

Embodiments disclosed herein address the need to synchronize stored service parameters. In one aspect, a configuration identifier is transmitted from a mobile station to a base station and compared to an identifier generated within the base station. If the two match, the configuration is used for communication. In another aspect, the identifier is generated by selecting an identifier associated with a configuration from a configuration table. In yet another aspect, the identifier is generated by computing a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of the configuration. Various other aspects are also presented. These aspects help prevent attempts to use unsynchronized stored service parameters and associated call setup failures and subsequent renegotiations, the net effect being to reduce call setup time and more efficiently use system resources.

Brief Description of Drawings

Fig. 1 is a general block diagram of a wireless communication system capable of supporting multiple users.

Fig. 2 is a portion of a base station or mobile station equipped for synchronizing stored service parameters.

Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of stored service parameter synchronization using CRC as an exemplary identifier.

Fig. 4 is a flow diagram of a modification of the embodiment of fig. 3 to mitigate the effects of different service parameter storage techniques related to identifier generation.

Fig. 5 is a flow diagram of a modification to the embodiment of fig. 3 or 4 to remove the need for identifier generation within the mobile station.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of stored service parameter synchronization using a configuration table.

Fig. 7 is a flow diagram of a modification of the embodiment of fig. 6 for supporting a configuration table within a mobile station.

Fig. 8 is a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for synchronizing stored service parameters while roaming.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 IS a diagram of a wireless communication system 100 that may be designed to support one or more CDMA standards and/or designs (e.g., the W-CDMA standard, the IS-95 standard, the CDMA2000 standard, the HDR specification). For simplicity, the illustrated system 100 includes three base stations 104 in communication with two mobile stations 106. The base station and its coverage area are often collectively referred to as a "cell". In an IS-95 system, a cell may include one or more sectors. In the W-CDMA specification, each sector of a base station and the sector's coverage area are referred to as a cell. As used herein, the term "base station" may be used interchangeably with the terms "access point" or NodeB. The term "mobile station" may be used interchangeably with the terms "User Equipment (UE)", "subscriber unit", "subscriber station", "Access Terminal (AT)", "remote terminal", or other corresponding terms known in the art. The term "mobile station" may apply to any of these wireless applications.

Depending on the CDMA system implemented, each mobile station 106 may communicate with one (possibly more) base stations on the forward link at any given moment, and one or more base stations on the reverse link depending on whether the mobile station 106 is in soft handoff. The forward link (i.e., downlink) refers to transmission from the base station to the mobile station, and the reverse link (i.e., uplink) refers to transmission from the mobile station to the base station.

For clarity, the examples used herein assume that the base station is the originator of signals and that the mobile stations are receivers and acquirers of those signals, i.e., signals on the forward link. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that mobile stations as well as base stations can be equipped to transmit data as described herein and, thus, these examples can also be applied on the reverse link. The word "exemplary" is used exclusively herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

Fig. 2 depicts an embodiment of a communication device that may be configured as a base station 104 or a mobile station 106. Within either base station 104 or mobile station 106, various embodiments may require only a subset of the components shown in fig. 2, examples of which are detailed below.

The signal is received by an antenna 210 and passed for conversion from Radio Frequency (RF) to baseband, amplification, filtering, demodulation, decoding, etc., within a receiver 220, all of which are known in the art. Note that any air interface may be supported and the transport formats on the forward and reverse links need not be the same. Message decoder 230 receives demodulated data from receiver 220 and decodes messages incorporated within the data for delivery to processor 260. Examples of received messages include, but are not limited to: an origination or page response message received at the base station, a page message received at the mobile station 106, a parameter negotiation message received at any type of station, a message containing a SYNC _ ID, and so on.

Processor 260 may be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a dedicated processor for performing communication tasks, or any general-purpose processor known in the art. Processor 260 is coupled to memory 270, which may store instructions for performing the various steps and processes disclosed herein, as described in detail below.

Depending on the embodiment employed, processor 260 may pass data to CRC generator 240 for generating a CRC on information and parameters received within various messages from message decoder 230 or stored within memory 270 as configuration for communication. Some embodiments may include a configuration table 250, the configuration table 250 including configurations, parameter sets, and a unique identifier for each possible configuration.

The base station 104 may store a configuration for each of a plurality of mobile stations 106 with which it is communicating. The configuration may be stored in memory 270. In some embodiments, when employing the configuration table 250, the base station 104 may only need to store the configuration identifiers associated with the various mobile stations 106. The mobile station 106 may store only one configuration, the most recently used configuration. Other embodiments may allow the mobile station 106 to store multiple configurations. In some embodiments, the base station 104 may include the configuration table 250, but not the mobile station 106. Alternatively, the mobile station 106 may also contain a configuration table 250.

Message generator 280, under the control of processor 260, generates a message for delivery to transmitter 290. Some example messages have been described above. The transmitter 290 performs coding, modulation, amplification, filtering, up-conversion to RF, etc., as is known in the art, and passes to the antenna 210 for transmission.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that the various components shown in fig. 2 are a subset of the components typically employed within a mobile station 106 or a base station 104. Also, functional partitioning is shown for simplicity and clarity of discussion, as various components may be discrete dedicated hardware, or implemented in firmware or software and executed as instructions within processor 260, or a combination thereof. The configuration table 250 may reside in memory 270. Memory 270 may be a component of processor 260.

Fig. 3 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment of a method for synchronization of stored configurations, suitable for use with the base station 104 and the mobile station 106, as described above in connection with fig. 2. In step 310, the base station 104 stores a configuration and sends the configuration to the mobile station 106. The storing and transmitting in step 310 may occur during negotiation of parameters in the configuration with the mobile station 106. In step 320, the base station 104 calculates and stores the CRC of the transmitted configuration. In step 325, the mobile station 106, upon receiving the transmitted configuration, stores it for current communication and for possible future use. In step 330, the mobile station 106 calculates and stores the configured CRC. The mobile station 106 then enters the traffic state 340 and communication occurs. When a voice call is terminated, or a data session goes dormant, idle state 350 is entered. At some point, after being paged by base station 104, or when a new voice call is initiated or a data session is reactivated, mobile station 106 enters system access state 360 in order to re-enter traffic state 340 and reestablish communications. Step 370-. When performing these steps, the mobile station 106 is either in a system access state, or in a traffic state, or in a transition state therebetween. The details of the state transitions are dictated by the standard being followed and do not limit the scope of the invention. In step 370, the mobile station 106 sends the CRC as a SYNC _ ID to the base station 104. In step 380, the base station 104 compares the received SYNC _ ID with the CRC stored in the base station 104. If there is a match in decision block 385, then proceed to step 390 and use the stored configuration for the communication session that begins when the mobile station 106 transitions back to the traffic state 340.

If there is no match in decision block 385, then the base station 104 and mobile station 106 must negotiate a configuration in step 395 before entering the traffic state 350. There are many reasons for a match failure. The base station 104 may need to clear the portion of its memory containing the configuration of a particular mobile station 106. Alternatively, the mobile station 106 may have roamed and is communicating with a new base station. Depending on the embodiment employed, the roaming problem may be different and is discussed further below with reference to FIG. 8.

Note that the calculation of the CRC within the base station and mobile station 106 need not occur in the order shown. It is sufficient that the CRC is calculated in the mobile station 106 before sending the CRC and in the base station 104 before comparing. If the CRC is regenerated each time it is used, the process of storing the CRC in either station can be omitted. However, if a configuration is reused, as may occur in data sessions with frequent transitions between active and dormant states, it may be desirable to calculate a CRC once.

If the configuration information stored in the base station 104 and the mobile station 106 is different, either during or after the negotiation, then the CRCs calculated for the two configurations are likely to be different even if the information contained is the same. This is because the output of a CRC generator, such as CRC generator 240, depends on the order in which it receives the data. Fig. 4 depicts a flow diagram of a modification that may be introduced to the process described in fig. 3 to produce an embodiment that provides configuration synchronization regardless of how the configuration is stored in the mobile station and base station 104.

In step 410, the base station 104 transmits incremental or new configuration information. This may occur during initial service parameter negotiation. It may also occur after the mobile station 106 enters the dormant state after the communication session, i.e., after entering state 350 of fig. 3. In step 420, the base station 104 calculates a CRC related to the incremental or new configuration information transmitted and updates the stored CRC with the new CRC calculation. There are numerous ways to combine CRCs, all of which fall within the scope of the present invention. One example is to xor the new CRC with the stored CRC. If there is no stored CRC because the new or incremental information is the initial information, the new CRC may simply be stored.

In step 430, the mobile station 106 receives and stores the incremental/new configuration information. In step 440, the mobile station 106 calculates the CRC of the received new or incremental configuration information and combines the CRC with the stored CRC (if any) and stores the result as the currently stored CRC. Note that in steps 420 and 440, the base station 104 or the mobile station performs CRC on the transmitted information, respectively. Thus, whether the information is stored in the base station or the mobile station 106 does not affect the CRC generated. The CRC combining technique produces the same result as the combining by the base station 104 in step 420. The mobile station 106 may then enter the traffic state 340 to begin communicating with the base station 104, and the process continues with reference to steps 340 through 395 of fig. 3.

It can be seen that the different methods of storing the service parameters in the base station 104 or in the mobile station 106 do not interfere with the synchronization of the configuration by modifying the process of figure 3 with the steps just described. The steps of fig. 4 may be used for initial service configuration negotiation, along with incremental CRC calculations and subsequent CRC combining steps, as desired. Subsequent or incremental changes made to the service configuration may then also be updated according to this step, thereby keeping the configuration synchronization step independent of the configuration storage step.

It is also noted that the CRC used in this description is merely an example of a function for generating an identifier associated with a configuration. Other functions are known that can create an identifier of data from the content of the data, and other functions can be used within the scope of the invention. Examples include hash functions, digital signatures, and the like.

In some embodiments, it may be desirable to minimize the computations required to achieve parameter synchronization within the mobile station 106. The methods described in fig. 3 and 4 may be modified so that the mobile station 106 does not need to calculate a CRC (or other identifier generating function). Fig. 5 depicts an exemplary embodiment of such a method. The method also mitigates the effects of different storage techniques between the base station 104 and the mobile station 106. Depending on whether the process of fig. 3 or fig. 4 is modified, the base station 104 calculates the CRC in step 320 or 410, respectively. In step 510, the base station 104 sends the CRC to the mobile station 106. In step 520, the mobile station 106 receives the CRC and stores it. Note that according to this modification, step 330 of fig. 3 and step 440 of fig. 4 are not required, where the mobile station 106 calculates a CRC (or other identifier generating function).

Fig. 6 depicts a flow diagram of an embodiment that does not require the base station 104 and the mobile station 106 to calculate an identifier, such as a CRC. In step 610, the base station 104 determines the configuration from the enumeration table. As mentioned above, the number of stored service parameters may be large. The number of possible configurations generated may be extremely large for the actual storage within the table. However, many parameters are not independent, and thus many settings are not feasible for some other settings. In some embodiments, it may be reasonable to enumerate the supported configurations within a configuration table, such as configuration table 250 of FIG. 2.

Each configuration in the configuration table is associated with an identifier that can be used as a SYNC _ ID. The identifier may be an index, a CRC, a random number, or any other function of configuration data. Simply using an index may not be desirable if neighboring systems may use different enumeration tables. In this case, the mobile station 106 may reply with a SYNC _ ID containing an index, and the associated configuration in the configuration table may not be synchronized with the configuration stored at the mobile station 106. The random number is more likely to provide protection if neighboring base stations do not use the same random number for different configurations. For some cases, the CRC or other function of the configuration data may be the most robust. In step 620, the base station 104 sends the configuration to the mobile station 106. In step 630, the base station 104 transmits an identifier associated with the configuration. In step 640, the mobile station receives and stores the identifier, i.e., SYNC _ ID. The process may then continue as shown in fig. 3.

In step 325, the mobile station 106 receives and stores the configuration. Step 330 is not required because the mobile station 106 does not need any calculations. The mobile station 106 may continue to the traffic state 340 and begin communication. When the mobile station 106 attempts to reestablish the call with the stored service configuration (after states 350 and 360), the mobile station 106 sends the received SYNC _ ID at step 370. It may be a CRC, but it may also be one of the other examples given above. In step 380, the base station 104 compares the SYNC _ ID with an identifier stored for the mobile station 106. Also, the identifier may be a CRC or any of the other identifiers given above. If there is a match in decision block 385, the mobile station 106 will use the stored configuration and the base station 104 will use the configuration associated with the identifier in the configuration table. If there is no match, the mobile station 106 and the base station 104 may renegotiate the configuration in step 395.

Still another simplification may be made if the configuration table is stored in the mobile station 106, such as the configuration table 250. The steps just described with reference to fig. 6 may be modified as shown in fig. 7. As before, the base station 104 determines the configuration from the configuration table and determines the identifier associated therewith. In step 630, the base station 104 transmits the identifier, i.e., SYNC _ ID. The step 620 of the base station 104 sending the configuration is not necessary. However, the mobile station 106 retrieves the configuration associated with the received SYNC _ ID from its configuration table, as shown in step 710. The mobile station 106 will naturally keep a record of the SYNC _ ID (step 640), which is not shown in fig. 7. The process then continues as described above with reference to fig. 6, in accordance with fig. 3.

Note that the configuration table in the mobile station 106 need not contain the entire list of records as the configuration table in the base station 104. It is important that the identifiers associated with the configurations in the configuration table of the mobile station match the corresponding identifiers and configurations in the configuration table of the base station. The base station 104 may send the configuration to the mobile station 106 when the configuration not supported in the mobile station configuration table is required (using the method described above in fig. 6).

The benefit of the process described in fig. 7 is that neither the base station 104 nor the mobile station is required to calculate the identifier of the configuration and the configuration need not be sent over the air.

Various embodiments for synchronizing stored service parameters are devised assuming that the mobile station 106 is roaming. If the mobile station 106 never roams and communicates with only a single base station 104, the SYNC _ ID may be redundant because the mobile station 106 will only identify whether the latest configuration is still available. A single bit is sufficient. If the base station 104 still stores the mobile station's configuration, it will simply agree to use the stored configuration only. In fact, mobile stations may roam, so the various embodiments described above are equipped with various techniques for ensuring that the configuration is the same at both the mobile station 106 and the base station 104 when the mobile station 106 attempts to reconnect to the base station 104 and use the stored configuration. By transmitting the configuration over the backhaul (the network connecting the base stations, base station controllers, Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs), etc.), the system can make the configuration stored for each mobile station 106 available to the neighboring base stations 104. Alternatively, the base station 104 may contain a configuration table, as described above with reference to fig. 6 and 7. The techniques described in fig. 6 and 7 work with a roaming mobile station 106 as long as the base station 104 contains the same configuration table. The above technique also works well when neighboring base stations, although not equipped with the same configuration table or current settings of the roaming mobile station, would reject a request to use the stored configuration when not so configured.

The network operator may choose to employ base station 104 within its network, or within a sub-portion of its network, all depending on the particular method of stored service parameter synchronization. Neighboring systems, perhaps operated by different network operators, may have roaming agreements that allow roaming, but may not adhere to a commonly stored service parameter synchronization protocol. When a mobile roams from one system using a certain protocol to another system using an incompatible protocol, or the protocol is unknown, the mobile 106 may need to disable the SYNC _ ID method it is using.

Fig. 8 shows a flow diagram of a method that may be employed when a mobile station 106 roams to a new system or sub-part of a system. In decision block 810, the mobile station 106 determines whether the base station 104 to which it has roamed complies with the SYNC _ ID protocol used to store its current configuration. There are many ways for the mobile station 106 to determine this. Each network contains a System Identification (SID) and a Network Identification (NID). When the mobile station 106 roams to a new SID or NID, the mobile station 106 may simply assume that the protocols are different. Or the mobile station 106 may know a list of systems that are in compliance with one protocol or another in advance. The protocols may be different on systems of different frequencies or geographic regions. It is apparent that when a mobile station 106 roams into a system using a different air interface, the stored service parameters may need to be updated with parameters appropriate for that different air interface. As described above, if the base station 104 uses a protocol, such as a CRC check, that would refuse to use it if the stored configuration is invalid, then the mobile station 106 need not take any action, but may attempt to re-establish the traffic channel using the stored identifier, such as the SYNC _ ID, as shown in step 820.

In decision block 810, if the base station 104 does not comply with the same or at least compatible protocol as the SYNC _ ID currently stored by the mobile station, or the protocol of the base station is unknown, the mobile station 106 may proceed to step 830 and reset the SYNC _ ID to a null value. This will ensure that the service parameters will be renegotiated. In another embodiment, messages between the mobile station 106 and the base station 104, such as origination messages or page response messages, may allow the mobile station 106 to indicate that the stored configuration is invalid. Alternatively, the base station 104 may learn that the entering mobile station 106 does not have a valid stored configuration and ignore the SYNC _ ID.

It should be noted that in all of the above embodiments, method steps may be interchanged without departing from the scope of the invention.

Those of skill in the art would understand that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

Those of skill would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present invention.

The implementation or execution of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments described herein may be implemented or performed with: a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a subscriber unit. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

The previous description of the preferred embodiments is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without the use of the inventive faculty. Thus, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims (36)

1. A mobile station operable with one or more base stations, comprising:

a memory for storing a service configuration;

a cyclic redundancy check, CRC, generator for generating a CRC of the stored service configuration; and

a message generator for generating a message including a CRC identifying the stored service configuration.

2. The mobile station of claim 1, further comprising a message decoder for receiving a message from the base station indicating that the stored service configuration should be used for communication.

3. The mobile station of claim 2, wherein:

the message decoder also receives a message containing a partial service configuration;

the memory stores the portion of the service configuration; and

the CRC generator generates a CRC for a portion of the service configuration and compares the CRC for the portion of the service configuration with a previously generated CRC to generate a stored CRC for the service configuration.

4. A base station operable with a plurality of mobile stations, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of service configurations corresponding to a plurality of mobile stations;

a CRC generator for generating a plurality of CRCs for the plurality of stored service configurations;

a message decoder for receiving a message from the mobile station, the message including a CRC identifying a stored service configuration of the mobile station; and

a comparator for comparing the received CRC with a corresponding one of the plurality of CRCs and indicating whether there is a match.

5. The base station of claim 4, further comprising a message generator for generating a message for transmission to the mobile station indicating that the stored service configuration should be used for communication when the compared CRCs indicate a match.

6. The base station of claim 5, wherein:

the message generator further generates a message containing a portion of the service configuration for transmission to the mobile station;

the memory stores the portion of the service configuration; and

the CRC generator generates a CRC for a portion of the service configuration and combines the CRC for the portion of the service configuration with a previously generated CRC to generate a corresponding one of a plurality of CRCs for a plurality of stored service configurations.

7. A communication system including a base station operable with a plurality of mobile stations, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of service configurations corresponding to a plurality of mobile stations;

a CRC generator for generating a plurality of CRCs for the plurality of stored service configurations;

a message decoder for receiving a message from the mobile station, the message including a CRC identifying a stored service configuration of the mobile station; and

a comparator for comparing the received CRC with a corresponding one of the plurality of CRCs and indicating whether there is a match.

8. A mobile station operable with one or more base stations, comprising:

a message decoder for receiving one or more messages containing a service configuration and a message containing an identifier associated with the service configuration;

a memory for storing a service configuration; and

a message generator for generating a message comprising an identifier identifying the stored service configuration.

9. The mobile station of claim 8, further comprising a message decoder for receiving a message from the base station indicating that the stored service configuration should be used for communication.

10. A mobile station operable with one or more base stations, comprising:

a message decoder for receiving a message containing an identifier associated with a service configuration;

a configuration table consisting of service configurations associated with the identifiers for accessing the service configurations associated with the received identifiers; and

a message generator for generating a message comprising an identifier identifying a service configuration.

11. A base station operable with a plurality of mobile stations, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of service configurations corresponding to a plurality of mobile stations;

a configuration identifier generator for generating a plurality of identifiers for the plurality of stored service configurations;

a message generator for generating a message for transmission to the mobile station, the message comprising an identifier associated with the service configuration;

a message decoder for receiving a message from a mobile station, the message containing an identifier identifying a stored service configuration of the mobile station; and

a comparator for comparing the received identifier with a corresponding one of the plurality of identifiers and indicating whether a match exists.

12. The base station of claim 11, wherein the message generator further generates one or more messages containing service configurations for transmission to the mobile station.

13. The base station of claim 11, wherein the message generator further generates a message for transmission to the mobile station indicating that the stored service configuration should be used for communication when the compared identifiers indicate a match.

14. The base station of claim 11, wherein each identifier is a CRC of the associated configuration.

15. The base station of claim 11, wherein each identifier is a random number associated with a configuration.

16. The base station of claim 11, wherein each identifier is an index.

17. The base station of claim 11, wherein:

the configuration identifier generator is a configuration table consisting of configurations and related identifiers; and

the correlation identifiers are stored in memory as a plurality of service configurations corresponding to a plurality of mobile stations.

18. A communication system including a base station operable with a plurality of mobile stations, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of service configurations corresponding to a plurality of mobile stations;

a configuration identifier generator for generating a plurality of identifiers for the plurality of stored service configurations;

a message generator for generating a message for transmission to the mobile station, the message comprising an identifier associated with the service configuration;

a message decoder for receiving a message from a mobile station, the message containing an identifier identifying a stored service configuration of the mobile station; and

a comparator for comparing the received identifier with a corresponding one of the plurality of identifiers and indicating whether a match exists.

19. A method for synchronizing stored service parameters, comprising:

generating a configured identifier within the base station;

transmitting the configured identifier from the mobile station to the base station;

comparing the generated identifier with the transmitted identifier; and

when the compared identifiers match, the configuration is used for communication between the base station and the mobile station.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transmitted identifier is generated within the mobile station.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising transmitting the identifier from the base station to the mobile station prior to transmitting the identifier from the mobile station to the base station.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the generating step comprises selecting an identifier associated with a configuration in a configuration table.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is a CRC.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is a random number.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifier is an index.

26. A method of synchronizing stored service parameters, comprising:

transmitting the partial configuration from the base station to the mobile station;

calculating CRC of partial configuration in the base station;

combining the partially configured CRC with a CRC stored in the base station to update the CRC stored in the base station;

calculating a CRC of an intra-mobile part configuration;

combining the partially configured CRC with a CRC stored in the mobile station to update the CRC stored in the mobile station;

transmitting the CRC stored in the mobile station to the base station;

comparing the transmitted stored CRC with a CRC stored in the base station; and

when the compared stored CRCs match, a configuration consisting of one or more partial configurations is used for communication between the base station and the mobile station.

27. A method of synchronizing stored service parameters within a base station, comprising:

generating an identifier of the configuration;

receiving a configured identifier from the mobile station;

comparing the generated identifier with the received identifier; and

when the compared identifiers match, communication is made with the mobile station using the configuration.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising transmitting the configuration to the mobile station.

29. The method of claim 27, further comprising transmitting the generated identifier to a mobile station.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the generating step comprises selecting an identifier associated with a configuration in a configuration table.

31. A method of synchronizing stored service parameters within a mobile station, comprising:

storing a configuration;

transmitting an identifier associated with the configuration to the base station;

receiving a message from the base station indicating whether the stored configuration is valid; and

when it is valid, communicating with the base station using the stored configuration.

32. The method of claim 31, further comprising receiving the configuration from a base station.

33. The method of claim 31, further comprising receiving an identifier transmitted from a base station.

34. A communication system, comprising:

means for generating a configured identifier within the base station;

means for transmitting the configured identifier from the mobile station to the base station;

means for comparing the generated identifier with the transmitted identifier; and

the configured means is used for communication between the base station and the mobile station when the compared identifiers match.

35. A base station, comprising:

means for generating an identifier of the configuration;

means for receiving a configured identifier from the mobile station;

means for comparing the generated identifier with the received identifier; and

means for communicating with the mobile station using the configuration when the compared identifiers match.

36. A mobile station, comprising:

means for storing a configuration;

means for transmitting an identifier associated with the configuration to the base station;

means for receiving a message from the base station indicating whether the stored configuration is valid; and

means for communicating with a base station using the stored configuration when it is active.