A computer protocol that manages and provides efficient communications and
utilization of resources between a mobile computer system or device and
other systems and devices. Each home agent maintains a home agent list
containing information about each of the home agents coupled to the home
link. A designated home agent on behalf of the home agents for a virtual
home agent is used to send and broadcast home agent advertisement, to
receive and process a request from a mobile node, to process and send a
reply to the mobile node. Synchronization mechanisms or tools, such as
home agent priority or floating token method, are provided for proper
operation of a Virtual Distribution Home Agent Protocol (VDHAP). These
mechanisms or tools are used to fairly distribute loads from the mobile
node among the home agents within the virtual home agent.