Zero configuration networking on a subnetted network

• US 10,091,065 B1
• Filed: 10/31/2011
• Issued: 10/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aerohive Networks Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gast, Matthew Stuart, Wang, Liang, Kang, Yong, Conway, Adam Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Naji, Younes
• Application Number:
  US13/286,121
• Time in Patent Office: 2,528 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/12 Discovery or management of network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/24 Negotiation of communication capabilities

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are described for implementing service discovery protocols on subnetted zero configuration networks. A process for managing service advertisement across a plurality of subnets may comprise: collecting service advertisements on a local network level by designated network devices; sending listings of services from each of the designated devices to a master network device; sending a table of services for the plurality of subnets from the master device to all of the designated devices on the plurality of subnets; creating by each of the designated network devices for the corresponding subnet a service discovery proxy table listing the service advertisements on the subnets of the plurality of subnets beyond the subnet corresponding to the designated device; and periodically transmitting by each of the designated devices on the corresponding subnets service advertisements for the services of the corresponding service discovery proxy table.

Claims

1. A method for managing service advertisement across a plurality of subnets comprising:

collecting, by each of a plurality of designated network devices, service advertisements on a local network level from a corresponding subnet to which said designated network device belongs;

filtering, by each of the plurality of designated network devices, the service advertisements according to filtering rules of the plurality of subnets to generate one or more filtered listings of services;

obtaining, by a designated master network device, the one or more filtered listings of services generated by the plurality of designated network devices;

creating a table of filtered services for said plurality of subnets at said designated master network device using the obtained one or more filtered listings of services;

sending said table of filtered services for said plurality of subnets from said designated master network device to the plurality of designated network devices in the plurality of subnets;

creating, by each of the plurality of designated network devices that received the table of filtered services, a service discovery proxy table listing filtered service advertisements on the plurality of subnets other than the corresponding subnet connecting to said designated network device, based on the table of filtered services; and

transmitting, by each of the plurality of designated network devices that created the service discovery proxy table, the filtered service advertisements listed in said corresponding service discovery proxy table.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein each subnet with services for which service advertisements are to be transmitted across said plurality of subnets has at least one designated network device.

3. The method as in claim 1, further comprising obtaining, by a designated back-up master network device, the one or more filtered listings of services generated by the plurality of designated network devices.

4. The method as in claim 1, wherein the filtering rules are based on regular expressions.

5. The method as in claim 1, further comprising providing said one or more filtered listings of services to a designated back-up master network device for creating a table of filtered services.

6. The method as in claim 1, wherein said service advertisements on the local network level and the service discovery proxy table created by each of the plurality of designated network devices that received the table of filtered services use multicast DNS (mDNS) protocol.

7. The method as in claim 6, wherein said mDNS protocol is used according to Bonjour protocol.

8. The method as in claim 1, wherein said plurality of subnets are a plurality of VLANs.

9. The method as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of designated network devices are wireless access points.

10. The method as in claim 9, wherein wireless coverage from adjacent wireless access points of said wireless access points is spatially overlapping.

11. The method as in claim 1, wherein said designated master network device is a wireless access point.

12. The method as in claim 1, wherein said designated master network device is a virtual device running on a remote server.

13. The method as in claim 1, further comprising periodically updating said table of filtered services and periodically sending the updated table of filtered services to the plurality of designated network devices that receive the table of filtered services.

14. The method as in claim 13, further comprising updating the service discovery proxy table by each of the plurality of designated network devices that received the table of filtered services.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated master network device is one of the plurality of designated network devices in the plurality of subnets.

16. A method for managing service advertisement across a plurality of subnets comprising:

collecting, by each of a plurality of designated network devices, service advertisements on a local network level from a corresponding subnet to which said designated network device belongs;

filtering, by each of the plurality of designated network devices, the service advertisements according to filtering rules of the plurality of subnets to generate one or more filtered listings of services;

obtaining, by a designated master network device, the one or more filtered listings of services generated by the plurality of designated network devices;

creating a table of filtered services for said plurality of subnets at said designated master network device using the obtained one or more filtered listings of services;

receiving said table of filtered services for the plurality of subnets from said designated master network device by each of the plurality of designated network devices in the plurality of subnets;

creating, by each of the plurality of designated network devices in the plurality of subnets, a service discovery proxy table listing filtered service advertisements on the plurality of subnets other than the corresponding subnet connecting to said designated network device, based on the received table of filtered services; and

transmitting, by each of the plurality of designated network devices that created the service discovery proxy table, the filtered service advertisements listed in said corresponding service discovery proxy table.

17. The method as in claim 16, wherein each subnet with services for which service advertisements are to be transmitted across said plurality of subnets has at least one designated network device.

18. The method as in claim 16, further comprising obtaining, by a designated back-up master network device, the one or more filtered listings of services generated by the plurality of designated network devices.

19. The method as in claim 16, further comprising providing said one or more filtered listings of services to a designated back-up master network device.

20. A designated network device for managing service advertisement across a plurality of subnets, wherein said designated network device is in a first subnet of said plurality of subnets, said designated network device comprising:

a memory device, a computer program being stored in said memory device; and

a processor, said computer program causing said processor to perform;

collecting service advertisements on a local network level;

filtering the collected service advertisements according to filtering rules of the plurality of subnets to generate a filtered listing of services;

sending the filtered listing of services to a designated master network device, wherein said designated master network device is elected from a plurality of designated network devices;

receiving a table of filtered services for the plurality of subnets that is generated using the filtered listing of services by the designated master network device from said designated master network device;

creating a service discovery proxy table listing filtered service advertisements on the plurality of subnets other than the first subnet corresponding to said designated network device based on the received table of filtered services; and

transmitting the filtered service advertisements listed in the service discovery proxy table on the first subnet corresponding to said designated network device.

21. The network device as in claim 20, wherein each subnet with services for which service advertisements are to be transmitted across said plurality of subnets has at least one designated network device.

22. The network device as in claim 20, wherein said computer program causes said processor to send the filtered listing of services to a designated back-up master network device.

23. The network device as in claim 20, wherein said computer program causes said processor to perform providing said filtered listing of services to a designated back-up master network device for creating a table of filtered services.

24. The network device as in claim 20, wherein said designated network device is a wireless access point.

25. The network device as in claim 20, wherein said service advertisements on the local network level use mDNS protocol and wherein the service discovery proxy table uses mDNS protocol.

26. A system for managing service advertisement across a plurality of subnets, said system comprising:

a designated master network device including a first memory device, a first computer program being stored in said first memory device, and a first processor; and

a first designated network device and a second designated network device of a multiplicity of designated network devices, the first designated network device being in a first subnet of the plurality of subnets and the second designated network device being in a second subnet of the plurality of subnets, each of said multiplicity of designated network devices including a second memory device, a second computer program being stored in said second memory device, and a second processor, said second computer program causing said second processor to perform;

collecting service advertisements on a local network level from a corresponding subnet to which said designated network device belongs;

filtering the service advertisements according to filtering rules of the plurality of subnets to generate a filtered listing of services;

sending the filtered listing of services to said designated master network device;

receiving a table of filtered services for the plurality of subnets that is generated using the filtered listings of services by the designated master network device from said designated master network device;

creating a service discovery proxy table listing filtered service advertisements on the plurality of subnets other than the corresponding subnet connecting to said designated network device based on the received table of filtered services; and

transmitting the filtered service advertisements listed in the service discovery proxy table on the corresponding subnet connecting to said designated network device.

27. The system as in claim 26, wherein said first computer program causes said first processor to perform:

on receiving the filtered listings of services from said multiplicity of designated network devices, combining the received filtered listings of services to form said table of filtered services; and

sending said table of filtered services to said multiplicity of designated network devices on said plurality of subnets.

28. The system as in claim 26, further comprising

a designated back-up master network device including a third memory device, a third computer program being stored in said third memory device, and a third processor, wherein said third computer program causes said third processor to perform:

on receiving the filtered listings of services from said multiplicity of designated network devices, combining the received filtered listings of services to form said table of filtered services.

29. The system as in claim 28, wherein the third computer program causes said third processor to further perform,

on receipt of a message that said designated master network device is not communicating with at least one of said multiplicity of designated network devices, sending said table of filtered services to said multiplicity of designated network devices on said plurality of subnets.

30. The system as in claim 26, wherein said designated master network device is one of said multiplicity of designated network devices.