Method and apparatus for communicating network management traffic over a network

• US 10,141,975 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2017
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gross, David, Lackey, Joshua, Levy, Donald E., Jover, Roger Piqueras, Ramachandran, Jayaraman, Serban, Cristina
• Primary Examiner(s): Neff, Michael
• Application Number:
  US15/638,817
• Publication Number:
  US 20170302333A1
• Time in Patent Office: 515 Days
• Field of Search: 375257
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/12 Hollow waveguides H01P3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining whether communications are encrypted, determining a communication type for the communications according to sensitivity criteria, encrypting the communications according to the communication type to generate encrypted communications, and transmitting to a second network device the encrypted communications. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A first waveguide system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising;

receiving network management data associated with a communication device; and

transmitting, to a second waveguide system, first electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the first electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the first electromagnetic waves convey the network management data without conveying data traffic associated with the communication device, and wherein the transmitting the first electromagnetic waves is over a virtual private network connection associated with the communication device and is responsive to a request from a management server for an out of band link with the communication device.

2. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the first waveguide system is a closest network node to the management server, and wherein the network management data comprises control information that facilitates control over communicating the data traffic associated with the communication device.

3. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the virtual private network connection is established by a network server responsive to the request from the management server, and wherein the virtual private network connection is established according to mapping data stored at the network server.

4. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic associated with the communication device is transmitted over another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection and that does not utilize the first and second waveguide systems.

5. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the another connection, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves to the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey network condition information indicative of the undesired condition.

6. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the another connection, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves to the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey high priority traffic.

7. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the second waveguide system is an adjacent node in a wired network comprising power lines, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves from the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey authentication information associated with the second waveguide system; and

authenticating the second waveguide system according to an authentication protocol based on the authentication information, wherein the transmitting of the first electromagnetic waves to the second waveguide system is responsive to the authenticating.

8. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the propagating of the first electromagnetic waves along the outer surface of the transmission medium comprises the first electromagnetic waves having an electromagnetic field structure that is at least partially embedded in the transmission medium.

9. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the network management data is received from the communication device and is directed to the management server, and wherein the virtual private network connection is established by a network server responsive to the request from the management server and according to mapping data stored at the network server.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a first network device, network management data associated with a communication device;

receiving, by the first network device from a second network device, authentication information associated with the second network device;

authenticating, by the first network device, the second network device according to an authentication protocol based on the authentication information; and

responsive to the authenticating, transmitting, to the second network device, the network management data without conveying data traffic associated with the communication device, wherein the transmitting the network management data is over a virtual private network connection associated with the communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a group of waveguide systems that transmit electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the network management data.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the network management data comprises control information that facilitates control over communicating the data traffic associated with the communication device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein network condition information indicative of an undesired condition is transmitted via the virtual private network connection responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection and that is utilized for data traffic initiated by or directed to the communication device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication device comprises a mobile wireless device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor of a network server cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:

receiving, from a management server, a request for an out of band link with a communication device; and

transmitting, to the network server, a port identification for a port of the network server associated with a virtual private network connection for the communication device to facilitate establishing communications with the communication device via the virtual private network connection according to the port identification, wherein network management data is transmitted to the communication device via the virtual private network connection without transmitting or receiving data traffic via the virtual private network connection, wherein the data traffic is data traffic initiated by or directed to the communication device and is transmitted over another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a group of waveguide systems that transmit electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the network management data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein network condition information indicative of an undesired condition is transmitted via the virtual private network connection responsive to a determination of the undesired condition associated with the another connection.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a hardwire connection that is not used for communicating the data traffic.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the communication device comprises a mobile wireless device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise receiving other network management data from the communication device via the virtual private network connection.