Remote device waking using a multicast packet

• US 10,261,562 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2016
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Garg, Sumit, Sridharan, Murari
• Primary Examiner(s): Oh, Andrew C
• Application Number:
  US15/062,108
• Publication Number:
  US 20160187954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,137 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/16 Multipoint routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/66 Layer 2 routing, e.g. in Ethernet based MAN's
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/005 Routing actions in the presence of nodes in sleep or doze mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0219 where the power saving management affects multiple terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0225 using monitoring of external events, e.g. the presence of a signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0235 where the received signal is a power saving command
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Sleeping device(s) may be changed from a sleeping state to an awake state using a multicast packet that sent to a multicast address of a multicast wake-up group. The packet may include an identifier for one or more particular device(s) in the multicast group, which, when received by the device(s), causes the device(s) to wake up.

Claims

1. A method performed on a computing device that includes at least one processor and memory, the method comprising:

determining, by the computing device, to wake a sleeping device associated with a multicast group via a multicast packet that includes a multicast address of the sleeping device and a network address of the sleeping device, in which the multicast group includes a plurality of computing devices;

forming, by the computing device in response to the determining, the multicast packet so that its destination address is set to the multicast address of at least the sleeping device and includes the network address of at least the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address matching that of the sleeping device and the network address matching that of the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to not wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address not matching that of the sleeping device or the network address not matching that of the sleeping device, and

where the formed multicast packet includes multiple network addresses for sleeping devices in the plurality of computing devices to be woken, each sleeping device being associated with a single network address, each of the network addresses having a common type including at least one or more of a media access control (MAC) address or internet protocol (IP) address; and

sending, by the computing device, the formed multicast packet over a network to each and every computing device of the plurality of computing devices joined to the multicast group that include at least the sleeping device, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices receive the multiple network addresses, for distinct sleeping devices, which are contained within the sent multicast packet.

2. The method of claim 1 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via the network.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising performing a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain the multiple network addresses of the sleeping devices.

4. A computing device comprising:

at least one processor;

memory coupled to the at least one computing device and that comprises computer-executable instructions;

a network communication module;

the computing device configured, based on execution by the at least one processor of the computer-executable instructions, to;

determine to wake a sleeping device associated with a multicast group via a multicast packet that includes a multicast address of the sleeping device and a network address of the sleeping device, in which the multicast group includes a plurality of computing devices;

form, in response to the determining, the multicast packet so that it is directed to a multicast group corresponding to the multicast address of at least the sleeping device and includes the network address of at least the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address matching that of the sleeping device and the network address matching that of the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to not wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address not matching that of the sleeping device or the network address not matching that of the sleeping device, and

where the formed multicast packet includes multiple network addresses for sleeping devices in the plurality of computing devices to be woken, each sleeping device being associated with a single network address, each of the network addresses having a common type including at least one or more of a media access control (MAC) address or internet protocol (IP) address; and

send the formed multicast packet over a network to each and every computing device of the plurality of devices joined to the multicast group that include at least the sleeping device, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices receive the multiple network addresses, for distinct sleeping devices, which are contained within the sent multicast packet.

5. The computing device of claim 4 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via the network.

6. The computing device of claim 4 further configured to perform a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain the network addresses of the sleeping devices.

7. At least one computer readable storage apparatus storing computer executable instructions that, based on execution by a computing device that includes at least one processor, memory, and a network communication module, configure the computing device to perform actions comprising:

determining, by the computing device, to wake a sleeping device associated with a multicast group via a multicast packet that includes a multicast address of the sleeping device and a network address of the sleeping device, the multicast group including a plurality of computing devices;

forming, by the computing device in response to the determining, the multicast packet so that it is directed to a multicast group corresponding to the multicast address of at least the sleeping device and includes the network address of at least the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address matching that of the sleeping device and the network address matching that of the sleeping device,

where the formed multicast packet is configured to not wake the sleeping device in response to the multicast address not matching that of the sleeping device or the network address not matching that of the sleeping device, and

where the formed multicast packet includes multiple network addresses for sleeping devices in the plurality of computing devices to be woken, each sleeping device being associated with a single network address, each of the network addresses having a common type including at least one or more of a media access control (MAC) address or internet protocol (IP) address; and

sending, by the computing device, the formed multicast packet over a network to each and every computing device of the plurality of computing devices joined to the multicast group that include at least the sleeping device, wherein each of the plurality of computing devices receive the multiple network addresses, for distinct sleeping devices, which are contained within the sent multicast packet.

8. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 7 where the multicast packet includes authentication information which is verified by the sleeping devices.

9. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 7 where the multicast group is dedicated to waking up devices via the network.

10. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 7, the actions further comprising performing a domain name services (“

DNS”

) look-up to obtain the network addresses of the sleeping devices.

11. The at least one computer readable storage apparatus of claim 7 where the formed multicast packet comprises a header portion and a payload portion, where the header portion includes the multicast address that corresponds to the multicast group to which the formed packet is directed, and where the payload portion includes the network addresses of the sleeping devices.