Aggregated beacons for per station control of multiple stations across multiple access points in a wireless communication network

• US 10,327,186 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2017
• Issued: 06/18/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fortinet Inc.
• Inventors: Kaushik, Anil, Sankaranarayanan, Sirivatsan, Bharghavan, Vaduvur, Han, Sung-Wook, Epstein, Joseph, Dunsbergen, Berend, Balasubramaniyan, Saravanan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferris, Derrick W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ali, Farhad
• Application Number:
  US15/586,961
• Publication Number:
  US 20170303176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 775 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/00692 using simultaneous multiple data streams, e.g. cooperative multipoint [CoMP], carrier aggregation [CA] or multiple input multiple output [MIMO] allocation of physical resources in CoMP or in CA H04L5/0035
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/12 using downlink control channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A technique for providing per station control of multiple stations in a wireless network across multiple access points. A look-up table that assigns a station connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers) is stored. An access point responds to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignores messages addressed to other BSSIDs. Persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each station after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points. A frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each connected station aggregated into the frame is generated. The frame is transmitted to the plurality of stations. Responsive to a station of the plurality of stations being handed-off to a different access point, a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station is deleted from the look-up table.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method in an access point of a plurality of access points managed by a controller of a wireless communication network, the method for providing seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the method comprising:

storing a look-up table that assigns one or more station connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the access point responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows individual control over each of the one or more stations and persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each of the one or more stations after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points;

generating a frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each of the one or more connected stations aggregated into the frame;

transmitting the frame to the one or more connected stations;

responsive to a station of the one or more of stations being handed-off to a different access point, deleting a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station from the look-up table; and

toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode responsive to surpassing a threshold number of connected stations, wherein the first mode enables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated and the second mode disables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a beacon broadcast to the plurality of stations.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a probe response transmitted to a station that sent a probe.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is compliant with one or more of the IEEE 802.11k protocol, the IEEE 802.11v protocol, and the IEEE 802.11r protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the frame comprises:

generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are persistent and uniquely-assigned, and BSSIDs that are not persistent and uniquely-assigned.

6. The method of claim 1, generating the frame comprises:

generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are serviced by a different access point.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the frame comprises:

generating the frame to include at least one communication parameter corresponding to each BSSID for each connected station.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode, wherein the first mode enables virtual port functionality and the second mode disables virtual port functionality.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the uniquely-assigned BSSID from a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs to associate with the mobile station based on one or more communication parameters of the uniquely-assigned BSSID selected from the group of:

access control parameters, backoff or retry parameters, channel selection parameters, QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, and transit power parameters.

10. A computer-implemented method in a controller managing a plurality of access points of a wireless communication network, the method for providing seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the method comprising:

storing a look-up table that assigns one or more station connected to the plurality of access points and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the plurality of access points responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows individual control over each of the one or more stations and persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each of the one or more stations after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points;

transmitting at least a portion of the look-up table to one of the plurality of access points to allow generation of a frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each of the one or more connected stations aggregated into the frame; and

toggling the access point from a first mode to a second mode responsive to surpassing a threshold number of connected stations, wherein the first mode enables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated and the second mode disables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the frame comprises a beacon broadcast to the plurality of stations.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the frame comprises a probe response transmitted to a station that sent a probe.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the frame is compliant with one or more of the IEEE 802.11k protocol, the IEEE 802.11v protocol, and the IEEE 802.11r protocol.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein generation of the frame comprises:

generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are persistent and uniquely-assigned, and BSSIDs that are not persistent and uniquely-assigned.

15. The method of claim 10, generation of the frame comprises:

generating the frame to comprise BSSIDs that are serviced by a different access point.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein generating the frame comprises:

generating the frame to include at least one communication parameter corresponding to each BSSID for each connected station.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving updated information from various points around the wireless communication network;

compiling an updated global condition from the updated information; and

updating a parameter for at least one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs of one or the plurality of stations responsive to the updated global condition, wherein the global condition concerns updated information at an access point other than the access point serving the one of the plurality of stations.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the uniquely-assigned BSSID from a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs to associate with the mobile station based on one or more communication parameters of the uniquely-assigned BSSID selected from the group of:

access control parameters, backoff or retry parameters, channel selection parameters, QoS (Quality of Service) parameters, and transit power parameters.

19. An access point of a plurality of access points managed by a controller of a wireless communication network, to provide seamless mobility to the plurality of stations in a while maintaining per-station control each station in the plurality of stations, the access point comprising:

a processor; and

a memory, comprising a first module, a second module, a third module, a fourth module, and a fifth module;

the first module to store a look-up table that assigns one or more stations connected to the access point and at least one communication parameter to each of a plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs (Basic Service Set Identifiers), the access point responding to messages addressed one of the plurality of persistent, uniquely-assigned BSSIDs and ignoring messages addressed to other BSSIDs, wherein uniqueness of the BSSID allows individual control over each of the one or more stations and persistence of the BSSID allows the controller to maintain individual control over each of the one or more stations after moving to a second access point of the plurality of access points;

the second module to generate a frame comprising the plurality of BSSIDs corresponding to each of the one or more connected stations;

the third module to transmit the frame to the one or more stations;

the fourth module to, responsive to a station of the one or more stations being handed-off to a different access point, delete a uniquely-assigned BSSID corresponding to the station from the look-up table; and

the fifth module to toggle the access point from a first mode to a second mode responsive to surpassing a threshold number of connected stations, wherein the first mode enables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated and the second mode disables aggregated BSSIDs in the frames when generated.