Virtual switch
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch; and
managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for communicating between devices is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch and managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch.
138 Citations
47 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch; and
managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An apparatus comprising:
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means for running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch; and
means for managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method comprising:
a switch acting as a distribution system containing a plurality of switch wireless MAC sublayer instances.
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22. An architecture comprising:
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a first repeater having a first instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality;
a second repeater having a second instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality; and
a switch coupled to the first and second repeaters and having first and second instances of switch MAC sublayer functionality, wherein the first instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality and the first instance of switch MAC sublayer functionality cooperate to execute a MAC layer in a distributed fashion and the second instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality and the second instance of switch MAC sublayer functionality cooperate to execute a MAC layer in a distributed fashion. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An architecture comprising:
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at least one mobile station to transmit and receive packets;
a plurality of repeaters to receive packets from the at least one mobile device, each of the plurality of repeaters having a repeater MAC sublayer; and
a switch communicably coupled to the one or more repeaters, the switch having a configurable number of instances of a switch MAC sublayer and configuring at least two repeaters of the plurality of repeaters to cooperate with different instances of the switch MAC sublayer.
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30. A method comprising:
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a mobile station, associated with a first repeater controlled by a first MAC instance, sending a request to a second repeater, controlled by a second MAC instance, to be associated with the second MAC instance;
the second repeater sending the request to a switch MAC sublayer;
the switch assigning a new association identifier to the mobile station to associate the mobile station with the second instance;
the switch assigning the token for the mobile station to the new repeater; and
the switch deleting the token assignment to the first repeater. - View Dependent Claims (31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. An apparatus comprising:
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a switch;
a first repeater;
a second repeater;
a mobile station, associated with the first repeater controlled by a first MAC instance, the mobile station including means for sending a request to the second repeater, controlled by a second MAC instance, to be associated with the second MAC instance;
the second repeater having means for sending the request to a switch MAC sublayer;
the switch having;
means for assigning a new association identifier to the mobile station to associate the mobile station with the second instance, means for assigning the token for the mobile station to the new repeater, and means for deleting the token assignment to the first repeater. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47)
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Specification