System and method for access point (AP) aggregation and resiliency in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network

• US 20040081144A1
• Filed: 09/09/2003
• Published: 04/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Kim, Yong, Martin, Richard
• Application Number:
  US10/658,450
• Publication Number:
  US 20040081144A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/360
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/1607 Details of the supervisory signal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/20 Traffic policing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/728 for backup paths
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/746 Reaction triggered by a failure
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/762 triggered by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/767 after changing the attachment point, e.g. after hand-off
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/805 QOS or priority aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/828 Allocation of resources per group of connections, e.g. per group of users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/351 for local area network [LAN], e.g. Ethernet switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/0055 Transmission or use of information for re-establishing the radio link
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 : Access point devices

Abstract

Aspects of the invention may provide a system and method for access point aggregation and resiliency in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network. Access point aggregation and resiliency may include determining one or more available switch ports having a capability to handle a first access point group, the first access point group having a first default switch port. One or more available switch ports may be provisioned to provide service to the first access point group. Information may be communicated between the first default switch port and/or any of the provisioned switch ports, while maintaining client status and connection information. Available switch ports may be selected from a reserved pool of available switch ports and upon abatement of a need to utilize the provisioned switch ports, the provisioned switch ports may be returned to the reserved pool of available switch ports.

Claims

1. A method for access point aggregation and resiliency in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network, the method comprising:

determining at least one available switch port having a capability to handle a first access point group, said first access point group having a first default switch port;

provisioning said at least one available switch port to provide service to said first access point group; and

communicating information using at least one of said first default switch port and said at least one provisioned switch port

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining further comprises selecting said at least one available switch port from a reserved pool of available switch ports.

3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising returning said selected at least one available switch port to said reserved pool of available switch ports upon abatement of a need to utilize said provisioned at least one available switch port.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising selecting said at least one available switch port from at least one of a first switching element and a second switching element, said first default switch port being associated with said first switching element.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining at least one a second available switch port having a capability to handle a second access point group, said second access point group having a second default switch port.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising provisioning at least a third available switch port to provide service to said second access point group.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising switching between any two of said at least one available switch port, said at least a second available switch port and said at least a third available switch port.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising switching between said default switch port and said at least one available switch port in a time period less than on the order of a few milliseconds from at least one of a detectable link failure and a configuration change.

12. The machine-readable storage according to claim 1, further comprising code for selecting said at least one available switch port from at least one of a first switching element and a second switching element, said first default switch port being associated with said first switching element.

9. A machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program having at least one code section for access point aggregation and resiliency in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network, the at least one code section executable by a machine for causing the machine to perform the steps comprising:

determining at least one available switch port having a capability to handle a first access point group, said first access point group having a first default switch port;

provisioning said at least one available switch port to provide service to said first access point group; and

communicating information using at least one of said first default switch port and said at least one provisioned switch port.

10. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, further comprising code for selecting said at least one available switch port from a reserved pool of available switch ports.

11. The machine-readable storage according to claim 10, further comprising code for returning said selected at least one available switch port to said reserved pool of available switch ports upon abatement of a need to utilize said provisioned at least one available switch port.

13. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, further comprising code for determining at least one a second available switch port having a capability to handle a second access point group, said second access point group having a second default switch port.

14. The machine-readable storage according to claim 13, further comprising code for provisioning at least a third available switch port to provide service to said second access point group.

15. The machine-readable storage according to claim 14, further comprising code for switching between any two of said at least one available switch port, said at least a second available switch port and said at least a third available switch port.

16. The machine-readable storage according to claim 9, further comprising code for switching between said default switch port and said at least one available switch port in a time period less than on the order of a few milliseconds from at least one of a detectable link failure and a configuration change.

17. A system for access point aggregation and resiliency in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network, the system comprising:

at least one processor adapted to determine at least one available switch port having a capability to handle a first access point group, said first access point group having a first default switch port;

said at least one processor adapted to provisioning said at least one available switch port to provide service to said first access point group; and

said at least one processor adapted to communicate information using at least one of said first default switch port and said at least one provisioned switch port.

18. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to select said at least one available switch port from a reserved pool of available switch ports.

19. The system according to claim 18, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to select at least one available switch port said reserved pool of available switch ports upon abatement of a need to utilize said provisioned at least one available switch port.

20. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to select said at least one available switch port from at least one of a first switching element and a second switching element, said first default switch port being associated with said first switching element.

21. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to determine at least one a second available switch port having a capability to handle a second access point group, said second access point group having a second default switch port.

22. The system according to claim 21 wherein said at least one processor is adapted to provision at least a third available switch port to provide service to said second access point group.

23. The system according to claim 22, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to switching between any two of said at least one available switch port, said at least a second available switch port and said at least a third available switch port.

24. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is adapted to switch between said default switch port and said at least one available switch port in a time period less than on the order of a few milliseconds from at least one of a detectable link failure and a configuration change.

25. The system according to claim 17, wherein said at least one processor is at least one of a switch processor, a bandwidth management controller, a quality of service controller, a load balancing controller, a session controller and a network management controller.