Method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a wireless network station

• US 20040120279A1
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Huckins, Jeffrey L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,289,518 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming

Abstract

A wireless access point is to respond to a request for resolving an upper layer network communications protocol address of a target station, by sending a lower layer network communications protocol address stored in the access point and that is associated with the target station.

Claims

1. A method for network communications, comprising:

obtaining an internet protocol (IP) address and a media access control (MAC) address of a wireless network station; and

proxying an address resolution protocol (ARP) request that contains said IP address, by responding with said MAC address.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said IP address is contained in a notification via an unguided electromagnetic wave transmission from the station.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising causing a beacon frame to be transmitted in response to receiving the ARP request, the beacon frame including a target indication map that indicates a broadcast packet is being buffered.

4. A method for network communications, comprising:

establishing a local area network wireless communications link with an access point; and

transmitting a notification to the access point, via an unguided electromagnetic wave, that includes an upper layer network communications protocol address of the host and an indication to enable proxying by the access point of requests that specify the upper layer address of the host.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising after transmitting said notification, receiving a frame from the access point indicating that a broadcast packet is being buffered by the access point for the host, and in response ignoring said indication of the broadcast packet.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the upper layer address is an internet protocol address of the host, and both the upper layer address of the host and the indication to enable proxying are transmitted in a single frame.

7. A system for network communications, comprising:

a processor coupled to a storage containing data which, when accessed by the processor, cause a stored, lower layer network communications address associated with a wireless network interface controller (WNIC) to be transmitted in response to a query for a lower layer network communications protocol address associated with an upper layer network communications protocol address that is specified by the query and that is associated with the WNIC.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein the stored, lower layer network communications protocol address is a media access control address of the WNIC, and the storage contains further data which, when accessed by the processor, configure a beacon frame that indicates said query is being buffered for said associated WNIC.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the upper layer network communications protocol address is an internet protocol address of the WNIC.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the query is an address resolution protocol (ARP) request.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein the upper layer network communications protocol address is an internet protocol address of the WNIC.

12. The system of claim 7 wherein the storage contains further data which, when accessed by the processor, cause a set of stations, including said WNIC, to be controlled by a single coordination function that determines when any one of said set of stations is permitted to transmit and may be able to receive protocol data units via a wireless medium.

13. An article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having data stored thereon which, when executed by a processor, cause a wireless access point to respond to a request for resolving an upper layer network communications protocol address of a target station, by sending a lower layer network communications protocol address stored in the access point and that is associated with the target station, without forwarding the request to the target station.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the upper layer network communications protocol is internet protocol.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the machine-readable medium has further data stored thereon which, when executed by the processor, cause wireless local area network links to be established with the target station and with the access point, and cause the access point to send a beacon frame that indicates the access point is buffering a request which is directed to the target station.

16. A system for network communications, comprising:

an access point; and

a station, being one of a mobile computer parallel bus card and a desktop computer parallel bus adapter, to establish a wireless communications link with the access point,

wherein the access point is to obtain an upper layer network communications protocol address and a lower layer network communications protocol address of the station, and proxy a request from a source node to resolve an upper layer network communications protocol address that matches that of the station, by responding with said lower layer network communications protocol address.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the station is to notify the access point of its upper layer network communication protocol address and enable said proxying by the access point of requests that refer to the upper layer network communications protocol address of the station.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the access point is designed to operate according to an upper layer network communications protocol being internet protocol.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the station is to, after having notified the access point, not request the access point to forward broadcast packets that concern the station.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the station is a mobile computer parallel bus card.