Mobility management in wireless networks

• US 20040185876A1
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Groenendaal, Johan van de, Chakraborty, Amitava
• Granted Patent: US 7,634,252 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/456.5
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/12 Detection or prevention of fraud
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/122 Counter-measures against attacks; Protection against rogue devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/37 Managing security policies for mobile devices or for controlling mobile applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/61 Time-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/63 Location-dependent; Proximity-dependent
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/02 Processing of mobility data, e.g. registration information at HLR [Home Location Register] or VLR [Visitor Location Register]; Transfer of mobility data, e.g. between HLR, VLR or external networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

Systems and methods for tracking and managing mobile devices in a wireless network are provided. For example, the method can include discovering wireless devices connected to the wireless network, collecting association information from access points, with the association information from an access point including information identifying a current association between the access point and an associated wireless device, and providing a visualization of current associations between the access points and corresponding associated wireless devices. A conflict resolution engine may be provided for resolving conflicting access point associations

Claims

1. A system for tracking and managing mobile devices in a wireless network, comprising:

a plurality of device agents, each device agent being assigned to collect association information from a corresponding set of access points in the wireless network; and

a device manager adapted to receive the collected association information from the device agents, the device manager having a conflict resolution engine for resolving conflicting access point associations,

wherein the association information from an access point includes information identifying mobile units which are associated with the access point.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the association information from the access point also includes address information of the mobile units which are associated with the access point, and the conflict resolution engine uses the address information to resolve conflicting access point associations to a mobile unit.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the association information from the access point includes time stamps associated with the association information, and the conflict resolution engine uses the time stamps to resolve conflicting access point associations to a mobile unit.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the conflict resolution engine resolves a conflict between the associations of a mobile unit to two or more access points.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the conflict resolution engine requests appropriate ones of the device agents to query access points corresponding to the conflicting associations.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the conflict resolution engine uses network traffic statistics for a mobile device to resolve whether the device is associated with an access point.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the conflict resolution engine is rule-based.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the device agents obtain the association information by querying the access points.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the device manager sends a request to a device agent to trigger the query process of the device agent.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising a topology service adapted to provide a visualization of current associations between the access points and the mobile units, through a graphical user interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the visualization is associated with a subnet.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the association information includes identification of disassociated mobile units.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the association information includes information describing disassociation of a mobile unit from an access point.

14. A method for tracking and managing mobile devices in a wireless network, comprising:

collecting association information from a plurality of access points in the wireless network, the association information from an access point including information identifying mobile units which are associated with the access point; and

resolving conflicting access point associations through a conflict resolution engine.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising using network traffic statistics for a mobile device to resolve whether the device is associated with an access point.

16. A computer system comprising a processor and a program storage device readable by the computer system, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the method claimed in claim 14.

17. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method claimed in claim 14.

18. A computer data signal transmitted in one or more segments in a transmission medium which embodies instructions executable by a computer to perform the method claimed in claim 14.

19. A method for tracking and managing mobile devices in a wireless network, comprising:

discovering wireless devices connected to the wireless network;

collecting association information from access points, the association information from an access point including information identifying a current association between the access point and an associated wireless device; and

providing a visualization of current associations between the access points and corresponding associated wireless devices.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising tracking a mobile wireless device connected to the wireless network by using the collected association information.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

generating mobility information by consolidating the collected association information and resolving any conflicts in the collected information; and

logging the resolved mobility information.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting unauthorized rogue devices connected to the wireless network.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting unauthorized access points.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising detecting disassociated mobile units.

25. A system comprising a processor and a program storage device readable by the computer system, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the processor to perform the method claimed in claim 19.

26. A program storage device readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform the method claimed in claim 19.

27. A computer data signal transmitted in one or more segments in a transmission medium which embodies instructions executable by a computer to perform the method claimed in claim 19.

28. A system for tracking and managing mobile devices in a wireless network, comprising:

a plurality of device agents, each device agent being assigned to collect association information from a corresponding set of access points in the wireless network;

a device manager adapted to receive the collected association information from the plurality of device agents, the association information from an access point including information identifying a current association between the access point and an associated wireless device; and

a topology service adapted to provide a visualization of access points and corresponding associated wireless devices.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the device manager assigns the access points to the plurality of device agents to balance a workload across the device agents.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the device agent regularly polls the corresponding set of access points to determine changes to associations of the access points.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the device agent queries the corresponding set of access points to request association information from the access points.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the device manager consolidates the collected information and resolves any conflicts in the collected information.

33. The system of claim 28, wherein the association information from the access point is retrieved from an association table maintained by the access point.