Wireless network communication system and method

• US 20040214576A1
• Filed: 04/28/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Chantry Networks Inc (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Myers, Robert L., Francisco, Paulo Neves, Montemurro, Michael P., Halliop, Ania, Chvets, Ivan
• Granted Patent: US 7,450,940 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/162 at the data link layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/062 Pre-authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/06 Transport layer protocols, e.g. TCP [Transport Control Protocol] over wireless transmission control protocol/Internet protocol [TCP/IP] or user datagram protocol [UDP] H04L69/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A wireless network and associated method for providing continuous communication service for a mobile unit as it roams within a virtual wireless network. The virtual network includes home and foreign access controllers and a virtual network manager (VN manager). The VN manager is used to maintain a VN configuration record that includes all active access controllers within virtual network and to disseminate said VN configuration record to all active access controllers. A tunneling data communication connection is established between all active access controllers including home and foreign access controllers. When a mobile unit first connects to home access controller and then roams to foreign access controller, communication data is transmitted between the mobile unit and the foreign access controller to provide continuous data communication on the basis of the characteristics defined by the virtual networking services while simultaneously preserving the IP configuration of mobile unit on the network.

Claims

1. A wireless network for providing continuous communication service to a mobile unit within a virtual network without the need to install software on the mobile unit, when the mobile unit initially connects to the virtual network by associating with a home access controller and then subsequently roams to a foreign access controller, said virtual network comprising:

(a) a virtual network manager (VN manager) adapted to maintain a virtual network configuration record including all active access controllers within the virtual network including home and foreign access controller and to disseminate said virtual network configuration record to all active access controllers;

(b) said home access controller and foreign access controller being adapted to;

(i) establish a tunneling data communication connection between said home access controller and foreign access controller based on the current record maintained by said VN manager; and

(ii) utilize the tunneling data communication connection between said foreign access controller and said home access controller and said tunneling data communication connection to provide continuous data communication for the mobile unit.

2. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein each of said home and foreign access controllers are associated with home and foreign virtual network agents (VN agents), respectively, said home and foreign VN agents being adapted to and update said virtual network configuration record through communication with VN manager.

3. The wireless network of claim 2, wherein said first and second VN agents are adapted to communicate with the VN manager to obtain the list of active access controllers in the virtual network and to maintain the list of mobile unit sessions in the virtual network.

4. The wireless network of claim 2, wherein VN manager disseminates said VN configuration record to said home and foreign VN agents using heartbeat notification.

5. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein said VN manager is implemented on one of said home access controller and said foreign access controller.

6. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein said foreign access controller is adapted to confirm that the mobile unit is already connected to the virtual network, before performing authentication on the mobile unit and conducting steps (i) and (ii).

7. The wireless network of claim 1, further comprising a home radio unit associated with said home access controller and a foreign radio unit associated with said foreign access controller, said home radio unit being adapted to encapsulate communication data from said mobile unit for transmission to said home access controller and said foreign radio unit being adapted to encapsulate communication data from said mobile unit for transmission to said foreign access controller.

8. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein the maintenance of continuous communication service includes the preservation of the IP configuration of mobile unit on the virtual network.

9. The wireless network of claim 1, wherein said virtual network is associated with virtual network services, and wherein said home and foreign access controllers are adapted to manage the mobile unit communication session in accordance with said virtual network services.

10. The wireless network of claim 9, wherein said first and second access controllers are configured with at least one VNS subnet having VNS properties selected from the group consisting of:

DHCP, routing, authentication, privacy, and filter profiles.

11. A method for providing continuous communication service for a mobile unit as it roams within a virtual network without the need to install software on the mobile unit, said virtual network including home and foreign access controllers and a virtual network manager (VN manager), said method comprising the steps of:

(a) using the VN manager to maintain a virtual network configuration record including all active access controllers within virtual network including home and foreign access controller and to disseminate said virtual network configuration record to all active access controllers;

(b) establishing a tunneling data communication connection between all active access controllers including between said foreign access controller and said home access controller;

(c) connecting the mobile unit to the virtual network by transmitting communication data between the mobile unit and said home access controller;

(d) determining whether the mobile unit has roamed from the home access controller to the foreign access controller;

(e) if step (d) is true, then;

(i) transmitting communication data between the mobile unit and said foreign access controller;

(ii) utilizing the data from step (i) and tunneling data communication connection between said foreign access controller and said home access controller to provide continuous data communication for the mobile unit.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of said home and foreign access controllers are associated with home and foreign virtual network agents (VN agents), respectively, for updating said virtual network configuration record through communication with VN manager.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of said first and second VN agents communicating with the VN manager to obtain the list of active access controllers in the virtual network and to maintain the list of mobile unit sessions in the virtual network.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of disseminating said VN configuration record from said VN manager to said home and foreign VN agents using heartbeat notification.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein said VN manager is implemented on one of said home access controller and said foreign access controller.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of foreign access controller confirming that the mobile unit is already connected to the virtual network, and performing authentication on the mobile unit, before performing step (e).

17. The method of claim 11, wherein a home radio unit is associated with said home access controller and a foreign radio unit is associated with said foreign access controller, said home radio unit being adapted to encapsulate communication data from said mobile unit for transmission to said home access controller and said foreign radio unit being adapted to encapsulate communication data from said mobile unit for transmission to said foreign access controller.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the maintenance of continuous communication service includes the preservation of the IP configuration of mobile unit on the virtual network.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the virtual network is associated with virtual networking services, and wherein said home and foreign access controllers manage the mobile unit communication session in accordance with said virtual networking services.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said first and second access controllers are configured with at least one VNS subnet having VNS properties selected from the group consisting of:

DHCP, routing, authentication, privacy, and filter profiles.