Computer networks

• US 20040249975A1
• Filed: 12/11/2003
• Published: 12/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Antlabs Pte Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Antlabs Pte Ltd.
• Inventors: Singh, Rhandeev, Tuck, Teo Wee
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,981 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/245
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/25 of the same type
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/50 Address allocation

Abstract

A computer network is described in which the data link layer address, e.g. MAC address, of the network cards of client nodes are used to uniquely identify the nodes in the provision of network to application layer services. A link layer aware router may determine the MAC address of a client node from a data packet transmitted by the client node, and determines the services to provide to the user, e.g. a proxy redirect of the packet, based on a database of client node MAC addresses to user attributes. By determining MAC addresses, the router can also identify unregistered MAC addresses, and can forward a HTTP request by an unregistered user to a remote configuration web page for registering the user or to a security warning web page. The router may also support Network Address Translation and Domain Name System services using the MAC addresses, with a fully qualified domain name, hostname or the like being assigned to the MAC addresses.

Claims

1. A computer network system including a plurality of client nodes, each of which has a unique data layer link address, wherein said system includes at least one network device which is able to access the data link layer address of a said client node, and wherein said network device uses said accessed data link layer address to uniquely identify the said client node and to provide network layer or above services to the node based on said data link layer address.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes at least one router which is able to determine the link layer address of a client node which has sent a data packet, and includes a database of link layer addresses and user information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said router conducts one or more policies for said client nodes based on said link layer address and database information.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein said router determines whether a client node'"'"'s link layer address is included in said database, and initiates a configuration procedure when said address is not in said database.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein said router determines whether an end user'"'"'s link layer address is included in said database, and initiates a security procedure when said address is not in said database.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said system determines positional information of a said client node and records said information in said database.

7. The system of claim 1, including a DNS server, wherein said DNS server assigns a unique name to a client node by mapping the client node'"'"'s link layer address with said unique name.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the DNS server includes a database of link layer addresses to fully qualified domain names.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the DNS server includes a database of link layer addresses to hostnames.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein when traffic is generated by a client node, the router determines the unique name for the client node from its link layer address, and updates the IP address for said name in a DDNS table.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said system includes a Network Address Translator for mapping a client node IP address to an assigned IP address.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said Network Address Translator uses a client node'"'"'s link layer address in the mapping of an IP address of said end node to an assigned node.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein said Network Address Translator uses physical location information for a client node in the mapping of an IP address of the client node.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said Network Address Translator provides a reverse NAT operation in which an assigned IP address is mapped to a client node IP address and data link layer address.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said Network Address translator provides a twice NAT operation in which mapping is provided both for a client node IP address to an assigned IP address and for an assigned IP address to a client node IP address and its data link layer address.

16. A computer network system including a plurality of end systems, a NAT router, and a DNS server, wherein said router is able to determine the link layer addresses of the end systems, and wherein NAT and DNS procedures are based on said link layer addresses, each said link layer address being associated with a unique name.

17. A computer network system including a plurality of end systems and a NAT router, wherein said NAT router creates bindings between actual source end system IP addresses and apparent source end system IP addresses, and wherein said NAT router records the link layer addresses of said source end systems as a part of said binding.

18. A computer network system including a plurality of end systems, and a DNS server, wherein said DNS server maps link layer addresses of said end systems with unique names.

19. A computer network system including a plurality of end systems and one or more intermediate systems, and in which data is transferred between the end systems through the intermediate systems using network and link layer protocols, wherein the end systems are uniquely identified in the system by assigning a unique name to the link layer address of each end system, said unique name being used in the routing of data to the end systems by the intermediate systems.

20. A computer network system including a plurality of client nodes and a proxy server, wherein the proxy server is configured to retrieve data link layer address information from data packets sent by said nodes and to service said client nodes in accordance with network level or above policy specifications based on said data link layer address information.

21. A computer network system including a plurality of network nodes having data link layer addresses and a router for routing traffic from and to said nodes, wherein said system includes a database of said data link layer addresses to attributes of the nodes, said router being configured to determine the data link layer addresses of said nodes and to perform look-ups of said database in order to service said nodes.

22. A method of servicing nodes on a computer network which includes a plurality of such nodes and a router for routing traffic from and to said nodes, including:

obtaining data link layer addresses for said nodes;

constructing a database of said link layer addresses to attributes of the users of said nodes;

performing a look-up of the said link layer address of a node in said database when traffic in received from said node; and

servicing said node based on the attribute information obtained from said look-up.

23. A method of NAT in a computer system which includes a plurality of nodes have data link layer addresses and a router for routing traffic from and to said nodes:

determining the link layer address of a said node; and

creating a binding between an IP address assigned by the router and the IP address of the node and its link layer address.

24. A method of identifying a node in a computer network which includes a plurality of nodes having data link layer addresses, and a router for routing traffic from and to said nodes, including:

providing said network with a DNS server which maps a unique name to the data link layer address of a said node.