Dynamic network activation apparatus, systems, and methods

• US 20060072521A1
• Filed: 09/28/2004
• Published: 04/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bhatt, Dhiraj, Curfman, Matthew C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,738,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/338
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections

Abstract

Apparatus and systems, as well as methods and articles, may operate to handshake with an operating system to indicate a network connection state at about the time a driver is initialized, or when a state of network disconnection is sensed. A wireless network connection may be opened at about the time a request from the operating system to utilize the network is received.

Claims

1. An apparatus, including:

a network interface device; and

a dynamic activation module to couple to the network interface device and to perform one of opening a virtual network connection and opening a real network connection.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the virtual network connection comprises an indication that a network is ready and a provision of a private Internet protocol (IP) address during a time of actual disconnection from the network, to allow an IP network stack to send data packets during the time of actual disconnection.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the real network connection comprises an indication that a network is ready and a provision of an actual Internet protocol (IP) address associated with the network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the dynamic activation module is responsive to a request from an operating system.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the network interface device comprises a wireless device.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the wireless device is subsumed by at least one of a global system for mobile communications (GSM) device and a general packet radio service (GPRS) device.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a network interface device driver module to couple to the network interface device.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

an operating system to couple to the dynamic activation module.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

at least one application module to open a network socket to the operating system.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, further including:

a packet buffer to couple to the network interface device.

11. A system, including:

a network interface device;

an omnidirectional antenna to couple to the network interface device; and

a dynamic activation module to couple to the network interface device and to perform one of opening a virtual network connection and opening a real network connection.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the virtual network connection comprises at least one of a network socket and an operating system socket.

13. The system of claim 11, further including:

a network computing device coupled to the network interface device.

14. The system of claim 11, further including:

a wireless packet-switched network to couple to the network interface device.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the wireless packet-switched network comprises at least one of a serving general packet radio system (GPRS) support node (SGSN), a backbone GPRS support node (GGSN), and an Internet service provider (ISP).

16. A method, including:

handshaking with an operating system to indicate to the operating system a state of connection to a network at one of a time of a driver initialization and a time of sensing a state of disconnection from the network; and

opening a wireless network connection at approximately a time of receiving a request from the operating system to utilize the network.

17. The method of claim 16, further including:

passing an Internet protocol (IP) address to the operating system.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the IP address comprises a private IP address.

19. The method of claim 16, further including:

receiving an Internet protocol (IP) packet from the operating system;

re-writing an IP address obtained from the network connection into an address header of the packet; and

forwarding the packet to the network.

20. The method of claim 16, further including:

sensing the state of disconnection from the network.

21. The method of claim 16, further including:

handshaking with the operating system to indicate to the operating system the state of disconnection from the network.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein the network connection comprises a packet data protocol (PDP) context.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the PDP context occurs within a general packet radio service (GPRS) system.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the GPRS system is included in a global system for mobile communications (GSM) infrastructure.

25. An article including a machine-accessible medium having associated information, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

handshaking with an operating system to indicate to the operating system a state of connection to a network at one of a time of a driver initialization and a time of sensing a state of disconnection from the network; and

opening a wireless network connection at approximately a time of receiving a request from the operating system to utilize the network.

26. The article of claim 25, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

buffering an Internet protocol packet received from the operating system responsive to receiving the request from the operating system to utilize the network.

27. The article of claim 25, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

passing a private Internet protocol address to the operating system at approximately a time of initializing the operating system.

28. The article of claim 25, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

passing to the operating system an Internet protocol address obtained from a wireless network.

29. The article of claim 25, wherein the information, when accessed, results in a machine performing:

determining whether a packet data protocol (PDP) context is currently active.