Methods and apparatus for distributing link-state information associated with a wireless mesh network

• US 20060140123A1
• Filed: 12/29/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Conner, W. Steven, Zhu, Jing Z.
• Application Number:
  US11/025,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20060140123A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/03 by updating link state protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/04 Interdomain routing, e.g. hierarchical routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/26 Route discovery packet

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for distributing link-state information associated with a wireless mesh network are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying one or more links of a neighborhood associated with a primary relay node of a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh nodes; and

generating a link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node comprising identifying a link associated with the primary relay node and a primary relay selector node.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node comprising identifying a link associated with the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay node.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node comprising identifying a link associated with a first primary relay selector node and a second primary relay selector node, and wherein the first and second primary relay selector nodes selected the primary relay node.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node comprising identifying a link associated with a primary relay selector node that selected the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay selector node.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein generating the link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links comprises generating the link-state message based on one or more of a hello message from a mesh node associated with the neighborhood, a raw link-state list, or an adjacent bit array.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising selecting the primary relay node from the plurality of relay nodes based on a backbone selection protocol.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising transmitting the link-state information to one or more of the plurality of mesh nodes.

9. An article of manufacture including content, which when accessed, causes a machine to:

identify one or more links of a neighborhood associated with a primary relay node of a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh nodes; and

generate a link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links.

10. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to identify the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node by identifying a link associated with the primary relay node and a primary relay selector node.

11. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to identify the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node by identifying a link associated with the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay node.

12. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to identify the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node by identifying a link associated with a first primary relay selector node and a second primary relay selector node, and wherein the first and second primary relay selector nodes selected the primary relay node.

13. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to identify the one or more links of the neighborhood associated with the primary relay node by identifying a link associated with a primary relay selector node that selected the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay selector node.

14. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to generate the link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links by generating the link-state message based on one or more of a hello message from a mesh node associated with the neighborhood, a raw link-state list, or an adjacent bit array.

15. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, causes the machine to transmit the link-state information to one or more of the plurality of mesh nodes.

16. An apparatus comprising:

an identifier to identify one or more links of a neighborhood associated with a primary relay node of a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh nodes; and

a generator to generate a link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify a link associated with the primary relay node and a primary relay selector node.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify a link associated with the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay node.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify a link associated with a first primary relay selector node and a second primary relay selector node, and wherein the first and second primary relay selector nodes selected the primary relay node.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify a link associated with a primary relay selector node that selected the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay selector node.

21. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the generator is configured to generate the link-state message based on one or more of a hello message from a mesh node associated with the neighborhood, a raw link-state list, or an adjacent bit array.

22. An apparatus as defined in claim 16 further comprising a transmitter to transmit the link-state message to one or more of the plurality of mesh nodes.

23. A system comprising:

a transceiver; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver to identify one or more links of a neighborhood associated with a primary relay node of a wireless mesh network having a plurality of mesh nodes, and to generate a link-state message having link-state information associated with each of the one or more links.

24. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to identify a link associated with the primary relay node and a primary relay selector node.

25. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to identify a link associated with the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay node.

26. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to identify a link associated with a first primary relay selector node and a second primary relay selector node, and wherein the first and second primary relay selector nodes selected the primary relay node.

27. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to identify a link associated with a primary relay selector node that selected the primary relay node and a non-primary relay selector node having a node address greater than a node address of the primary relay selector node.

28. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to generate the link-state message based on one or more of a hello message from a mesh node associated with the neighborhood, a raw link-state list, or an adjacent bit array.

29. A system as defined in claim 23, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the link-state message to one or more of the plurality of mesh nodes.