Method, system and apparatus for assigning and managing IP addresses for wireless clients in wireless local area networks (WLANs)
First Claim
1. A registration server for use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless clients, a plurality of IP tunnels and a plurality of wireless switches each being configured to support a particular subnet and communicate with the registration server over one of the IP tunnels, comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive, from one of the wireless switches, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an Internet Protocol (IP) address originating from one of the wireless clients associated with the subnet of that wireless switch; and
an IP address assignment module hosted at the registration server and configured to assign IP addresses to the wireless clients of the wireless network.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Techniques are provided IP address assignment and management in a wireless network. Such a wireless network can comprise a plurality of wireless clients, a registration server, a plurality of wireless switches each being configured to support a particular subnet. Each wireless client can generate a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an Internet Protocol (IP) address when the client either powers up in of moves to a new subnet, 802.11 authenticates and associates and 802.1x authenticates. The wireless switches can communicate with the registration server over an IP tunnel. For example, each wireless switch can receive the DHCP requests from wireless clients associated with the subnet of the wireless switch, and forward the DHCP requests to the registration server. The registration server can receive the forwarded DHCP requests, and assign IP addresses to the wireless clients based on the forwarded DHCP requests.
412 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A registration server for use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless clients, a plurality of IP tunnels and a plurality of wireless switches each being configured to support a particular subnet and communicate with the registration server over one of the IP tunnels, comprising:
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a receiver configured to receive, from one of the wireless switches, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an Internet Protocol (IP) address originating from one of the wireless clients associated with the subnet of that wireless switch; and
an IP address assignment module hosted at the registration server and configured to assign IP addresses to the wireless clients of the wireless network. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A wireless switch configured to support a first subnet and configured for use in a wireless network comprising a plurality of wireless clients, a registration server configured to assign IP addresses to the wireless clients, a plurality of IP tunnels and a plurality of wireless switches each being configured to support a particular subnet and communicate with the registration server over one of the IP tunnels, comprising:
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a receiver configured to a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an Internet Protocol (IP) address from a wireless client associated with the first subnet; and
a DHCP proxy module configured to use the DHCP request to determine the MAC address of the wireless client, and determine if the wireless switch already has a record for the wireless client based on the MAC address of that wireless client, wherein the record includes authentication and association information associated with the wireless client. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. A wireless network, comprising:
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a plurality of wireless clients, wherein each wireless client is configured to generate a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request for an Internet Protocol (IP) address;
a plurality of IP tunnels;
a registration server;
a plurality of wireless switches each being configured to support a particular subnet and communicate with the registration server over one of the IP tunnels, wherein each wireless switch is configured to receive the DHCP requests from wireless clients associated with the subnet of the wireless switch, and forward the DHCP requests from wireless clients associated with that subnet; and
wherein the registration server is configured to receive the forwarded DHCP requests, and assign IP addresses to the wireless clients based on the forwarded DHCP requests. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification