Client Addressing And Roaming In A Wireless Network

• US 20080288614A1
• Filed: 02/28/2008
• Published: 11/20/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Meraki Networks, Inc (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Biswas, Sanjit, Bicket, John, Gil, Thomer M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,210,034 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0246 Exchanging or transporting network management information using the Internet; Embedding network management web servers in network elements; Web-services-based protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/026 using e-messaging for transporting management information, e.g. email, instant messaging or chat
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/04 Network management architectures or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/34 Signalling channels for network management communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5014 using dynamic host configuration protocol [DHCP] or bootstrap protocol [BOOTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A managed network receives client device requests for network addresses for communications over the managed network and computes a network address for a client device based on a hardware address of the client device, such as the MAC address of the client device, and returns the network address to the client device along with a predetermined gateway address for communications over the managed network with external networks. The MAC address is hashed to the network address that is assigned such that the client address will always receive the same network address whenever it accesses the managed network.

Claims

1. A method of operating a device for communication over a managed network using a network communication protocol, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a first access point from a client device for a network address for communications over the managed network;

computing a network address for the client device over the managed network based on a hardware identifier of the client device such that the computed network address will consistently be computed;

returning the network address to the client device for intra-network communications along with a predetermined gateway address for communications over the managed network with external networks.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the hardware identifier of the client device comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the client device, and computing a network address comprises performing a hash function on the client device MAC address.

3. The method as defined in claim 2, wherein computing a network address further includes conforming the computed network address to managed network parameters relating to least significant byte and most significant byte of the computed network address.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the network communication protocol comprises an Internet protocol (IP) and the predetermined gateway address comprises a fixed IP address.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, wherein the managed network comprises a subnet defined by a predetermined range of IP addresses.

6. The method as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request at a second access point from the client device for a network address for network communications issued by the second access point;

computing the second access point network address for the client device based on a hardware address of the client device such that the second access point network address and the previously-returned network address are equal in value;

returning the second access point network address and the predetermined gateway address to the client device for communications over the managed network.

7. A method of operating a device for communication over a network, the method comprising:

receiving a request at a first access point from a client device for a network address for communications over a managed network using Internet protocol (IP) addressing;

computing a network address for the client device by performing a hash function on a media access control (MAC) address of the client device;

conforming the computed network address to managed network parameters relating to least significant byte and most significant byte of the computed network address.

returning the network address to the client device for intra-network communications along with a predetermined gateway IP address for communications over the managed network with external networks.

8. The method as defined in claim 7, further including:

receiving a request at a second access point from the client device for a new network address for network communications;

computing the new network address for the client device based on the MAC address of the client device such that the new network address and the already-returned network address are equal in value;

returning the new network address and the predetermined gateway IP address to the client device for communications over the managed network.

9. A method of operating a device for communication over a managed network using a network communication protocol, the method comprising:

requesting a network address from a first access point for communications over the managed network, wherein the request includes a hardware identifier of the device;

receiving a computed network address that is derived from the hardware identifier of the client device along with a predetermined gateway address for communications over the managed network with external networks.

10. The method as defined in claim 9, wherein the hardware identifier comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the client device, and computing a network address comprises performing a hash function on the client device MAC address.

11. The method as defined in claim 10, wherein the received network address further comprises a network address that conforms to managed network parameters relating to least significant byte and most significant byte of the computed network address.

12. A network access device for communication over a managed network using a network communication protocol, the network access device comprising:

a network interface for communications using the network communication protocol;

a processor that receives a request from a client device for a network address for communications over the managed network, computes a network address for the client device over the managed network based on a hardware identifier of the client device such that the computed network address will consistently be computed, and returns the network address to the client device for intra-network communications along with a predetermined gateway address for communications over the managed network with external networks.

13. The network access device as defined in claim 12, wherein the hardware identifier of the client device comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the client device, and the processor computes a network address by performing a hash function on the client device MAC address.

14. The network access device as defined in claim 13, wherein the processor further computes a network address by conforming the computed network address to managed network parameters relating to least significant byte and most significant byte of the computed network address.

15. The network access device as defined in claim 12, wherein the network communication protocol comprises an Internet protocol (IP) and the predetermined gateway address comprises a fixed IP address.

16. The network address device as defined in claim 15, wherein the managed network comprises a subnet defined by a predetermined range of IP addresses.

17. A program product for use in a computer system that receives program instructions recorded in a computer-readable media for performing a method for network communications, the program product comprising:

a recordable media;

program of computer-readable instructions executable by a computer processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request at a first access point from a client device for a network address for communications over the managed network;

computing a network address for the client device over the managed network based on a hardware identifier of the client device such that the computed network address will consistently be computed;

returning the network address to the client device for intra-network communications along with a predetermined gateway address for communications over the managed network with external networks.

18. The program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the hardware identifier of the client device comprises a media access control (MAC) address of the client device, and computing a network address comprises performing a hash function on the client device MAC address.

19. The program product as defined in claim 18, wherein computing a network address further includes conforming the computed network address to managed network parameters relating to least significant byte and most significant byte of the computed network address.

20. The program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the network communication protocol comprises an Internet protocol (IP) and the predetermined gateway address comprises a fixed IP address.

21. The program product as defined in claim 20, wherein the managed network comprises a subnet defined by a predetermined range of IP addresses.

22. The program product as defined in claim 17, wherein the performed operations further include:

receiving a request at a second access point from the client device for a network address for network communications issued by the second access point;

computing the second access point network address for the client device based on a hardware address of the client device such that the second access point network address and the previously-returned network address are equal in value;

returning the second access point network address and the predetermined gateway address to the client device for communications over the managed network.