MOBILITY SERVICE CLUSTERING USING NETWORK SERVICE SEGMENTS

• US 20110022676A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Allan Thomson, David Stephenson, Rohit Suri
• Original Assignee: Allan Thomson, David Stephenson, Rohit Suri
• Inventors: Suri, Rohit, Stephenson, David, THOMSON, Allan
• Granted Patent: US 8,396,956 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/06 Registration at serving network Location Register, VLR or user mobility server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/12 between location registers or mobility servers

Abstract

Described in an example embodiment herein is a Mobility Service Engine (MSE) cluster comprising an MSE Cluster Master and at least one MSE Cluster Slave. The MSE Master is configured to define Network Service Segments. The MSE Master of the cluster distributes the Network Service Segments to slaves within the cluster. The network is configured to forward data to the correct Network Service Segment.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication interface; and

logic configured to receive data from the communication interface;

wherein the logic is configured to acquire data representative of at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave belonging to a mobility service cluster via the communication interface;

wherein the logic is configured to acquire physical layout data for a network; and

wherein the logic is configured to form at least one network service segment based on the physical layout data, the network service segment is a cohesive grouping that provides at least one mobility service cluster across a set of related infrastructure nodes;

wherein the mobility service cluster provides service to a first area, a second area, and a third area where a first part of the third area overlaps the first area and a second part of the third area overlaps the second area;

wherein the logic is configured to form a first network service segment for providing the service for the first area, a second network service segment for providing the service to the second area, and a third network service segment for providing the service to the third area

wherein the logic determines the load for the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment;

wherein the logic assigns the first network service segment to one of a first of the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and a second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave, the second network service segment to one of the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the third network service segment to one of the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave; and

wherein the logic assigns the first network service segment, second network service segment and third network service segment in a manner that best balances a load between the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to determine radio frequency neighbor environment from at least one controller in communication with the communication interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the logic is configured to receive updates of the radio frequency environment and access point to controller mappings via the communication interface;

and

wherein the logic is configured to re-form the at least one network service segment responsive to one of a group consisting of a change of the radio frequency environment and a change of access point to controller mapping.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the network service segment is bounded by a physical area selected from the group of at least one floor of a building, at least one building, at least one switch, at least one controller and at least one access point.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein service to the third area is provided by a mesh network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic communicates the assignments of the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment to the controllers assigned to service the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic assigns a network service segment to more than one Mobile Service Engine cluster slave.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to receive data from a plurality of mobile service engine cluster slaves representative of a load on each of the plurality of mobile service engine cluster slaves;

and

wherein the logic is configured to redistribute network service segments among the plurality of mobile service engine cluster slaves to balance the load on the plurality of mobile service engine cluster slaves.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the logic is configured to automatically reassign a network service segment assigned to a first mobile service engine cluster slave to a second mobile service engine cluster slave responsive to determining the first mobile service engine cluster slave has failed.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical layout data includes location of access points within the mobility service cluster;

wherein the logic is configured to determine a set of access points from within the access points within the mobility service cluster belonging to the network service segment; and

wherein the logic is further configured to communicate the set of access points belonging to the network service segment to a mobility service Engine cluster slave assigned to service the network service segment.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one network service segment is defined for a mesh network

12. A method, comprising:

acquiring data representative of at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave belonging to a mobility service cluster via the communication interface;

acquiring physical layout data for a network;

forming at least one network service segment based on the physical layout data, the network service segment is a cohesive grouping that provides at least one mobility service cluster across a set of related infrastructure nodes

wherein the mobility service cluster provides service to a first area, a second area, and a third area where a first part of the third area overlaps the first area and a second part of the third area overlaps the second area; and

forming a first network service segment for providing the service for the first area, a second network service segment for providing the service to the second area, and a third network service segment for providing the service to the third area

determining a load for the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment;

assigning the first network service segment to one of a first of the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and a second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave, the second network service segment to one of the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the third network service segment to one of the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave; and

assigning the first network service segment, second network service segment and third network service segment in a manner that best balances a load between the first the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave and the second the at least one Mobility Service Engine cluster slave.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving updated data representative of the radio frequency environment; and

re-forming at least one network service segment responsive to the updated data indicating a change in the radio frequency environment.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving updated data representative of access point to controller mappings; and

re-forming the at least one network service segment responsive to the updated data indicating a change of access point to controller mapping.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein service to one of the group consisting of the first area, the second area, and the third area is provided by a mesh network.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising communicating the assignments of the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment to the controllers assigned to service the first network service segment, the second network service segment and the third network service segment.

17. The method of claim 12, further comprising automatically reassigning a network service segment assigned to a first mobile service engine cluster slave to a second mobile service engine cluster slave responsive to determining the first mobile service engine cluster slave has failed.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the physical layout data includes location of access points within the mobility service cluster, the method further comprising:

determining a set of access points from within the mobility service cluster belonging to the network service segment; and

communicate data to the set of access points belonging to the network service segment to a mobility service Engine data representative of a cluster slave assigned to service the network service segment.

19. An apparatus, comprising:

a communication interface; and

logic configured to receive data from the communication interface;

wherein the logic determines a mobility service engine slaves belonging to a cluster;

wherein the logic determines all devices managed by the cluster, the devices managed by the cluster comprising a first mobility service engine cluster slave, a second mobility service cluster slave, a first controller in communication with the first mobility service engine cluster slave, and a second controller in communication with the first mobility service engine cluster slave and the second mobility service engine cluster slave;

wherein the logic acquires data representative of a physical layout, the data representative of the physical layout comprising data representative of an area serviced by each of the devices managed by the cluster;

wherein the logic receives radio frequency neighbor environment data from controllers associated with the cluster via the communication interface;

wherein the logic forms a plurality of network service segments for the cluster based on the radio frequency environment, wherein a network service segment is a cohesive grouping that provides at least one mobility service across a set of related infrastructure nodes;

wherein the logic assigns each of the plurality of network service segments to not more than one of the mobility service engine slaves that comprises assigning a selected one network service segment selected from the plurality network service segment to a cluster slave selected from the group consisting of the first mobility service engine cluster slave and the second mobility service engine cluster slave to service; and

wherein the logic communicates a routing path to controllers having infrastructure nodes belonging to the selected one network service segment via the communication interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

the logic is operative to receive updated radio frequency neighbor environment data via the communication interface; and

the logic re-forms the plurality of network service segments responsive to detecting changes in the radio frequency neighbor environment from the updated radio frequency neighbor environment data.