METHODS FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATA IN A NETWORK

• US 20110090896A1
• Filed: 10/15/2009
• Published: 04/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bradley, Bob
• Granted Patent: US 9,456,356 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/20 between access points

Abstract

A wireless network may contain access points that run a network management service. The service may monitor the access points and associated wireless access control settings. Wireless access control settings may be changed by a user to add or remote authorized client devices. The network management service may automatically detect changes to the network and may synchronize settings between access points accordingly. Each access point may broadcast a service name. The service name may include a wireless access point participant identifier, a cloud identifier that is based on a service set identifier, and a commit identifier that is based on a hash of the wireless access control settings for the broadcasting wireless access point. Cloud identifiers can be compared to identify whether a new access point should be synchronized. Participant identifiers may be compared to identify leaders. Commit identifiers can be compared to detect changes in wireless settings.

Claims

1. A method of using a network management service on a wireless access point in a wireless network, comprising:

with the network management service on the access point, comparing an access point participant identifier associated with the access point to at least one other access point participant identifier in the wireless network; and

with the network management service on the access point, determining from the comparison of the access point participant identifiers that a new access point is present in the wireless network.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

establishing a communications link between the access point and the new access point in response to determining that the new access point is present.

3. The method defined in claim 2 further comprising:

after establishing the communications link between the access point and the new access point, uploading wireless access control settings from the access point to the new access point over the communications link, wherein the wireless access control settings that are uploaded include timestamp information.

4. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

establishing an internet protocol link between the access point and the new access point in response to determining that the new access point is present.

5. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising:

after establishing the internet protocol link between the access point and the new access point, uploading wireless access control settings from the access point to the new access point over the internet protocol link.

6. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising:

after establishing the internet protocol link between the access point and the new access point, uploading wireless access control settings that include user configuration settings from the access point to the new access point over the internet protocol link.

7. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising:

after establishing the internet protocol link between the access point and the new access point, uploading wireless access control settings that include timed access setting from the access point to the new access point over the internet protocol link, wherein the timed access settings correspond to settings on permitted times for wireless access using the access point.

8. The method defined in claim 4 further comprising:

after establishing the internet protocol link between the access point and the new access point, uploading wireless access control settings including network access keys associated with the access point to the new access point over the internet protocol link.

9. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising:

uploading wireless access control settings from the access point to the new access point over a communications link; and

at the access point, receiving updated wireless access control settings from the new access control point.

10. A method of synchronizing wireless access control settings within a network, wherein the network includes a plurality of wireless access points each of which has a corresponding wireless access point participant identifier, the method comprising:

with a given wireless access point in the network, determining which wireless access point among the plurality of wireless access points is a leader of the plurality of wireless access points by evaluating the wireless access point participant identifiers.

11. The method defined in claim 10 wherein determining which wireless access point is the leader comprises:

with the given wireless access point, identifying which of the plurality of wireless access point participant identifiers is smallest.

12. The method defined in claim 10 wherein each wireless access point has a corresponding commit identifier computed from wireless access control settings associated with that wireless access point, the method comprising:

with the given wireless access point, comparing the commit identifier of the given wireless access point to at least one other commit identifier.

13. The method defined in claim 12 further comprising:

at the given wireless access point, computing the commit identifier for the given wireless access point by applying a hash function to the wireless access control settings associated with the given wireless access point.

14. The method defined in claim 13 further comprising:

at the given wireless access point, wirelessly broadcasting the commit identifier.

15. The method defined in claim 10 further comprising:

with the given wireless access point, wirelessly broadcasting a cloud identifier that is based on a service set identifier.

16. The method defined in claim 15 further comprising:

with the given wireless access point, wirelessly broadcasting a service name that includes information based on a service set identifier associated with the given wireless access point, that includes the wireless access point participant identifier associated with the given wireless access point, and that includes a commit identifier associated with the given wireless access point, wherein the commit identifier associated with the given wireless access point is computed based on wireless access control settings associated with the given wireless access point.

17. A method of synchronizing wireless access control settings in a wireless local area network, comprising:

with a given wireless access point, receiving identifier information from a newly introduced wireless access point in the wireless local area network, wherein the received identifier information is based on service set identifier information for the newly introduced wireless access point;

with the given wireless access point, comparing the received identifier information to identifier information associated with the given wireless access point; and

in response to detecting a match when comparing the received identifier information to the identifier information associated with the given wireless access point, using a network management service running on the given wireless access point to automatically determine whether wireless access control settings for the newly introduced wireless access point differ from wireless access control settings for the given wireless access point.

18. The method defined in claim 17 wherein automatically determining whether wireless access control settings for the newly introduced wireless access point differ from wireless access control settings for the given wireless access point comprises comparing hashed wireless access control settings.

19. The method defined in claim 18 wherein the given wireless access point and the newly introduced wireless access point each have an associated wireless network participant identifier, the method further comprising:

with the given wireless access point, comparing the associated wireless network participant identifiers.

20. The method defined in claim 19 further comprising:

in response to determining from comparing the associated wireless network participant identifiers that the newly introduced wireless access point has a smaller wireless network participant identifier than the given wireless access point, uploading wireless access control settings from the given wireless access point to the newly introduced wireless access point.