Method and System for a Radio Frequency Management in a Mesh Network with a Path Distance Factor

• US 20110216667A1
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Zou, Xu, Huang, Kangchang
• Granted Patent: US 8,953,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/028 Dynamic adaptation of the update intervals, e.g. event-triggered updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

A method and system for radio frequency management (RFM) in a mesh network using a path distance factor (PDF) is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method, comprises calculating a path distance factor (PDF) between a first mesh router and a portal. A frame is transmitted to a second mesh router, wherein the frame includes the path distance factor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calculating, by a network device, a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal; and

transmitting, by the network device, a frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes the path distance vector.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing, by the network device, the first path distance factor to a value corresponding to a predetermined distance value which represents that the first mesh router is in an island state.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the first path distance factor to a predetermined value when the first mesh router is the portal.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the first path distance vector further comprises a second path distance vector, which includes:

a second node identifier corresponding to a second mesh router on the path between the first mesh router and the portal; and

a second path distance factor indicating a second distance from the second mesh router to the portal.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

calculating the first path distance factor using the second path distance factor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first path distance factor is the minimum path distance factor value of a plurality of path distance factor values.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a path distance vector threshold which specifies a total number of nodes on the path to be announced in the frame.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

dividing a plurality of nodes in the mesh network into a plurality of layers based on the path distance vector threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting the path distance vector threshold based on scale of the mesh network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a logic comparison based at least on the first path distance vector to form a loop-free topology.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a beacon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a probe response management frame.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a determining mechanism coupled to the processor, the determining mechanism to determine a path distance vector threshold which specifies a total number of nodes on the path to be announced in the frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a dividing mechanism coupled to the processor, the dividing mechanism to divide a plurality of nodes in the mesh network into a plurality of layers based on the path distance vector threshold.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a calculating mechanism coupled to the processor, the calculating mechanism to calculate a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal; and

a transmitting mechanism coupled to the processor, the transmitting mechanism to transmit a frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes the path distance vector.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first path distance vector further comprises a second path distance vector, which includes:

a second node identifier corresponding to a second mesh router on the path between the first mesh router and the portal; and

a second path distance factor indicating a second distance from the second mesh router to the portal.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a router being a part of a wireless mesh network, cause said router to perform:

calculating a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal; and

transmitting a frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes the path distance vector.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.