Controlling an Apparatus

• US 20130185416A1
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Published: 07/18/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Metaswitch Networks Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Larkin, Nicholas Peter, Mitchell, Alastair, Tylee, Andy, Tregenza Dancer, Colin, Kennedy, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,664 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/462 LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4641 Virtual LANs, VLANs, e.g. virtual private networks [VPN] LAN interconnection over a bridge based backbone H04L12/462; encapsulation techniques H04L12/4633; routing of packets H04L45/00; packet switches H04L49/00; virtual private networks for security H04L63/0272
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/677 Multiple interfaces, e.g. multihomed nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0811 by checking connectivity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/103 across network layers, e.g. resolution of network layer into physical layer addresses or address resolution protocol [ARP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5038 for local use, e.g. in LAN or USB networks, or in a controller area network [CAN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

An apparatus in a LAN has first and second hardware interfaces to connect to the LAN. First and second monitoring request messages are transmitted to one or more devices in a first VLAN and one or more devices in a second VLAN respectively, via both the first and second hardware interfaces. The monitoring request messages use the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) or the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP). First and second monitoring response messages are received via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the first and second monitoring request messages respectively. A selection is made between the first and second hardware interfaces for performing data communication, based on the first and second monitoring response messages. The selection is performed independently for data communication via the first and second VLANs based on at least one characteristic of the first and second monitoring response messages respectively.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an apparatus in a local area network (LAN), the apparatus having a first hardware interface and a second hardware interface to connect to the LAN, the method comprising:

transmitting first monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a first virtual local area network (VLAN) via both the first and second hardware interfaces, and second monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a second VLAN via both the first and second hardware interfaces, wherein the first and second monitoring request messages use the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) or the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP);

receiving first monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the first monitoring request messages and second monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the second monitoring request messages;

selecting between the first and second hardware interfaces for performing data communication, based on the first and second monitoring response messages,

wherein the selecting between the first and second interfaces is performed independently for data communication via the first VLAN based on at least one characteristic of the first monitoring response messages and for data communication via the second VLAN based at least one characteristic of the second monitoring response messages.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the first and second monitoring request messages and at least some of the first and second monitoring response messages use the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the first and second monitoring request messages and at least some of the first and second monitoring response messages use the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the first and second monitoring request messages are unicast messages.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the first and second monitoring request messages are transmitted to at least one common device.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the at least one common device comprises a default router for the LAN.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first hardware interface is configured with a first Media Access Control (MAC) address, the second hardware interface is configured with a second, different MAC address, and the first and second hardware interfaces are collectively associated with a third MAC address different from both the first and second MAC addresses, and wherein the method further comprises:

transmitting monitoring request messages, and receiving monitoring reply messages, using the first and second MAC addresses for both the first and second VLANs; and

performing data communication using the third MAC address for each of the first and second VLANs.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, whilst conducting data communication via at least one of the first and second VLANs using the first hardware interface, it is determined that the second hardware interface is more reliable than the first hardware interface for data communication via the at least one of the first and second VLANs, and wherein the method further comprises transmitting an announcement message via the second hardware interface announcing that the third MAC address is reachable via the second hardware interface and no longer via the first hardware interface for data communication via the at least one of the first and second VLANs.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein a third VLAN shares the same topology in the local area network as the first VLAN, and wherein the method further comprises:

sending shared monitoring request messages and receiving shared monitoring response messages, on behalf of both the first VLAN and the third VLAN; and

selecting between the first and second interfaces commonly for data communication via the first VLAN and data communication via the third VLAN, based on the shared response messages.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining whether the first hardware interface is more reliable than the second hardware interface for data communications via the first and second VLANs based on the first and second monitoring response messages, and performing the selecting on the basis of the determining.

11. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon, the computer readable instructions being executable by a computerized device to cause the computerized device to perform a method for controlling an apparatus in a local area network (LAN), the apparatus having a first hardware interface and a second hardware interface to connect to the LAN, the method comprising:

transmitting first monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a first virtual local area network (VLAN) via both the first and second hardware interfaces, and second monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a second VLAN via both the first and second hardware interfaces, wherein the first and second monitoring request messages use the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) or the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP);

receiving first monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the first monitoring request messages and second monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the second monitoring request messages;

selecting between the first and second hardware interfaces for performing data communication, based on the first and second monitoring response messages,

wherein the selecting between the first and second interfaces is performed independently for data communication via the first VLAN based on at least one characteristic of the first monitoring response messages and for data communication via the second VLAN based at least one characteristic of the second monitoring response messages.

12. An apparatus comprising a first hardware interface and a second hardware interface to connect to a Local Area Network (LAN), and the apparatus being configured to:

transmit first monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a first virtual local area network (VLAN) via both the first and second hardware interfaces, and second monitoring request messages to one or more devices in a second VLAN via both the first and second hardware interfaces, wherein the first and second monitoring request messages use the Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) or the Neighbor Discovery Protocol (NDP);

receive first monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the first monitoring request messages and second monitoring response messages via the first and/or second hardware interfaces in response to the second monitoring request messages;

select between the first and second hardware interfaces for performing data communication, based on the first and second monitoring response messages,

wherein the selecting between the first and second interfaces is performed independently for data communication via the first VLAN based on at least one characteristic of the first monitoring response messages and for data communication via the second VLAN based at least one characteristic of the second monitoring response messages.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a media gateway.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the apparatus comprises a session border controller.