SYSTEMS, APPARATUS, AND METHODS FOR BRIDGE LEARNING IN MULTI-HOP NETWORKS

• US 20140071885A1
• Filed: 09/09/2013
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm MEMS Technologies Incorporated (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Cherian, George, Abraham, Santosh Paul, Jafarian, Amin
• Application Number:
  US14/022,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071885A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/315
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

Systems, methods, and devices for communicating data in a wireless communications network are described herein. One innovative aspect of the present disclosure includes method of communicating in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes. The method includes attaching the first relay node having one or more descendant nodes. The method further includes transmitting an announcement. The method further includes maintaining, at the first relay node, a time-to-live timer for a descendant node. The method further includes updating a bridging table based on the time-to-live timer

Claims

1. A method of communicating in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes, the method comprising:

attaching a first relay node to a second relay node, the first relay node having one or more descendant nodes;

transmitting an announcement configured to initiate a modification of a bridging table with respect to the attached first relay node and its descendant nodes;

maintaining, at the first relay node, a time-to-live timer for a descendant node; and

updating a bridging table based on the time-to-live timer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining device information for each of the descendant nodes,

wherein transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting to the root node, for each descendant node, an announcement comprising the device information.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the announcement comprises a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) packet.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

sending a request for device information to each descendant node; and

caching a response from each descendant node, the response comprising the device information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein:

the request for device information comprises an address resolution protocol (ARP)-Request packet,

the response from each descendant node comprises an ARP-Reply packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

monitoring device information sent by each descendant node; and

caching the monitored device information for each descendant node.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein:

the monitored device information comprises one or more address resolution protocol (ARP) packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating a cache timer with each descendant node;

sending the request for device information to a descendant node, and relaying the response to the root node, when a packet has not been received from the descendant node before the associated timer expires; and

transmitting cached device information to the root node when a packet has been received from the descendant nodes before the associated timer expires.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting, to the root node, an indication that network topology has changed.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication that network topology has changed comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

11. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the wireless communications network further comprises a root relay attached to the root node, and

transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting, to the root relay, an indication that network topology has changed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the announcement comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising disassociating, from a third relay node, prior to attaching to a second relay node.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the announcement comprises a link-layer update frame addressed to the root node, comprising media access control (MAC) address of all descendant nodes under the first relay, the link-layer update frame configured to cause each of the relay nodes, in the path between the first relay and the root node, to update a bridging entry.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising resetting the time-to-live timer when a packet is received from the descendant node.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising transmitting a request packet to the descendant node when the time-to-live timer expires.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the request packet comprises a least one of a ping packet, a discovery packet, and a keep-alive packet.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising retransmitting the request packet when a packet is not received from the descendant node within a request timeout.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising flushing entries for the descendant node, and nodes below the descendant node, when a packet is not received from the descendant node within one of the time-to-live timer, the request timeout, and a retry threshold.

20. A device configured to communicate in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes, the device having one or more descendant nodes, comprising:

a processor configured to;

maintain a time-to-live timer for a descendant node;

update a bridging table based on the time-to-live timer; and

attach the device to a relay node; and

a transmitter configured to transmit an announcement configured to initiate a modification of a bridging table with respect to the device and its descendant nodes.

21. The device of claim 20, wherein:

the processor is further configured to determine device information for each of the descendant nodes, and

the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the root node, for each descendant node, an announcement comprising the device information.

22. The device of claim 21, wherein the announcement comprises a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) packet.

23. The device of claim 21, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

sending a request for device information to each descendant node; and

caching a response from each descendant node, the response comprising the device information.

24. The device of claim 23, wherein:

the request for device information comprises an address resolution protocol (ARP)-Request packet,

the response from each descendant node comprises an ARP-Reply packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

25. The device of claim 21, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

monitoring device information sent by each descendant node; and

caching the monitored device information for each descendant node.

26. The device of claim 25, wherein:

the monitored device information comprises one or more address resolution protocol (ARP) packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

27. The device of claim 23, wherein:

the processor is further configured to associate a cache timer with each descendant node; and

the transmitter is further configured to;

send the request for device information to a descendant node, and relay the response to the root node, when a packet has not been received from the descendant node before the associated timer expires; and

transmit cached device information to the root node when a packet has been received from the descendant nodes before the associated timer expires.

28. The device of claim 20, wherein the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the root node, an indication that network topology has changed.

29. The device of claim 28, wherein the indication that network topology has changed comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

30. The device of claim 20, wherein:

the wireless communications network further comprises a root relay attached to the root node, and

the transmitter is further configured to transmit, to the root relay, an indication that network topology has changed.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the announcement comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

32. The device of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to disassociate the device, from a second relay node, prior to attaching to a relay node.

33. The device of claim 20, wherein the announcement comprises a link-layer update frame addressed to the root node, comprising media access control (MAC) address of all descendant nodes under the first relay, the link-layer update frame configured to cause each of the relay nodes, in the path between the first relay and the root node, to update a bridging entry.

34. The device of claim 20, wherein the processor is further configured to reset the time-to-live timer when a packet is received from the descendant node.

35. The device of claim 34, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a request packet to the descendant node when the time-to-live timer expires.

36. The device of claim 35, wherein the request packet comprises a least one of a ping packet, a discovery packet, and a keep-alive packet.

37. The device of claim 35, wherein the transmitter is further configured to retransmit the request packet when a packet is not received from the descendant node within a request timeout.

38. The device of claim 37, wherein the processor is further configured to flush entries for the descendant node, and nodes below the descendant node, when a packet is not received from the descendant node within one of the time-to-live timer, the request timeout, and a retry threshold.

39. An apparatus for communicating in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes, the apparatus comprising:

means for attaching a first relay node to a second relay node, the first relay node having one or more descendant nodes;

means for transmitting an announcement configured to initiate a modification of a bridging table with respect to the attached first relay node and its descendant nodes;

means for maintaining, at the first relay node, a time-to-live timer for a descendant node; and

means for updating a bridging table based on the time-to-live timer.

40. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising:

means for determining device information for each of the descendant nodes,

wherein means for transmitting the announcement comprises means for transmitting to the root node, for each descendant node, an announcement comprising the device information.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the announcement comprises a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) packet.

42. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein means for determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

means for sending a request for device information to each descendant node; and

means for caching a response from each descendant node, the response comprising the device information.

43. The apparatus of claim 42, wherein:

the request for device information comprises an address resolution protocol (ARP)-Request packet,

the response from each descendant node comprises an ARP-Reply packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

44. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein means for determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

means for monitoring device information sent by each descendant node; and

means for caching the monitored device information for each descendant node.

45. The apparatus of claim 44, wherein:

the monitored device information comprises one or more address resolution protocol (ARP) packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

46. The apparatus of claim 42, further comprising:

means for associating a cache timer with each descendant node;

means for sending the request for device information to a descendant node, and means for relaying the response to the root node, when a packet has not been received from the descendant node before the associated timer expires; and

means for transmitting cached device information to the root node when a packet has been received from the descendant nodes before the associated timer expires.

47. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein means for transmitting the announcement comprises means for transmitting, to the root node, an indication that network topology has changed.

48. The apparatus of claim 47, wherein the indication that network topology has changed comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

49. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein:

the wireless communications network further comprises a root relay attached to the root node, and

means for transmitting the announcement comprises means for transmitting, to the root relay, an indication that network topology has changed.

50. The apparatus of claim 49, wherein the announcement comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

51. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising means for disassociating, from a third relay node, prior to attaching to a second relay node.

52. The apparatus of claim 39, wherein the announcement comprises a link-layer update frame addressed to the root node, comprising media access control (MAC) address of all descendant nodes under the first relay, the link-layer update frame configured to cause each of the relay nodes, in the path between the first relay and the root node, to update a bridging entry.

53. The apparatus of claim 39, further comprising means for resetting the time-to-live timer when a packet is received from the descendant node.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, further comprising means for transmitting a request packet to the descendant node when the time-to-live timer expires.

55. The apparatus of claim 54, wherein the request packet comprises a least one of a ping packet, a discovery packet, and a keep-alive packet.

56. The apparatus of claim 54, further comprising means for retransmitting the request packet when a packet is not received from the descendant node within a request timeout.

57. The apparatus of claim 56, further comprising means for flushing entries for the descendant node, and nodes below the descendant node, when a packet is not received from the descendant node within one of the time-to-live timer, the request timeout, and a retry threshold.

58. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus to:

attach a first relay node to a second relay node in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes, the first relay node having one or more descendant nodes;

transmit an announcement configured to initiate a modification of a bridging table with respect to the attached first relay node and its descendant nodes;

maintain, at the first relay node in a multi-hop wireless mesh network comprising a root node and a plurality of relay nodes, a time-to-live timer for a descendant node; and

update a bridging table based on the time-to-live timer.

59. The medium of claim 58, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the apparatus to:

determine device information for each of the descendant nodes,

wherein transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting to the root node, for each descendant node, an announcement comprising the device information.

60. The medium of claim 59, wherein the announcement comprises a gratuitous address resolution protocol (ARP) packet.

61. The medium of claim 59, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

sending a request for device information to each descendant node; and

caching a response from each descendant node, the response comprising the device information.

62. The medium of claim 61, wherein:

the request for device information comprises an address resolution protocol (ARP)-Request packet,

the response from each descendant node comprises an ARP-Reply packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

63. The medium of claim 59, wherein determining the device information for each of the descendant nodes comprises:

monitoring device information sent by each descendant node; and

caching the monitored device information for each descendant node.

64. The medium of claim 63, wherein:

the monitored device information comprises one or more address resolution protocol (ARP) packet, and

the announcement comprises a gratuitous ARP packet.

65. The medium of claim 61, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the apparatus to:

associate a cache timer with each descendant node;

send the request for device information to a descendant node, and relay the response to the root node, when a packet has not been received from the descendant node before the associated timer expires; and

transmit cached device information to the root node when a packet has been received from the descendant nodes before the associated timer expires.

66. The medium of claim 58, wherein transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting, to the root node, an indication that network topology has changed.

67. The medium of claim 66, wherein the indication that network topology has changed comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

68. The medium of claim 58, wherein:

the wireless communications network further comprises a root relay attached to the root node, and

transmitting the announcement comprises transmitting, to the root relay, an indication that network topology has changed.

69. The medium of claim 68, wherein the announcement comprises a topology change notification (TCN) bridge protocol data unit (BPDU).

70. The medium of claim 58, further comprising disassociating, from a third relay node, prior to attaching to a second relay node.

71. The medium of claim 58, wherein the announcement comprises a link-layer update frame addressed to the root node, comprising media access control (MAC) address of all descendant nodes under the first relay, the link-layer update frame configured to cause each of the relay nodes, in the path between the first relay and the root node, to update a bridging entry.

72. The medium of claim, 58, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the apparatus to transmit a request packet to the descendant node when the time-to-live timer expires.

73. The medium of claim 72, wherein the request packet comprises a least one of a ping packet, a discovery packet, and a keep-alive packet.

74. The medium of claim 72, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the apparatus to retransmit the request packet when a packet is not received from the descendant node within a request timeout.

75. The medium of claim 74, further comprising code that, when executed, causes the apparatus to flush entries for the descendant node, and nodes below the descendant node, when a packet is not received from the descendant node within one of the time-to-live timer, the request timeout, and a retry threshold.