PROVIDING STATELESS NETWORK SERVICES

• US 20140280461A1
• Filed: 03/17/2014
• Published: 09/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Extreme Networks, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Aerohive Networks Incorporated (Extreme Networks, Inc.)
• Inventors: Gast, Matthew Stuart, Wang, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 9,762,679 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context

Abstract

In various systems and methods, there can be received a request for a network service. A query for the network service can be formulated based on the request. A remote access device can be instructed to interrogate remote devices coupled to the remote network access device for the network service. Access parameters related to the network service can be received in response to the interrogation. The user device can be configured to access the network service based on the access parameters.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a network service request receiving engine configured to receive a request for a network service;

a network service query formulation engine coupled to the network service request receiving engine and configured to formulate a query for the network service based on the request;

a network service query transfer engine coupled to the network service query formulation engine and configured to instruct a remote network access device to interrogate remote devices coupled to the remote network access device for the network service;

a network service query response engine coupled network service query transfer engine and configured to receive access parameters related to the network service in response to the interrogation;

a user device configuration engine coupled to the network service query response engine and configured to configure the user device to access the network service based on the access parameters.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the network service query transfer engine is operative to instruct the remote network access device to interrogate the remote devices after the network service query formulation engine formulates the query for the network service.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is operative to configure the user device to access the network service based on the access parameters without locally maintaining a state of the network services.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device configuration engine is operative to initiate transfer of the network service to the user device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the network services comprise one or more of:

a print service, a file service, a sharing service, a peripheral or device-related service, a display control service, and a service that supports a particular communication protocol.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user device tagging engine coupled to the network service request receiving engine and to the network service query formulation engine, the user device tagging engine configured to tag the request with a network location of the user device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device and the system reside on a first Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and the network service and the remote network access device reside on a second VLAN.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the user device and the system reside in a first building, and the network service and the remote network access device reside in a second building.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is incorporated into a network access device configured to control access to wireless network traffic.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the network access device comprises one or more of a switch and a router.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating transfer of the network service to the user device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving a request for a network service;

formulating a query for the network service based on the request;

instructing a remote network access device to interrogate remote devices coupled to the remote network access device for the network service;

receiving access parameters related to the network service in response to the interrogation;

configuring the user device to access the network service based on the access parameters.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein instructing the remote network access device to interrogate the remote devices occurs after formulating the query for the network service.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is operative to configure the user device to access the network service based on the access parameters without locally maintaining a state of the network services.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the network services comprise one or more of:

a print service, a file service, a sharing service, a peripheral or device-related service, a display control service, and a service that supports a particular communication protocol.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising tagging the request with a network location of the user device.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the user device resides on a first Virtual Local Area Network (VLAN), and the network service and the remote network access device reside on a second VLAN, the method executed in a system residing on the first VLAN.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the user device resides in a first building, and the network service and the remote network access device reside in a second building, the method executed in a system residing in the first building.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the method is executed on one or more of a router configured to control access to wireless network traffic, and a switch configured to control access to wireless network traffic.

20. A system comprising:

means for receiving a request for a network service;

means for formulating a query for the network service based on the request;

means for instructing a remote network access device to interrogate remote devices coupled to the remote network access device for the network service;

means for receiving access parameters related to the network service in response to the interrogation;

means for configuring the user device to access the network service based on the access parameters.