SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENT STATE SYNCHRONIZATION AMONG NEIGHBORING NETWORK DEVICES

• US 20150003284A1
• Filed: 06/28/2013
• Published: 01/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: PalChaudhuri, Santashil, Gupta, Manoj
• Granted Patent: US 9,351,130 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/185 with management of multicast group membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0816 the condition being an adaptation, e.g. in response to network events
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/30 Resource management for broadcast services

Abstract

According to one embodiment of the invention, a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations including detecting, by a first network device, a second network device within a radio frequency (RF) communication range from the first network device. Responsive at least to detecting the second network device, the first network device subscribes to a multicast group associated with the second network device. Thereafter, the first network device receives multicast data associated with the multicast group associated with the second network device.

Claims

11. A first network device comprising:

one or more radio units configured to receive wireless signals from a second network device within a radio frequency (RF) communication range from the first network device;

at least one hardware processor coupled to the one or more radio units, wherein the at least one hardware processor being configured to control the first network device to (i) subscribe to a multicast group associated with the second network device in response to detecting the wireless signals from the second network device, and (ii) receive multicast data associated with the multicast group subsequent to the first network device joining the multicast group.

12. The first network device of claim 11 being configured to subscribe to the multicast group responsive at least to detecting the wireless signals, from the second network device, having a signal strength above a particular threshold.

13. The first network device of claim 11, wherein the at least one hardware processor performing operations to control the first network device to subscribe to the multicast group comprising computing a multicast address associated with the multicast group based at least on a portion of information associated with the second network device.

14. The first network device of claim 11, wherein the at least one hardware processor being further configured to control the first network device to modify channel access request configuration of the first network device based on the received multicast data.

15. The first network device of claim 11, wherein the at least one hardware processor being further configured to perform operations to control the first network device to use the received multicast data for providing one or more services to a client device (a) currently associated with the first network device and (b) was previously associated with the second network device, wherein the first network device is a first access point and wherein the second network device is a second access point.

16. The first network device of claim 11, wherein the at least one hardware processor being further configured to modify a configuration of the first network device to preclude any additional client devices from successfully associating with the first network device.

17. The first network device of claim 11, wherein the at least one hardware processor being further configured to narrow, based on information within the received multicast data, a bandwidth of a wireless channel being utilized by the one or more radio units.

18. The first network device of claim 11, wherein multicast data transmitted to members of the multicast group is determined by the second network device.

19. The first network device of claim 11, wherein subscribing to the multicast group associated with the second network device is further responsive at least to determining that the second network device subscribes to the multicast group.

20. A non-transitory computer readable medium implemented within a first network device and comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

receiving a message from a second network device, the message comprises one of (i) a PROBE REQUEST message comprising state information and (ii) a PROBE RESPONSE message comprising the state information;

determine a configuration for the first network device based at least on the state information received in the message.

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:

detecting, by a first network device, a second network device within a radio frequency (RF) communication range from the first network device;

responsive at least to detecting the second network device, subscribing, by the first network device, to a multicast group associated with the second network device;

receiving, by the first network device, multicast data associated with the multicast group associated with the second network device.

2. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein subscribing to the multicast group responsive at least to detecting the second network device comprises subscribing to the multicast group in response to detecting wireless signals from the second network device with a signal strength above a particular threshold.

3. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein subscribing to the multicast group is further responsive at least to determining that the second network device is an access point.

4. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein subscribing to the multicast group comprises one or more of:

computing a multicast address associated with the multicast group based at least on a portion of information associated with the second network device or receiving the multicast address in a beacon frame from the second network device.

5. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise modifying, by the first network device, channel access request configuration of the first network device based on the received multicast data.

6. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise using the received multicast data for providing one or more services to a client device (a) currently associated with the first network device and (b) was previously associated with the second network device, wherein the first network device is a first access point and wherein the second network device is a second access point.

7. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise modifying of a configuration of the first network device to preclude any additional client devices from successfully associating with the first network device.

8. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise modifying a configuration of the first network device to narrow a bandwidth of a wireless channel utilized by the first network device based on information within the received multicast data.

9. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein multicast data transmitted to members of the multicast group is determined by the second network device.

10. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein subscribing to the multicast group associated with the second network device is further responsive at least to determining that the second network device subscribes to the multicast group.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the state information comprises Opportunistic Key Caching (OKC) information used to initiate a 4-way handshake authentication in lieu of an IEEE 802.1x authentication.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the state information comprises load capacity of the second network device.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the load capacity comprises a number of client devices in association with the second network device.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein the load capacity comprises processor utilization information for the second network device.

25. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the state information comprises operating bandwidth to convey one or more wireless channels utilized by the second network device.

26. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the modified configuration reduces an amount of time for authenticating a client device roaming to the first network device from a neighboring network device.

27. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the modified configuration narrows a bandwidth of a home channel for the first network device.

28. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the modified configuration precludes further client devices from successfully associating with the first network device.

29. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein receiving the PROBE RESPONSE message by the first network device from the second network device, responsive to a PROBE REQUEST message transmitted by the first network device and including state information of the first network device.

25-1. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 20, wherein the configuration for the first network device is modified to reduce functionality of the first network device to assist operability of the second network device.