OVERLAYING VIRTUAL BROADCAST DOMAINS ON AN UNDERLYING PHYSICAL NETWORK

• US 20160234661A1
• Filed: 04/18/2016
• Published: 08/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Agarwal, Gopal, Narasimhan, Partha, Wadhawan, Anupam, Melkote, Keerti
• Granted Patent: US 10,111,053 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

Operations include determining that a subset of devices, from a plurality of devices, are executing a same application, located in a same geographical location, or correspond to a same user. Responsive to the determining operation, a group with the subset of devices is created and communication between the devices is supported.

Claims

1-11. -11. (canceled)

12. A method, comprising:

determining that a network device is a member of two or more member virtual groups of network devices, wherein each network device in a virtual group of the two or more member virtual groups shares a common property; and

transmitting a message to a network device that shares the common property.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the virtual group is a broadcast group, and wherein transmitting further comprises transmitting a broadcast message to the network device that shares the common property.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising deriving the common property from a broadcast group membership policy.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast membership policy includes a user-based policy, and the method further comprises deriving the common property from the user-based policy.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast membership policy includes a role-based policy, and the method further comprises deriving the common property from the role-based policy.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast membership policy includes a location-based policy, and the method further comprises deriving the common property from the location-based policy.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast membership policy includes a service-based policy, and the method further comprises deriving the common property from the service-based policy.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the broadcast membership policy includes an application-based policy, and the method further comprises deriving the common property from the application-based policy.

20. A network control device, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having instructions stored thereon, which when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to;

determine that a network device is a member of two or more member virtual groups of network devices, wherein each network device in a virtual group of the two or more member virtual groups shares a common property, wherein the common property is a property that network devices on different networks have in common; and

transmit a message only to network devices that share the common property.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the network control device is a network controller.

22. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the network control device is a router.

23. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the network control device is an access point.

24. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the network devices are client devices, and wherein the instructions comprise instructions, which when executed by the processor, cause the computing device to transmit the message only to the client devices that share the common property.

25. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed, causes a processor to:

determine a common property among network devices, wherein the common property is a property that network devices on different networks have in common;

determine that a network device is a member of two or more member virtual groups of network devices, wherein each network device in a virtual broadcast group of the two or more member virtual groups shares the common property; and

transmit a broadcast message to network devices that share the common property.

26. The medium of claim 25, further comprising instructions to:

determine that a network device in a virtual member group of the two or more member virtual groups ceases to share the common property with the other network devices of the virtual group; and

dynamically update the virtual group in response to the determination that the network device ceases to share the common property.