METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR COMMUNICATING NETWORK MANAGEMENT TRAFFIC OVER A NETWORK

• US 20170099079A1
• Filed: 10/01/2015
• Published: 04/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: GROSS, DAVID, LACKEY, JOSHUA, LEVY, DONALD E., JOVER, ROGER PIQUERAS, RAMACHANDRAN, JAYARAMAN, SERBAN, CRISTINA
• Granted Patent: US 9,729,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/10 Wire waveguides, i.e. with a single solid longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/12 Hollow waveguides H01P3/20 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01P 3/16 Dielectric waveguides, i.e. without a longitudinal conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/52 Systems for transmission between fixed stations via waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/54 Systems for transmission via power distribution lines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, determining whether communications are encrypted, determining a communication type for the communications according to sensitivity criteria, encrypting the communications according to the communication type to generate encrypted communications, and transmitting to a second network device the encrypted communications. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A first waveguide system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, comprising;

receiving network management data associated with a communication device without receiving data traffic that is sourced from or destined to the communication device; and

transmitting, to a second waveguide system, electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate along an outer surface of the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are within a non-optical frequency range, wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the network management data, and

wherein the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves is over a virtual private network connection associated with the communication device.

2. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the network management data is received from a management server, wherein the virtual private network connection is established by a network server responsive to a request from the management server.

3. The first waveguide system of claim 2, wherein the virtual private network connection is established according to mapping data stored at the network server, and wherein the first waveguide system is a closest network device to the management server.

4. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the data traffic associated with the communication device is transmitted over another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection and that does not utilize the first and second waveguide systems.

5. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the other connection, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves to the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are within the non-optical frequency range, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey network condition information indicative of the undesired condition.

6. The first waveguide system of claim 4, wherein the operations further comprise:

responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the other connection, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves to the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are within the non-optical frequency range, and wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey high priority traffic.

7. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the second waveguide system is an adjacent node in a wired network comprising power lines, and wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving, from the second waveguide system, second electromagnetic waves from the physical interface of the transmission medium that propagate without requiring the electrical return path, wherein the second electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the second electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range, wherein the second electromagnetic waves convey authentication information associated with the second waveguide system; and

authenticating the second waveguide system according to an authentication protocol based on the authentication information, wherein the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves to the second waveguide system is responsive to the authenticating.

8. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein propagating of the electromagnetic waves along the outer surface of the transmission medium comprises the electromagnetic waves having an electromagnetic field structure that is at least partially embedded in the transmission medium.

9. The first waveguide system of claim 1, wherein the network management data is received from the communication device and is directed to a management server, and wherein the virtual private network connection is established by a network server responsive to a request from the management server and according to mapping data stored at the network server.

10. A method comprising:

receiving, by a network server from a management server, a request for an out of band link with a communication device;

providing, by the network server to the management server, a port identification for a port of the network server associated with a virtual private network connection for the communication device, wherein the port identification is based on mapping data accessible to the network server; and

establishing, by the network server, the virtual private network connection between the management server and the communication device,

wherein network management data associated with the communication device is communicated via the virtual private network connection, and

wherein data traffic initiated by or directed to the communication device is transmitted over another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a hardwire connection that is not used for communicating the data traffic.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein network condition information indicative of an undesired condition is transmitted via the virtual private network connection responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the other connection.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a group of waveguide systems that transmit electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are within a non-optical frequency range, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the network management data.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the communication device comprises a mobile wireless device.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, which when executed by a processor of a management server cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

transmitting, to a network server, a request for an out of band link with a communication device;

receiving, from the network server, a port identification for a port of the network server associated with a virtual private network connection for the communication device;

establishing communications with the communication device via the virtual private network connection according to the port identification; and

transmitting network management data to the communication device via the virtual private network connection without transmitting or receiving data traffic via the virtual private network connection, wherein the data traffic is data traffic initiated by or directed to the communication device and is transmitted over another connection that is different from the virtual private network connection.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a group of waveguide systems that transmit electromagnetic waves to a physical interface of a transmission medium that propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves are within a non-optical frequency range, and wherein the electromagnetic waves convey the network management data.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein network condition information indicative of an undesired condition is transmitted via the virtual private network connection responsive to a determination of an undesired condition associated with the other connection.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the virtual private network connection is provided via a hardwire connection that is not used for communicating the data traffic.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the communication device comprises a mobile wireless device.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise receiving other network management data from the communication device via the virtual private network connection.