Virtual switch

• US 7,113,498 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2002
• Issued: 09/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bajic, Zeljko
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Doris H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilson, Robert W.
• Application Number:
  US10/164,491
• Publication Number:
  US 20030227893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 370331-333, 370/338, 370/401, 370/285, 370/328, 370/469, 370/329, 370/350, 714/748, 714/712, 455/525, 455/444, 455/432.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/2606 Arrangements for base station coverage control, e.g. by using relays in tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/70 Virtual switches
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/18 for allowing seamless reselection, e.g. soft reselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/12 between access points and access point controllers

Abstract

A method and apparatus for communicating between devices is described. In one embodiment, the method comprises running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer on a switch and managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

running two or more instances of a switch MAC sublayer within a switch capable of processing packets of a network, thereby enabling the switch to support multiple, separate logical groupings of repeaters, the repeaters each running a corresponding instance of a repeater MAC sublayer; and

managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer as multiple logical access points inside the switch, each of the instances of the switch MAC sublayer representing one of the multiple logical access points, wherein each logical access point has a unique logical address that is capable of communicating via the repeaters with one or more mobile stations wirelessly by presenting the unique logical address to the one or more mobile stations.

2. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising re-associating a mobile station with a first instance of the switch MAC sublayer after the mobile station moves from a first repeater associated with a second instance of the switch MAC sublayer to a second repeater associated with the first instance of the switch MAC sublayer.

3. The method defined in claim 2 further comprising sending an association request from the first instance of the switch MAC sublayer to the second instance of the switch MAC sublayer.

4. The method defined in claim 3 wherein the association request is sent through an entity on the switch.

5. The method defined in claim 4 wherein the entity comprises a management entity.

6. The method defined in claim 2 further comprising performing token reassignment.

7. The method defined in claim 1 further comprising communicating between at least two of the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer.

8. The method defined in claim 7 wherein communication is directly between the at least two of the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer.

9. The method defined in claim 7 wherein communication is through a management entity on the switch.

10. The method defined in claim 1 wherein at least one of the two or more instances of the switch are associated and communicate with a repeater.

11. An apparatus comprising:

means for running two or more instances of a switch MAC sub layer within a switch capable of processing packets of a network, thereby enabling the switch to support multiple, separate logical groupings of repeaters, the repeaters each running corresponding instances of a repeater MAC sublayer; and

means for managing the two or more instances of the switch MAC sub layer as multiple logical access points inside the switch that each have a unique logical address, each of the instances of the switch MAC sublayer representing one of the multiple logical access points that is capable of communicating via the repeaters with one or more mobile stations wirelessly by presenting the unique logical address to the one or more mobile stations.

12. The apparatus defined in claim 11 further comprising means for re-associating a mobile station with a first instance of the switch MAC sublayer after the mobile station moves from a first repeater associated with a second instance of the switch MAC sublayer to a second repeater associated with the first instance of the switch MAC sub layer.

13. The apparatus defined in claim 12 further comprising means for sending an association request from the first instance of the switch MAC sublayer to the second instance of the switch MAC sublayer.

14. The apparatus defined in claim 13 wherein the association request is sent through an entity on the switch.

15. The apparatus defined in claim 14 wherein the entity comprises a management entity.

16. The apparatus defined in claim 12 further comprising means for performing token reassignment.

17. The apparatus defined in claim 11 further comprising means for communicating between at least two of the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer.

18. The apparatus defined in claim 17 wherein communication is directly between the at least two of the two or more instances of the switch MAC sublayer.

19. The apparatus defined in claim 17 wherein communication is through a management entity on the switch.

20. The apparatus defined in claim 11 wherein at least one of the two or more instances of the switch are associated and communicate with a repeater.

21. A method comprising:

operating a switch as a distribution system containing a plurality of switch wireless MAC sublayer instances, each of the switch wireless MAC sublayer instances representing a logical access point that has a unique logical address, the logical access point being capable of communicating with one or more mobile stations wirelessly by presenting the unique logical address to the one or more mobile stations, and each of the switch wireless MAC sublayer instances being capable of supporting a separate logical grouping of repeaters, the repeaters each running a corresponding instance of a repeater wireless MAC sublayer.

22. An architecture comprising:

a first repeater having a first instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality;

a second repeater having a second instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality; and

a switch coupled to the first and second repeaters, the switch having first and second instances of switch MAC sublayer functionality, wherein the first instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality and the first instance of switch MAC sublayer functionality cooperate to execute a MAC layer in a distributed fashion and the second instance of repeater MAC sublayer functionality and the second instance of switch MAC sublayer functionality cooperate to execute a MAC layer in a distributed fashion.

23. The architecture defined in claim 22 wherein the switch further comprises an entity to manage the first and second instances of the switch MAC sublayer.

24. The architecture defined in claim 23 wherein communication between the first and second instances of the switch MAC sublayer occurs through the entity.

25. The architecture defined in claim 24 wherein the entity comprises a management entity for the switch.

26. The architecture defined in claim 22 wherein the first and second repeaters are coupled to first and second ports on the switch, the first and second ports being different.

27. The architecture defined in claim 26 wherein the first and second repeaters are coupled to first and second ports on the switch via a wired connection.

28. The architecture defined in claim 27 wherein the wired connection comprises an Ethernet connection.

29. An architecture comprising:

at least one mobile station to transmit and receive packets;

a plurality of repeaters to receive packets from the at least one mobile device, each of the plurality of repeaters having a repeater MAC sublayer; and

a switch communicably coupled to the one or more repeaters, the switch having a configurable number of instances of a switch MAC sublayer and, wherein the switch configures at least two repeater MAC sublayers of the plurality of repeaters to cooperate with at least two different instances of the switch MAC sublayer to perform a task of a MAC layer of a network stack.

30. A method comprising:

a mobile station, associated with a first repeater having a first repeater MAC sublayer, sending a request to a second repeater having a second repeater MAC sublayer, to be associated with the second repeater MAC sublayer;

the second repeater sending the request to a switch having a switch MAC sublayer;

the switch assigning a new association identifier to the mobile station that associates the mobile station with the second repeater MAC sublayer;

the switch assigning a token for the mobile station to the second repeater; and

the switch deleting the token assignment to the first repeaters,

and wherein the first and second repeater MAC sublayers cooperate with the switch MAC sub layer to perform a task of a MAC layer of a network stack.

31. The method defined in claim 30 further comprising the switch disassociating the mobile station from the first repeater MAC sublayer.

32. The method defined in claim 30 further comprising sending a delete token command to the first repeater.

33. The method defined in claim 32 wherein sending the delete token command to the first repeater is performed by the switch.

34. The method defined in claim 31 further comprising updating a list used by the switch to identify associations between repeater MAC sublayers and mobile stations to reflect that the second repeater has a token for the mobile station.

35. The method defined in claim 31 wherein the switch manages multiple instances of the switch MAC sublayer and further comprising the switch causing packets buffered for the mobile station by a first instance of the switch MAC sublayer associated with the first repeater MAC sublayer to be forwarded to a second instance of the switch MAC sublayer associated with the second repeater MAC sublayer for forwarding to the mobile station via the second repeater.

36. The method defined in claim 35 wherein the switch forwards the buffered packets through a switch management entity.

37. The method defined in claim 31 further comprising the second repeater identifying itself to the switch using an identifier in a packet.

38. A method comprising:

a mobile station, associated with a first repeater controlled by a first repeater MAC sublayer, sending a request to be associated with a second repeater controlled by a second repeater MAC sublayer;

the second repeater sending the request to a switch MAC sublayer;

the switch assigning a new association identifier to the mobile station to associate the mobile station with the second repeater MAC sublayer;

the switch disassociating the mobile station from the first repeater MAC sublayer;

the switch assigning a token for the mobile station to the second repeater;

the switch deleting the token assignment to the first repeater; and

the second repeater identifying itself to the switch using an identifier in a packet, wherein the identifier is a tunneling ID,

and wherein the repeater MAC sublayers cooperate with the switch MAC sublayer to perform a task of a MAC layer of a network stack.

39. An apparatus comprising:

a switch having a switch MAC sublayer;

a first repeater having a first repeater MAC sublayer;

a second repeater having a second repeater MAC sublayer;

a mobile station associated with the first repeater, the mobile station including means for sending a request to the second repeater to be associated with the second repeater MAC sublayer;

the second repeater having means for sending the request to the switch MAC sublayer; and

the switch having means for assigning a new association identifier to the mobile station to associate the mobile station with the second repeater MAC sublayer, means for assigning a token for the mobile station to the second repeater, and means for deleting the token assignment to the first repeater,

and wherein the repeater MAC sublayers cooperate with the switch MAC sublayer to perform a task of a MAC layer of a network stack.

40. The apparatus defined in claim 39 further comprising means for disassociating the mobile station from the first repeater MAC sublayer.

41. The apparatus defined in claim 39 further comprising means for sending a delete token command to the first repeater.

42. The apparatus defined in claim 41 wherein means for sending the delete token command to the first repeater is performed by the switch.

43. The apparatus defined in claim 40 further comprising means for updating a list used by the switch to identify associations between switch and repeater MAC sublayers and mobile stations to reflect that the second repeater has the token for the mobile station.

44. The apparatus defined in claim 40 further comprising means for causing packets buffered for the mobile station by an instance of a switch MAC sublayer associated with the first repeater to be forwarded to an instance of the switch MAC sublayer associated with the second repeater for forwarding to the mobile station via the second repeater.

45. The apparatus defined in claim 40 wherein the switch forwards the buffered packets through a management entity.

46. The apparatus defined in claim 40 further comprising the second repeater means for identifying itself to the switch using an identifier in a packet.

47. An apparatus comprising:

a switch having a switch MAC sublayer;

a first repeater having a first repeater MAC sublayer;

a second repeater having a second repeater MAC sublayer;

a mobile station associated with the first repeater MAC sublayer, the mobile station including means for sending a request to the second repeater, to be associated with the second repeater MAC sublayer;

the second repeater having means for sending the request to the switch MAC sublayer and means for identifying itself to the switch using an identifier in a packet, wherein the identifier is a tunneling ID;

the switch having;

means for assigning a new associating identifier to the mobile station to associate the mobile station with the second repeater MAC sublayer,

means for assigning a token for the mobile station to the second repeater,

means for deleting the token assignment to the first repeater, and

means for disassociating the mobile station from the first repeater MAC sublayer.