Wireless network load generator dynamic MAC hardware address manipulation
First Claim
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1. A method comprising:
- placing a wireless network interface in a promiscuous mode;
receiving via the wireless network interface all frames transmitted on a wireless communication medium;
dynamically reprogramming a MAC address of the wireless network interface as indicated by a current incoming frame;
preparing a virtual station transmit frame for wireless transmission including setting the MAC address of the network interface to the address of a sending virtual station based on a receiver address contained in each current incoming frame on a frame-by-frame basis so that the network interface can send an acknowledgement of receipt for the current incoming frame.
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Abstract
A method and system using a single wireless network interface to selectively accept for further processing frames transmitted in a wireless data communications network is disclosed. A host system may emulate multiple, concurrently active stations in the wireless network. Each emulated station is assigned a unique address. A network Medium Access Control (MAC) hardware address of the system'"'"'s wireless network interface is dynamically updated to reflect the address of one of the emulated wireless stations. The method and system allow multiple wireless stations to be emulated with a single network interface device.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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placing a wireless network interface in a promiscuous mode; receiving via the wireless network interface all frames transmitted on a wireless communication medium; dynamically reprogramming a MAC address of the wireless network interface as indicated by a current incoming frame; preparing a virtual station transmit frame for wireless transmission including setting the MAC address of the network interface to the address of a sending virtual station based on a receiver address contained in each current incoming frame on a frame-by-frame basis so that the network interface can send an acknowledgement of receipt for the current incoming frame. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system to emulate a plurality of virtual stations comprising:
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a MAC hardware network interface a receiving protocol subsystem to receive a plurality of frames from a wireless communications medium as received frames via the MAC hardware network interface; generate via the MAC hardware network interface an acknowledgment of a current received frame if a receiver address of the current received frame matches a current address of the MAC hardware network interface; discard the current received frame if the receiver address of the current received frame does not match any of a plurality of addresses of the virtual stations; reprogram the MAC hardware network interface if the receiver address of the current received frame matches one of the plurality of addresses of the virtual stations and the MAC hardware interface is not currently transmitting; a transmitting protocol subsystem to obtain from a transmit queue a current transmit frame; map a MAC address of the current transmit frame to the MAC hardware network interface; transmit onto the wireless communications medium the current transmit frame via the MAC hardware network interface.
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14. A system comprising:
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a plurality of virtual stations, each having an emulated address; a MAC hardware network interface set in a promiscuous mode to accept all frames received on a wireless network; a receiving protocol subsystem coupled with the MAC hardware network interface, the receiving protocol subsystem to receive frames from the MAC hardware network interface; determine whether a receiver address contained in a current received frame matches a current address of the MAC hardware network interface; with those received frames with receiver addresses which match the current MAC hardware interface address, generate an acknowledgement of the receipt of each matching frame; compare the receiver address of a received frame which does not match the current address of the MAC hardware network interface with the plurality of emulated addresses; discard those received frames having receiver addresses that do not match any of the plurality of emulated addresses; and reprogram the MAC hardware network interface with the receiver address of the received frame if the receiver address matches one of the plurality of emulated addresses.
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Specification