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Multiple wireless spanning tree protocol for use in a wireless mesh network

  • US 7,606,178 B2
  • Filed: 02/10/2006
  • Issued: 10/20/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2005
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method in a first mesh point of a mesh of wireless mesh points (a “

  • wireless mesh network”

    ) in a wireless network, the method comprising;

    establishing and/or maintaining, in collaboration with other wireless mesh points, a plurality of wireless spanning tree topologies in the wireless mesh network, the wireless mesh network substantially conforming to a wireless network standard, the wireless network standard providing a mechanism for a wireless network entity to wirelessly communicate with other wireless network entities using control/management frames for the exchange of wireless network information, the establishing and/or maintaining by running a respective plurality of instances (“

    WSTP instances”

    ) of a wireless spanning tree protocol that substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol, each WSTP instance defining a corresponding wireless spanning tree topology including a corresponding root wireless mesh point,wherein running a WSTP instance in the first wireless mesh point includes;

    maintaining information on the spanning tree topology corresponding to the WSTP instance, the corresponding spanning tree topology being for a corresponding set of wireless mesh points that includes the first wireless mesh point, the corresponding spanning tree topology being for wirelessly communicating among the corresponding set of wireless mesh points, the maintained information including the identity of the corresponding root wireless mesh point for the corresponding spanning tree topology;

    wirelessly sending a control/management frame including an indication that path cost information is encapsulated the control/management frame with the indication encapsulating the path cost information in the form of at least one path cost information element, andas a result of receiving a control/management frame, ascertaining if the received control/management frame encapsulate path cost information, and if there is encapsulated path cost information, updating the maintained information on the corresponding spanning tree topology, and accordingly modifying any path cost information element for sending in a path-cost-information-encapsulating control/management frame,wherein each root wireless mesh point is not required to have a wired network interface, andwherein each path cost information element includes a path cost designed for wireless communication that has more than one possible value between two mesh points that are connectable, and that may include a bridging protocol data unit (“

    BPDU”

    ) that substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU, but with a path cost different than a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU path cost in that the path cost is designed for wireless communication and has more than one possible value between two mesh points that are connectable.

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