Methods and apparatus for providing a transparent bridge associated with a wireless mesh network

• US 7,626,967 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2005
• Issued: 12/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Singh, Harkirat, Yarvis, Mark D., Conner, W. Steven, Rangarajan, Anand
• Primary Examiner(s): Phunkulh; Bob A
• Application Number:
  US11/030,523
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146846A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,791 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4604 LAN interconnection over a backbone network, e.g. Internet, Frame Relay

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and apparatus for providing a transparent data-link bridge associated with a wireless mesh network are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a portal node from a source node, a broadcast data packet intended for a destination node, wherein the portal node is one of a plurality of mesh nodes associated with a wireless mesh network and communicatively coupling the wireless mesh network to a communication network different than the wireless mesh network, the source node is one of the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network, and the destination node is one of a plurality of nodes of the communication network;

broadcasting, by the portal node, the broadcast data packet received via the wireless mesh network over the communication network to determine that the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network;

appending, by the portal node, a bridging table with bridging information indicating that the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network;

receiving, by the portal node, another packet including destination address information of the destination node;

identifying, by the portal node from the bridging table, bridging information associated with the destination address information; and

processing, by the portal node, the other packet based on the bridging information associated with the destination address information.

2. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the bridging information associated with the destination address information of the other packet comprises identifying bridging information indicative of a failure to access the destination through the portal node.

3. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein identifying the bridging information associated with the destination address information of the other packet comprises identifying bridging information associated with a destination of one or more of a unicast data packet, a broadcast data packet, or a multicast data packet.

4. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein processing the other packet based on the bridging information comprises identifying routing information from a routing table and forwarding the other packet to a node associated with the destination information via unicast delivery.

5. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein processing the other packet based on the bridging information comprises forwarding the other packet to a node associated with the destination information via an outbound port indicated by the bridging information, and wherein the destination information refers to a node in the communication network.

6. A method as defined in claim 1, wherein processing the other packet based on the bridging information comprises dropping the other packet based on a determination that the other packet is destined for a node in a same network from which the packet originated.

7. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, by the portal node, the bridging information to the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network to enable the plurality of mesh nodes to maintain a routing table of routing table information.

8. A method as defined in claim 1 further comprising:

transmitting, by the portal node, the bridging information to the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network to enable the plurality of mesh nodes to identify the portal node as the portal node communicatively coupled to the communication network.

9. An article of manufacture comprising:

a computer readable medium;

content stored on the computer readable medium, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program a computer to;

receive a broadcast data packet intended for a destination node, wherein the computer is one of a plurality of mesh nodes associated with a wireless mesh network and communicatively coupling the wireless mesh network to a communication network, the source node is one of the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network, and the destination node is one of a plurality of nodes of the communication network;

broadcast the broadcast data packet received via the wireless mesh network over the communication network to determine that the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network;

append a bridging table with bridging information indicating that the destination is node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network;

receive another packet including destination address information of the destination node;

identify bridging information associated with the destination address information from the bridging table; and

process the other packet based on the bridging information.

10. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program the computer to identify the bridging information associated with the destination address information of the other packet by identifying bridging information indicative of a failure to access the destination.

11. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program to the computer to process the other packet based on the bridging information by identifying routing information from a routing table and forwarding the other packet via unicast delivery.

12. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program the computer process the other packet based on the bridging information by forwarding the other packet via an outbound port indicated in the bridging information.

13. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program the computer to process the other packet based on the bridging information by dropping the other packet based on a determination that the other packet is destined for a node in the same network from which the packet originated.

14. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program the computer to transmit the bridging information to the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network to enable the plurality of mesh nodes to maintain a routing table of routing information.

15. An article of manufacture as defined in claim 9, wherein the content, when accessed, is configured to program the computer to transmit the bridging information to the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network to enable the plurality of mesh nodes to identify the machine as a portal node communicatively coupled to the communication network.

16. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of communication interfaces configured to receive a broadcast data racket from a source node intended for a destination node and to communicatively couple a plurality of mesh nodes of wireless mesh network to a communication network, the communication network different than the wireless mesh network, wherein the source node is one of the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network and the destination node is one of a plurality of nodes of the communication network, and wherein the plurality of communication interfaces is further configured to broadcast the broadcast data packet received via the wireless mesh network over the communication network to determine that the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network;

an identifier to append a bridging table with bridging information indicating that the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network and to identify, from the bridging table, bridging information associated with the destination information of another received packet; and

a handler to process the other packet based on the bridging information.

17. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify bridging information indicative of a failure to access the destination.

18. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the identifier is configured to identify routing information from a routing table based on the bridging information, and the handler is configured forward the other packet via unicast delivery to a node associated with the destination information.

19. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the handler is configured to forward the other packet to one or more nodes via an outbound port indicated by the bridging information.

20. An apparatus as defined in claim 16, wherein the handler is configured to drop the other packet based on a determination that the other packet is destined for a node in the same network from which the packet originated.

21. A system comprising:

a flash memory;

a receiver to receive a broadcast data packet intended for a destination node, the broadcast data packet received from one of a plurality of mesh nodes of a wireless mesh network;

a transmitter coupled to the receiver to broadcast the broadcast data packet received via the wireless mesh network over a communication network communicatively coupled to the wireless mesh network to determine that the destination node is one of a plurality of nodes of the communication network;

a processor coupled to the flash memory to append a bridging table stored in the memory with bridging information indicating the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network; and

wherein the receiver is further configured to receive another packet including destination information of the destination node, and the processor is further configured to identify the bridging information from the bridging table indicating the destination node is one of the plurality of nodes of the communication network and process the other packet on the bridging information.

22. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to identify one of bridging information associated with one of the plurality of mesh nodes of the wireless mesh network or bridging information associated with a node of the communication network communicatively coupled to the wireless mesh network.

23. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to identify bridging information indicative of a failure to access the destination through the system.

24. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to identify routing information from a routing table and forward another packet to a node associated with the destination information via unicast delivery.

25. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to forward another packet to one or more nodes via an outbound port indicated in the bridging information.

26. A system as defined in claim 21, wherein the processor is configured to drop another packet based on a determination that the other packet is destined for a node in the same network from which the packet originated.