Tunneling protocols for wireless communications

• US 7,876,704 B1
• Filed: 09/12/2003
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP PTE Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Leung, Eugene, Bims, Harry
• Primary Examiner(s): HSU, ALPUS
• Application Number:
  US10/661,218
• Time in Patent Office: 2,692 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/315, 370/338, 370/390, 370/409, 370/432
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/022 Site diversity; Macro-diversity using two or more spaced independent antennas H04B7/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4675 Dynamic sharing of VLAN information amongst network nodes configuration of the network or of network elements H04L41/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/36 due to handover
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/146 Uplink power control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A method and apparatus for tunneling protocols are described. In one embodiment, the method comprises broadcasting a message at a repeater to one or more members in a network including a switch, the broadcasted message indicating that the repeater is entering the network, receiving VLAN (virtual local area network) configuration information from the switch in response to the broadcast message, and communicating with the switch using the VLAN configuration information in subsequent communications.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

periodically transmitting, at a switch, a first heartbeat message to a network having one or more repeaters, the heartbeat message including a virtual local area network (VLAN) identifier (ID) identifying the switch;

listening, at a previously unknown repeater on the network, to messages transmitted over the network for the first heartbeat message identifying the switch when the previously unknown repeater is activated;

sending, by the previously unknown repeater, a second heartbeat message using the VLAN ID identifying the switch after finding the first heartbeat message; and

receiving, at the previously unknown repeater, VLAN configuration information from the switch in response to the switch receiving second heartbeat message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

downloading operating software to the previously unknown repeater to set up an operating environment;

entering, by the previously unknown repeater, into an operating state after setting up the operating environment; and

reporting, by the previously unknown repeater, the operating state to the switch.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more repeaters are communicatively coupled to the switch.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the VLAN ID identifying the switch in a local memory after finding the first heartbeat message identifying the switch.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of listening, at the previously unknown repeater, comprises:

listening, at the previously unknown repeater, to all messages transmitted over the network regardless of VLAN types; and

looking for the first heartbeat message identifying the switch when the previously unknown repeater is activated.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

activating the previously unknown repeater by performing at least one of a group consisting of;

powering up the previously unknown repeater, and

plugging the previously unknown repeater into a port of the switch.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the VLAN configuration information includes a VLAN ID identifying traffic criteria.