System and method for centralized station management

• US 7,969,937 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2004
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Taylor, John, Iyer, Pradeep J., Andrade, Merwyn, Narasimhan, Partha
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): RIYAMI, ABDULLAH A
• Application Number:
  US10/806,601
• Publication Number:
  US 20050213579A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,653 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.2, 370/253, 370/329, 370/338, 370/310, 370/328, 370/324, 370/331, 370/332, 370/333, 370/252, 370/254, 370/255, 370/310.2, 370/341, 370/349, 455/438, 455/67.11, 455/525, 455/67.13, 455/406, 455/408, 455/436, 455/466, 455/450, 455/456.1, 455/426.1, 455/454, 455/439, 455/513, 455/423, 455/560, 455/529
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1441 Countermeasures against malicious traffic countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/1466 Active attacks involving interception, injection, modification, spoofing of data unit addresses, e.g. hijacking, packet injection or TCP sequence number attacks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

In one embodiment of the invention, a wireless network is adapted with a wireless network switch in communication with a plurality of access points, which are in communication with one or more stations. Coupled to the access points over an interconnect, the wireless network switch is adapted to receive a DEAUTHENTICATION message sent by one of the plurality of access points in the same coverage area of the station so as to detect the DEAUTHENTICATION message and to block communications between the plurality of access points and the station in response to determining that the DEAUTHENTICATION message is invalid.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

setting a plurality of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) thresholds including a first RSSI threshold and a second RSSI threshold, the second RSSI threshold having a value lower than the first RSSI threshold;

placing an address of a station into a list identifying stations located in a potential coverage hole if, after determining a RSSI value for a wireless message that includes the address of the station from which the wireless message originated and comparing the RSSI value with the first RSSI threshold and the second RSSI threshold, none of the plurality of access points computes the RSSI value of the wireless message above the second RSSI threshold; and

removing the address of the station from the list if one of the plurality of access points computes the RSSI value of the management message above the first RSSI threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RSSI threshold is greater than or equal to 20 dbm0 and the second RSSI threshold is less than 20 dbm0.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating an event to mitigate a coverage hole at a location of the station if the station fails to complete association with any of the plurality of access points.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising initiating an event to mitigate a coverage hole at a location of the station if the station continues to provide management messages with RSSI values below the second RSSI threshold.

5. A method comprising:

setting a plurality of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) thresholds including a first RSSI threshold and a second RSSI threshold, the second RSSI threshold having a value lower than the first RSSI threshold;

determining a RSSI value for a wireless message received by each of a plurality of access points, the wireless message originating from a station and including an address of the station;

comparing each of the RSSI values determined by the plurality of access points to the first RSSI threshold and the second RSSI threshold, the comparing being conducted by logic within a wireless network switch;

placing the address of the station into a list identifying stations located in a potential coverage hole if none of the RSSI values determined by the plurality of access points exceeds the second RSSI threshold; and

removing the address of the station from the list if at least one of the RSSI values measured by the plurality of access points exceeds the first RSSI threshold.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the wireless message is a management message.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first RSSI threshold is greater than or equal to 20 dbm0 and the second RSSI threshold is less than 20 dmb0.

8. The method of claim 5 further comprising initiating an event to mitigate a coverage hole at a location of the station if the station fails to complete association with any of the plurality of access points.

9. The method of claim 5 further comprising initiating an event to mitigate a coverage hole at a location of the station if the station continues to provide wireless messages with RSSI values below the second RSSI threshold.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the list identifying stations located in the potential coverage hole is stored within the wireless network switch.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising failing to complete association of the station to any of the plurality of access points if each of the RSSI values are below the second RSSI threshold.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising initiating an event to mitigate the potential coverage hole at a location of the station if the station fails to complete association with any of the plurality of access points.

13. In communications with a plurality of access points for receipt of received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values based on measured signal strength of a management message from a station that is received by the plurality of access points, a wireless network switch comprising:

a connector to receive information from the plurality of access points, the information including RSSI values and a station address associated with the RSSI values; and

a station management logic to (i) monitor the RSSI values from the plurality of access points by comparing each of the RSSI values to a first RSSI threshold and a second RSSI threshold being lesser in value than the first RSSI threshold, (ii) placing the address of the station into a stored list identifying stations located in a potential coverage hole if none of the RSSI values determined by the plurality of access points exceeds the second RSSI threshold, and (iii) if the address of the station is already in the stored list, removing the address of the station from the stored list if at least one of the RSSI values exceeds the first RSSI threshold.

14. The wireless network switch of claim 13, wherein the wireless network switch to signal the plurality of access points to not complete association of the station to any of the plurality of access points if all of the RSSI values fall below the second RSSI threshold.

15. The wireless network switch of claim 14, wherein the wireless network switch to initiate an event to mitigate the potential coverage hole at a location of the station if the station fails to complete association with any of the plurality of access points.

16. The wireless network switch of claim 13, wherein the first RSSI threshold is greater than or equal to 20 dbm0 and the second RSSI threshold is less than 20 dbm0.