IP assignment scheme for dynamic peer-to-peer networks

• US 8,116,233 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2009
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Lambert, Paul A., Banerjea, Raja, Kopikare, Milind, Fanfelle, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): WILSON, ROBERT W
• Application Number:
  US12/499,885
• Publication Number:
  US 20100054154A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0809 Plug-and-play configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5058 Service discovery by the service manager
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

An approach for assigning IP network addresses and for performing name resolution and service discovery in infrastructure mode and/or ad-hoc mode peer-to-peer networks. The size of an ad-hoc network and/or the size of infrastructure network basic service sets may be limited to a selected number of peer stations. A first portion of an IP network address assigned to stations joining a network may be predetermined by the network to be joined and a second portion of the IP network address may be selected dynamically, as each new station joins the network. Stations may generate layer 2 messages that include an information element containing information that supports peer-to-peer service discovery, name resolution and IP network address assignment across multiple ad-hoc and infrastructure networks. A peer-to-peer station may dynamically connect to available ad-hoc or infrastructure networks to access required services, as needed.

Claims

1. A method for configuring a local station to communicate with one or more peer stations via a wireless network, the method comprising:

receiving a message from a peer station;

parsing the received message to retrieve a peer station information element, the peer station information element including a peer station network address and a peer station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within a set of network addresses;

selecting a local station network address first portion of a local station network address for the local station based on the peer station network address;

selecting a local station network address second portion of the local station network address for the local station corresponding to a network address indicated as unallocated in the peer station bitmap;

transmitting another message containing a local station information element, the local station information element including the local station network address selected by the local station and a timestamp with information related to a time at which the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station;

generating a local station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within the set of network addresses;

including the generated local station bitmap in the local station information element;

updating the local station bitmap to indicate that a network address is unallocated when there is at least one failure to receive a message from the peer station associated with the network address for a predetermined period of time; and

receiving a network beacon message with a peer station bitmap that indicates that the network address is not allocated.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the wireless network is at least one of an ad-hoc mode wireless network and an infrastructure mode wireless network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the peer station bitmap in association with the peer station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a first timestamp with information related to a time at which the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the peer station information element further includes:

a second timestamp with information related to a time at which a peer station network address second portion of the peer station network address was allocated by the peer station.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the message is a first message, further comprising:

receiving a second message from the peer station after the local station has selected the local station network address second portion;

comparing the peer station network address second portion allocated by the peer station to the local station network address second portion allocated by the local station;

determining if the peer station network address second portion is the same as the local station network address second portion;

determining if the peer station network address second portion was allocated by the peer station before the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station; and

re-selecting a local station network address second portion of the local station network address for the local station corresponding to a network address indicated as unallocated in the peer station bitmap if the peer station network address second portion was allocated by the peer station before the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining if the peer station network address second portion was allocated by the peer station before the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station is based on a comparison of the second timestamp received from the peer station and the first timestamp generated by the local station.

8. A method of performing auto-configuration and service discovery in a network, the method comprising:

receiving at a local station a message from a peer station;

parsing the message to retrieve an incoming peer station information element, the peer station information element including;

a peer station network address allocated by the peer station;

a peer station timestamp with information indicating a time at which the peer station network address was allocated by the peer station;

a peer station universally unique identifier (UUID) representing a service provided by the peer station; and

a peer station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within a set of network addresses;

storing information received in the message in a data store of the local station in association with the peer station;

parsing the data store of the local station on a periodic basis to collect information for use in generating a message for transmission, the generated message including an outgoing local station information element, the outgoing local station information element including;

a local station network address allocated by the local station;

a local station timestamp with information indicating a time at which the local station network address was allocated by the local station;

a local station universally unique identifier (UUID) representing a service provided by the local station; and

a local station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within the set of network addresses;

transmitting the generated message from the local station;

updating the local station bitmap to indicate that a network address is unallocated when there is at least one failure to receive a message from the peer station associated with the peer station network address for a predetermined period of time; and

receiving a network beacon message with a peer station bitmap that indicates that the network address is not allocated.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the network is at least one of an ad-hoc mode wireless network and an infrastructure mode wireless network.

10. A local station that communicates with one or more peer stations via a network, the local station comprising:

a physical network unit to receive a message from a peer station;

a message parsing unit to parse the message to retrieve a peer station information element, the peer station information element including a peer station network address of the peer station, a peer station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within a set of network addresses, and a timestamp with information related to a time at which a peer station network address second portion of the peer station network address was allocated by the peer station; and

a controller retrieve from the peer station information element a peer station network address first portion of the peer station network address allocated to the peer station and use the peer station network address first portion allocated to the peer station as a local station network address first portion of a local station network address allocated to the local station, and select a local station network address second portion of the local station network address for the local station based on information contained within the peer station bitmap, the controller to re-select a local station network address second portion of the local station network address for the local station corresponding to a network address indicated as unallocated in the peer station bitmap when the controller determines that the peer station network address second portion included in the message from the peer station matches the local station network address second portion allocated by the local station and determines that the peer station network address second portion was allocated by the peer station before the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station.

11. A local station of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to communicate with at least one of an ad-hoc mode wireless network and an infrastructure mode wireless network.

12. A local station of claim 10, further comprising:

an address bitmap generator that generates a local station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within the set of network addresses based, in part, on information contained in the peer station bitmap in the received message and that updates the local station bitmap to indicate that a network address is unallocated when there is at least one of failing to receive a message from a peer station associated with the network address for a predetermined period of time; and

receiving a network beacon message with a peer station bitmap that indicates that the network address is not allocated.

13. The local station of claim 10, further comprising:

a data store unit that stores the peer station bitmap in a data store in association with the peer station.

14. The local station of claim 10, further comprising:

a clock control unit that generates a timestamp with information related to a time at which the local station network address second portion was allocated by the local station.

15. The local station of claim 14, further comprising:

a message generating unit that generates a message containing a local station information element, the local station information element including the local station network address second portion selected by the local station and the timestamp.