Method and system for creating and deploying a mesh network

• US 8,315,638 B2
• Filed: 05/27/2011
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Cayman (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Zhao, Fuyong, Wang, Xiadong, Wu, Fang
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, ANTHONY S
• Application Number:
  US13/118,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20110228736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 543 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370310-3102, 370328-329, 370/338, 370/341, 370/348, 370/406, 455/11.1, 455/13.1, 455/426.2, 455/428, 455445-453, 455/464, 455/507, 455509-511, 455/524, 455/554.2, 455560-561
• US Class Current: 455/447
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/10 Dynamic resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/12 Fixed resource partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/02 Hierarchically pre-organised networks, e.g. paging networks, cellular networks, WLAN [Wireless Local Area Network] or WLL [Wireless Local Loop]

Abstract

A method and system for creating and deploying a mesh network are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises providing a mesh router having a plurality of radios. The mesh router is used in a cell of a plurality of cells that covers a geographic region. Channels are assigned to the plurality of radios. The channels are selected from a plurality of channels to allow channel reuse throughout the plurality of cells.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

communicating, at a network device in a cell of a mesh network, to at least three neighboring cells in the mesh network through at least three backhaul radio antennas respectively, each backhaul radio antenna of the at least three backhaul radio antennas comprises a sectored directional antenna corresponding to a respective direction;

assigning a separate channel associated with a first backhaul radio antenna in the cell, wherein other backhaul radio antennas of the at least three backhaul radio antennas in the cell are assigned to a different channel from the separate channel; and

reassigning the separate channel in another cell that is (1) approximately opposite to the direction corresponding to the sectored directional antenna, and (2) adjacent to one of the at least three neighboring cells.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, at the network device, to a plurality of network subscribers through an access radio antenna, wherein the access radio antenna is assigned a separate channel.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein each backhaul radio antenna comprises a tri-sectored directional antenna.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the separate channel assigned to the access radio antenna is in a different communication band from the separate channels assigned to the at least three backhaul radio antennas.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the reassigning of the separate channel in another cell creates a buffer of approximately two cells in width between directional antennas radiating the same channel.

20. The network device of claim 1, wherein the assigning mechanism reassigns the separate channel in another cell that creates a buffer of approximately two cells in width between directional antennas radiating the same channel.

5. A method comprising:

dividing, by a network management server, a mesh network into a plurality of logical cells;

placing a mesh router in each logical cell;

receiving a channel assignment request from a respective mesh router responsive to the mesh router finding another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server;

determining a channel assignment for the respective mesh router based on a set of predetermined rules and network topology in response to the received channel assignment request; and

sending the channel assignment to the respective mesh router.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the set of predetermined rules comprises:

assigning a first channel associated with a first backhaul radio antenna of the respective mesh router in a logical cell, a second channel associated with a second backhaul radio antenna and a third channel associated with a third backhaul radio antenna where each of the first channel, second channel and the third channel are different from one another; and

reassigning the first channel in another logical cell that is (1) approximately opposite to the direction corresponding to a sectored directional antenna of the first backhaul radio antenna, and (2) non-adjacent to the logical cell.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the mesh router finds another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server through a default channel.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein, responsive to the mesh router not finding another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server through a default channel, the mesh router scans channels to find the other neighboring mesh router that has the gateway to the network management server.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the mesh router is placed during an incremental deployment.

10. A network device in a cell of a mesh network, the network device comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a communicating mechanism coupled to the processor, the communicating mechanism to communicate to at least three neighboring cells in the mesh network through at least three backhaul radio antennas respectively, each backhaul radio antenna of the at least three backhaul radio antennas comprises a sectored directional antenna corresponding to a respective direction;

an assigning mechanism coupled to the processor, the assigning mechanism to assign a separate channel associated with a respective backhaul radio antenna in the cell, wherein other backhaul radio antennas in the cell are assigned to a different channel from the separate channel; and

wherein the assigning mechanism further reassigns the separate channel in another cell that is (1) approximately opposite to the direction corresponding to the sectored directional antenna, and (2) adjacent to one of the at least three neighboring cells.

11. The network device of claim 10, wherein the communicating mechanism further to:

communicate to a plurality of network subscribers through an access radio antenna, wherein the access radio antenna is assigned a separate channel.

12. The network device of claim 10, wherein each backhaul radio antenna comprises a tri-sectored directional antenna.

13. The network device of claim 11, wherein the separate channel assigned to the access radio antenna is in a different communication band from the separate channels assigned to the at least three backhaul radio antennas.

14. A network management server comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a dividing mechanism coupled to the processor, the dividing mechanism to divide a mesh network into a plurality of logical cells;

a placing mechanism coupled to the processor, the placing mechanism to place a mesh router in each logical cell;

a receiving mechanism coupled to the processor, the receiving mechanism to receive a channel assignment request from a respective mesh router responsive to the mesh router finding another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server;

a determining mechanism coupled to the processor, the determining mechanism to determine a channel assignment for the respective mesh router based on a set of predetermined rules and network topology in response to the received channel assignment request; and

a sending mechanism coupled to the processor, the sending mechanism to send the channel assignment to the respective mesh router.

15. The network management server of claim 14, wherein the set of predetermined rules comprises:

assigning a first channel associated with a first backhaul radio antenna of the respective mesh router in a logical cell, a second channel associated with a second backhaul radio antenna and a third channel associated with a third backhaul radio antenna where each of the first channel, second channel and the third channel are different from one another; and

reassigning the first channel in another logical cell that is (1) approximately opposite to the direction corresponding to a sectored directional antenna of the first backhaul radio antenna, and (2) non-adjacent to the logical cell least three neighboring cells.

16. The network management server of claim 14, wherein the mesh router finds another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server through a default channel.

17. The network management server of claim 14, wherein, responsive to the mesh router not finding another neighboring mesh router that has a gateway to the network management server through a default channel, the mesh router scans channels to find the other neighboring mesh router that has the gateway to the network management server.

18. The network management server of claim 14, wherein the respective mesh router is placed during an incremental deployment.