Methods, systems, and/or devices for providing network access

• US 8,532,124 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2010
• Issued: 09/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Satterlee, Michael, Gibbons, John, Shackleton, Neal, Cheikhali, Jamil
• Primary Examiner(s): CHO, HONG SOL
• Application Number:
  US12/946,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20110058557A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255, 370/389, 370/395.5, 370/395.51, 370/395.52, 370/395.53, 370/400, 370/401, 370/466
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a method that can comprise, via an Ethernet Channel Service Unit (ECSU), providing a packet conversion between a Serial Wide Area Network (WAN) protocol and an Ethernet network protocol. The ECSU can be adapted to provide access to a network service between a first device adapted to communicate using an Ethernet protocol via the Ethernet network and a second device adapted to communicate using a serial protocol via the Serial WAN.

Claims

1. A method for providing network access, the method comprising:

receiving a connection request to communicatively couple a first device that communicates using an ethernet network protocol and a second device that communicates using a wide area network protocol;

assigning an address to an ethernet interface associated with an ethernet channel service unit and the first device, wherein the assigning of the address is based at least in part upon a wide area network internet protocol address of an edge device of a wide area network associated with the second device;

converting a plurality of packets between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol without examining data payloads of the plurality of packets, wherein the plurality of packets are intended for the second device;

adjusting packet encapsulation, by utilizing instructions stored in memory and executed by a processor, for each of the plurality of packets without examining the data payloads of the plurality of packets;

transmitting the plurality of packets converted between the ethernet protocol and the wide area network protocol to the second device; and

establishing a point-to-point connection between the first device and the second device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a transparent protocol conversion between an ethernet network associated with the first device and the wide area network associated with the second device based at least in part on adjusting the packet encapsulation for each of the plurality of packets.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining an address of the second device based on a proxy address resolution request.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising associating information received in response to the proxy address resolution request to a logical media access control address of an interface associated with the second device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing point-to-point access to a layer three network service between the first device and the second device without examination of the data payloads of the plurality of packets.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the layer three network service comprises a connectionless network service whereby no circuit is established between the first device and the second device before the plurality of packets is transmitted.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the converting of the plurality of packets between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol is a layer two packet conversion, and wherein the layer two packet conversion comprises converting the plurality of packets between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol without utilizing central office equipment that packet conversion in a manner that examines the data payloads of the plurality of packets.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing point to point access to an internet network of a time division multiplexing service provider without altering an existing infrastructure of the time division multiplexing service provider.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing dynamic traffic shaping on the ethernet interface to match a rate of a wide area network bundle.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing dynamic flow control to a downstream ethernet element based at least in part on available wide area network bandwidth.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically determining a link bundle size associated with a wide area network bundle, and further comprising determining the link bundle size when links become unusable in the wide area network bundle.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing a policy-based function that switches packets between an ethernet virtual local area network and a wide area network bundle, and further comprising not decrementing an internet protocol time to live field of the plurality of packets.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising converting a serial address to an ethernet media access control address for the first and second devices.

14. A system for providing network access, the system comprising:

a memory that stores instructions;

an ethernet channel service unit including a processor that executes the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving a connection request to communicatively couple a first device that communicates using an ethernet network protocol and a second device that communicates using a wide area network protocol;

assigning an address to an ethernet interface associated with the ethernet channel service unit and the first device, wherein the assigning of the address is based at least in part upon a wide area network internet protocol address of an edge device of a wide area network associated with the second device;

converting a plurality of packets between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol without examining data payloads of the plurality of packets, wherein the plurality of packets are intended for the second device;

transmitting the plurality of packets converted between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol to the second device; and

establishing point-to-point access to a service between the first device and the second device without examination of the data payloads of the plurality of packets.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the ethernet channel service unit comprises an electronic device that provides an interface between a time division multiplexed wide area network and an ethernet local area network.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise providing a switching function that enables the ethernet channel service unit to switch any of the plurality of packets exchanged between the ethernet interface and a wide area network bundle.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the operations further comprise providing a transparent ethernet to serial layer two protocol conversion without examining internet protocol packet data content.

18. A computer-readable device comprising computer instructions, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

receiving a connection request to communicatively couple a first device that communicates using an ethernet network protocol and a second device that communicates using a wide area network protocol;

assigning an address to an ethernet interface associated with the ethernet channel service unit and the first device, wherein the assigning of the address is based at least in part upon a wide area network internet protocol address of an edge device of a wide area network associated with the second device;

converting a plurality of packets between an ethernet network protocol and a wide area network protocol without examining data payloads of the plurality of packets, wherein the plurality of packets are received from the first device;

transmitting the plurality of packets converted between the ethernet network protocol and the wide area network protocol to the second device;

and

establishing point-to-point access to a network service between the first device and the second device without examination of the data payloads of the plurality of packets.