Simplified auto-configuration and service discovery in 802.11 ad-hoc networks

• US 8,755,306 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2010
• Issued: 06/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Marvell Asia Pte Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Original Assignee: Marvell World Trade Limited (Marvell Technology Group Limited)
• Inventors: Chhabra, Kapil
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US12/952,061
• Time in Patent Office: 1,303 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 370/255, 370/395.3
• US Class Current: 370/255
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/622 Layer-2 addresses, e.g. medium access control [MAC] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0803 Configuration setting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0886 Fully automatic configuration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• 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: H04L 61/5092 by self-assignment, e.g. picking addresses at random and testing if they are already in use
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/06 Optimizing the usage of the radio link, e.g. header compression, information sizing , discarding information system modifying transmission characteristic according to link quality by modifying frame length H04L1/0007; dynamic adaptation of the packet size for flow control or congestion control H04L47/365
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/16 Discovering, processing access restriction or access information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

An ad-hoc network approach for addressing ad-hoc network address assignment, name resolution, and service discovery in ad-hoc networks. The size of the ad-hoc network may be limited to a selected number of ad-hoc network stations. A first portion of the ad-hoc network address assigned to stations joining the ad-hoc network may be fixed and a second portion of the ad-hoc network address may be selected dynamically, as each new station joins the ad-hoc network. A station may generate an information element that may be included in ad-hoc network messages. An exemplary information element may include a last byte of the ad-hoc network address associated with the transmitting station, a 4-byte timestamp field which indicates a number of milliseconds since the station claimed the network address, a user-friendly name to identify the station, a universally unique identifier (UUID) for each service offered by the transmitting station, and a network-address-in-use bitmap.

Claims

1. A method performed by a local station to configure the local station to communicate with one or more peer stations, the method comprising:

retrieving, from the local station, a local station network address first portion that is configured to be identical for the local station and a peer station joining dynamically to form an ad-hoc network; and

selecting dynamically a local station network address second portion corresponding to one of a predetermined set of network addresses indicated as unallocated in a peer station bitmap retrieved from a message sent by the peer station.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving the message from the peer station; and

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

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

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

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the peer station information element further includes:

a peer station network address second portion allocated by the peer station; and

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

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

receiving at the local station another 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 to the local station network address second portion;

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

determining 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; and

re-selecting a local station network address second portion for the local station corresponding to one of the predetermined set of network addresses indicated as unallocated in the peer station bitmap.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein determining 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 is based on a comparison of the peer timestamp and the local timestamp.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

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

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

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

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

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the generated local station bitmap is based on information included in peer station bitmaps received from the one or more peer stations.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the network address is selected based on the lowest unallocated network address in the peer station bitmap.

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

a controller that retrieves, from a memory of the local station, a local station network address first portion that is configured to be identical for the local station and a peer station joining dynamically to form an ad-hoc network, the controller selecting dynamically a local station network address second portion corresponding to one of a predetermined set of network addresses indicated as unallocated in a peer station bitmap retrieved from a message sent by the peer station.

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

a physical network unit that receives the message from the peer station; and

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

12. The local station of claim 11, further comprising:

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

13. The local station of claim 12, wherein information received from the peer station and stored in the data store unit is deleted when a subsequent message is not received from the peer station within a predetermined period of time.

14. The local station of claim 13, wherein the identifier is a media access control address of the peer station.

15. The local station of claim 11, further comprising:

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

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

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

17. The local station of claim 16, further comprising:

a bitmap generator that generates a local station bitmap that indicates at least one of allocated and unallocated network addresses within the predetermined set of network addresses based on information contained in the peer station bitmap, the local station information element including the generated local station bitmap.

20. The local station of claim 10, wherein the network address is selected based on the lowest unallocated network address in the peer station bitmap.

18. A method performed by a local station to configure the local station to communicate with one or more peer stations via an ad-hoc network, the method comprising:

retrieving, from a memory of the local station, a first portion of a network address for the local station;

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

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

reducing a beacon contention window of the local station for a predetermined number of target beacon transmission times.