Method and system for a radio frequency management in a mesh network with a path distance factor

• US 8,953,457 B2
• Filed: 05/20/2011
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Aruba Networks Incorporated (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Inventors: Zou, Xu, Huang, Kangchang
• Primary Examiner(s): Chery, Dady
• Application Number:
  US13/112,698
• Publication Number:
  US 20110216667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,362 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/237, 370/238, 370/252, 709/220, 709/221, 709236-250
• US Class Current: 370/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/028 Dynamic adaptation of the update intervals, e.g. event-triggered updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/18 Loop-free operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/48 Routing tree calculation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/246 Connectivity information discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update

Abstract

A method and system for radio frequency management (RFM) in a mesh network using a path distance factor (PDF) is disclosed. According to one embodiment, a computer-implemented method, comprises calculating a path distance factor (PDF) between a first mesh router and a portal. A frame is transmitted to a second mesh router, wherein the frame includes the path distance factor.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

calculating, by a network device, a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal;

determining, by the network device, a path distance vector threshold which specifies a total number of nodes on a path to be announced in a frame; and

transmitting, by the network device, the frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes a plurality of path distance vectors including the first path distance vector, and wherein a number of path distance vectors included in the frame is limited by the path distance vector threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first path distance vector further comprises a second path distance vector, which includes:

a second node identifier corresponding to a second mesh router on the path between the first mesh router and the portal; and

a second path distance factor indicating a second distance from the second mesh router to the portal.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

calculating the first path distance factor using the second path distance factor.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initializing, by the network device, the first path distance factor to a value corresponding to a predetermined distance value which represents that the first mesh router is in an island state.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising setting the first path distance factor to a predetermined value when the first mesh router is the portal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first path distance factor is the minimum path distance factor value of a plurality of path distance factor values.

8. The method of claim 1,

wherein the path distance vector threshold specifies a maximum number of nodes on the path to be announced in the frame;

and

wherein the path distance vector limits a size of a beacon or a probe response management frame.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

dividing a plurality of nodes in the mesh network into a plurality of layers based on the path distance vector threshold.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting the path distance vector threshold based on scale of the mesh network.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

performing a logic comparison based at least on the first path distance vector to form a loop-free topology.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a beacon.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the frame is a probe response management frame.

14. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a calculating mechanism coupled to the processor, the calculating mechanism to calculate a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal;

a determining mechanism coupled to the processor, the determining mechanism to determine a path distance threshold which specifies a total number of nodes on a path to be announced in a frame; and

a transmitting mechanism coupled to the processor, the transmitting mechanism to transmit the frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes a plurality of path distance vectors including the first path distance vector, and wherein a number of path distance vectors included in the frame is limited by the path distance vector threshold.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first path distance vector further comprises a second path distance vector, which includes:

a second node identifier corresponding to a second mesh router on the path between the first mesh router and the portal; and

a second path distance factor indicating a second distance from the second mesh router to the portal.

17. The apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the path distance vector threshold specifies a maximum number of nodes on the path to be announced in the frame;

and

wherein the path distance vector limits a size of a beacon or a probe response management frame.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, further comprising:

a dividing, mechanism coupled to the processor, the dividing mechanism to divide a plurality of nodes in the mesh network into a plurality of layers based on the path distance vector threshold.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, said plurality of instructions when executed by a router being a part of a wireless mesh network, cause said router to perform:

calculating a first path distance vector between a first mesh router and a portal in a mesh network, wherein the portal is connected to a wired network server, and wherein the first path distance vector indicates a path from the first mesh router to the portal;

determining, by the network device, a path distance vector threshold which specifies a total number of nodes on a path to be announced in a frame; and

transmitting the frame to another mesh router, wherein the frame includes a plurality of path distance vectors including the first path distance vector, and wherein a number of path distance vectors included in the frame is limited by the path distance vector threshold.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the first path distance vector comprises:

a first node identifier corresponding to the first mesh router, and

a first path distance factor indicating a first distance from the first mesh router to the portal.