Method and system for preventing loops in mesh networks
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- receiving, at a first network node operating as an access point in a wireless network, a frame from a wired network, wherein the frame comprises a site identifier uniquely corresponding to the wired network, a source physical address, and a destination physical address;
determining, by the access point, whether the source physical address is associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier; and
in response to determining that the source physical address is not associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier;
storing, by the access point, the source physical address,determining, by the access point, whether the source physical address is known to any portal node in the wireless network irrespective of a site identifier associated with the portable node,responsive to the source physical address being known to a portal node with a different site identifier than the site identifier of the received frame, associating the source physical address with the portal node associated with the site identifier in a forwarding table at the access point, andresponsive to the source physical address not being known to any portal node in the wireless network, associating the source physical address with the access point in the forwarding table at the access point.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present disclosure discloses a network device and/or method for preventing loops in routing paths of network frames in a wireless digital network. The disclosed network device at a network node receives a frame from a wired network. The frame includes a site identifier uniquely corresponding to the wired network, a source physical address, and a destination physical address. If the network node is selected as a representative portal node, the network device forwards the frame. Otherwise, if another network node is selected as the representative portal node, the network device drops the received frame to prevent forming a loop in a routing path corresponding to the frame. If not other network is selected as the representative portal node, the network device floods the frame to other network nodes in the wireless network.
20 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a first network node operating as an access point in a wireless network, a frame from a wired network, wherein the frame comprises a site identifier uniquely corresponding to the wired network, a source physical address, and a destination physical address; determining, by the access point, whether the source physical address is associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier; and in response to determining that the source physical address is not associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier; storing, by the access point, the source physical address, determining, by the access point, whether the source physical address is known to any portal node in the wireless network irrespective of a site identifier associated with the portable node, responsive to the source physical address being known to a portal node with a different site identifier than the site identifier of the received frame, associating the source physical address with the portal node associated with the site identifier in a forwarding table at the access point, and responsive to the source physical address not being known to any portal node in the wireless network, associating the source physical address with the access point in the forwarding table at the access point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A network device comprising:
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one or more radio antennas; a hardware processor communicatively coupled to the one or more radio antennas; a memory unit; a receiving mechanism coupled to the hardware processor, the receiving mechanism to receive a frame from a wired network, wherein the frame comprises a site identifier uniquely corresponding to the wired network, a source physical address, and a destination physical address; a determining mechanism coupled to the hardware processor, the determining mechanism to determine whether the source physical address is known to any portal node in a wireless network associated with the site identifier; and a storing mechanism coupled to the hardware processor, the storing mechanism to store the source physical address at the first network node in response to determining that the source physical address is not associated with a frame previously received by a portal node in the wireless network with the same site identifier, wherein the storing mechanism associates, in response to the source physical address being known to a portal node with a different site identifier than the received frame, the source physical address with the portal node associated with the site identifier in a forwarding table at the network device; and wherein the storing mechanism associates, in response to the source physical address being known to no portal node, the source physical address with the network device in the forwarding table at the network device. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by one or more processors within a first network node in a wireless network cause the first network node to:
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analyze a frame received from a wired network, the frame comprises (i) a site identifier uniquely corresponding to the wired network, (ii) a source physical address, and (ii) a destination physical address; determine whether the source physical address is associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier; in response to determining that the source physical address is not associated with a frame previously received from a portal node with the site identifier; store the source physical address, determine whether the source physical address is known to any portal node in the wireless network, responsive to the source physical address being known to a portal node with a different site identifier than the site identifier of the frame, associate the source physical address with the portal node associated with the site identifier in a forwarding table, and responsive to the source physical address not being known to any portal node in the wireless network, associate the source physical address with the first network node in the forwarding table. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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Specification