Cloud-based controller for managing access points

• US 9,516,700 B1
• Filed: 09/25/2014
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Trielli Ferreira, Guilherme Henrique, Gorman, Ezra Ludlow, Rybak, Alexander, Ayoub, Alain
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Steven H
• Application Number:
  US14/496,045
• Time in Patent Office: 803 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/08 Upper layer protocols network arrangements or communication protocols for networked applications H04L67/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A system for managing a plurality of access points is provided that includes an interface device to receive configuration settings, a memory storing current settings and a processor coupled to the memory and the interface. The access points include first and second sets. Each set is provisioned to communicate on a respective communication protocol from a plurality of communication protocols. Each respective communication protocol is incompatible with the communication protocols for other access points. The one or more processors are configured to implement a management controller that includes a communication layer module to communicate using the respective communication protocol with the first set or the second set of access point devices and an abstraction layer module to apply configuration commands using the communication layer module to remotely reconfigure one of the plurality access point devices from the first or second set based on the configuration settings received from the interface.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

an interface device to receive from a remote client computing device configuration settings for a plurality of access point devices, wherein the plurality of access point devices includes first and second sets of access point devices, the first set of access point devices provisioned to communicate on a first communication protocol and the second set of access point devices provisioned to communicate on a second communication protocol that is incompatible with the first communication protocol; and

one or more processors coupled to the interface device, the one or more processors being configured to implement a management controller, the management control controller comprising;

a communication layer module to communicate with the first set of access points using the first communication protocol and to communicate with the second set of access points using the second communication protocol; and

an abstraction layer module to apply one or more configuration commands using the communication layer module to remotely configure at least one of the plurality of access point devices from the first or second set based on the configuration settings received at the interface device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication layer module is configured to construct data calls based on the respective communication protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the interface device is configured to authenticate a user for access to the first and second set.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the management controller is configured to automatically configure access point devices from the first or second set to cooperatively work together.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the automatic configuration is triggered when a load on an access point device of the first or second set meets a predetermined threshold level.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the abstraction layer module is configured to map the configuration settings received from the interface device to the one or more configuration commands.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the one or more configuration commands includes at least one of an update command to update one or more settings of a given access point device, a boot command to reboot the given access point device, a reset command to reset the given access point device or a status command to receive a current status of the given access point device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the management controller further comprises a subscriber layer module, the subscriber layer module being configured to monitor configuration updates from the memory for one or more access point devices from the first or second set.

9. The system of claim 8, the subscriber layer module is further configured to publish a notification based on the configuration updates.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the published notification associated with the configuration updates is provided to the interface device.

11. A method comprising:

receiving, using one or more processors at an interface device, configuration settings from a remote client computing device for a plurality of access point devices, wherein the plurality of access point devices includes first and second sets of access point devices, the first set of access point devices is provisioned to communicate on a first communication protocol and the second set of access point devices is provisioned to communicated on a second communication protocol that is incompatible with the first communication protocol;

mapping, using the one or more processors, first configuration commands to at least one of the first set of access point devices based on the configuration settings received from the interface device;

establishing, using the one or more processors, a communication session using the first communication protocol to communicate with the at least one of the access point devices from the first set;

remotely updating, using the one or more processors, at least one of the first set of access point devices via the communication layer based on the mapped first configuration commands;

mapping, using the one or more processors, second configuration commands to at least one of the second set of access point devices based on the configuration settings received from the interface device;

establishing, using the one or more processors, a communication session using the second communication protocol to communicate with the at least one of the access point devices from the second set;

remotely updating, using the one or more processors, at least one of the second set of access point devices via the communication layer based on the mapped first configuration commands.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising constructing, using the communication layer module construct data calls to communicate with the first set or the second set based on the respective communication protocol.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising authenticating a user for access to the first and second set.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising automatically configuring access point devices from the first or second set to cooperatively work together.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the automatic configuration is triggered when a load on an access point device of the first or second set meets a predetermined threshold level.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising mapping the configuration settings received from the interface device to one of the first configuration commands or the second configuration commands using the abstraction layer module.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second configuration commands includes at least one of an update command to update one or more settings of a given access point device, a boot command to reboot the given access point device, a reset command to reset the given access point device or a status command to receive a current status of the given access point device.

18. The method of claim 11, further comprising monitoring configuration updates from for one or more access point devices from the first or second set.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising publishing a notification based on the configuration updates.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the notification associated with the configuration updates is provided to the interface device.