Method and apparatus for permitting a device to automatically select a network address for use in a wireless network

• US 9,585,087 B1
• Filed: 12/14/2015
• Issued: 02/28/2017
• 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): Morlan, Robert M
• Application Number:
  US14/967,942
• Time in Patent Office: 442 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 for service discovery in a network, comprising:

storing, by a local station in the network, a data store with information of peer stations in the network, the information including network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer stations, and including service identifications for services supported by corresponding peer stations;

receiving from a peer station in the network a message including a bitmap that is indicative of an address occupancy within an address space of the network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer stations and further containing service identifications for services supported by the corresponding peer station;

parsing the message to retrieve information of the peer stations, the information including network addresses allocated to the peer stations using the bitmap and identifications of services supported by the peer station; and

updating the data store with the retrieved information from the message.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein storing, by the local station in the network, the data store with information of peer stations in the network further comprises:

storing the data store using media access control addresses (MAC addresses) of the peer stations as primary key.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, by the local station, a probe request indicative of a desired service;

scanning the data store to determine an availability of the desired service in the network; and

generating a probe response indicative of the availability, the probe response including a network address allocated to the local station, and service identifications of services supported by the local station.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending a probe request to discover a desired service in the network; and

receiving a probe response from a remote station indicative of an availability of the desired service in the network, the probe response including a network address allocated to the remote station, and service identifications of services supported by the remote station.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

sending a pre-determined number of probe requests spaced by a time interval when the local station keeps receiving probe responses indicative of unavailability of the desired service in the network; and

determining that the desired service is unavailable in the network when none of the probe responses is indicative of an availability of the desired service in the network.

6. A device for service discovery in the network, comprising:

storage circuitry to store a data store with information of peer devices in the network, the information including network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer devices, and including service identifications of services supported by the respective peer devices; and

a network interface to receive a message including a bitmap from a peer device in the network that is indicative of an address occupancy within an address space of the network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer devices and further containing service identifications for services supported by the corresponding peer device; and

a controller to parse the received message to retrieve information of the peer device and update the data store with the retrieved information from the message, the information including a network address allocated to the peer devices and identifications of services supported by the peer device.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller re-constructs the bitmap based on the data store before a target beacon transmission time (TBTT).

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the storage circuitry stores the data store using media access control addresses (MAC addresses) of the peer devices as primary key.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein

a network interface receives a probe request indicative of a desired service;

and

the controller scans the data store to determine an availability of the desired service in the network, and generates a probe response indicative of the availability, the probe response including a network address allocated to the device, and service identifications of services supported by the device.

10. The device of claim 6, wherein

a network interface sends a probe request to discover a desired service in the network;

and receive a probe response from a remote device indicative of an availability of the desired service in the network, the probe response including a network address allocated to the remote device, and service identifications of services supported by the remote device.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein:

the network interface sends a pre-determined number of probe requests spaced by a time interval when the device keeps receiving probe responses indicative of unavailability of the desired service in the network failure; and

the controller determines that the desired service is unavailable in the network when none of the probe responses is indicative of an availability of the desired service in the network.

12. An ad-hoc network that supports service discovery, wherein a device within the ad-hoc network comprises:

storage circuitry to store a data store with information of peer devices in the ad-hoc network, the information including network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer devices, and including service identifications of services supported by the respective peer devices; and

a network interface to receive a message including a bitmap from a peer device in the network that is indicative of an address occupancy of an address space of the network addresses dynamically allocated to the peer devices and further containing service identifications for services supported by the corresponding peer device; and

a controller to parse the received message to retrieve information of the peer device and update the data store with the retrieved information from the message, the information including a network address allocated to the peer devices using the bitmap and identifications of services supported by the peer device.

13. The ad-hoc network of claim 12, wherein the controller re-constructs the bitmap based on the data store before a target beacon transmission time (TBTT).

14. The ad-hoc network of claim 12, wherein the storage circuitry stores the data store using media access control addresses (MAC addresses) of the peer devices as primary key.

15. The ad-hoc network of claim 12, wherein the device comprises:

a network interface to receive a probe request indicative of a desired service; and

the controller scans the data store to determine an availability of the desired service in the ad-hoc network, and generates a probe response to the probe request indicative of the availability, the probe response including a network address allocated to the device, and service identifications of services supported by the device.

16. The ad-hoc network of claim 12, wherein the device comprises:

a network interface to send a probe request to discover a desired service in the ad-hoc network and to receive a probe response from a remote device indicative of an availability of the desired service in the ad-hoc network, the probe response including a network address allocated to the remote device, and service identifications of services supported by the remote device.

17. The ad-hoc network of claim 16, wherein:

the network interface sends a pre-determined number of probe requests spaced by a time interval when the device keeps receiving probe responses indicative of unavailability of the desired service in the ad-hoc network; and

the controller determines that the desired service is unavailable in the ad-hoc network when none of the probe responses is indicative of an availability of the desired service in the ad-hoc network.