Layer-2 connectivity from switch to access node/gateway

• US 9,774,385 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2016
• Issued: 09/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Original Assignee: ViaSat Incorporated
• Inventors: Foxworthy, Michael, Chandran, Girish, Lau, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamara, Mohamed
• Application Number:
  US14/990,702
• Publication Number:
  US 20160119054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 628 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18571 for satellites; for fixed or mobile stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4645 Details on frame tagging routing of packets H04L45/00; support for virtual LAN H04L49/354
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5007 Internet protocol [IP] addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatuses for providing layer-2 connectivity through a non-routed ground segment network, are described. A system includes a non-autonomous gateway in communication with a satellite configured to relay data packets. The non-autonomous gateway is configured to receive the data packets from the satellite at layer-1 (LI) of the OSI-model, generate a plurality of virtual tagging tuples within the layer-2 packet headers of the plurality of data packets. The non-autonomous gateway is further configured to transmit, at layer-2 (L2) of the OSI-model, the virtually tagged data packets. Each of the packets may include a virtual tagging tuple and an entity destination. The system further includes a L2 switch in communication with the non-autonomous gateway. The L2 switch may be configured to receive the data packets and transmit the data packets to the entity based on the virtual tuples associated with each of the data packets.

Claims

1. A method of satellite communication, the method comprising:

providing a communication service of an aircraft with a satellite of a multi-beam satellite system via a first spot beam of a plurality of spot beams, wherein the plurality of spot beams are serviced by one or more gateways;

obtaining an IP address for a device within the aircraft;

communicating, between the aircraft and a gateway of the one or more gateways via the first spot beam, first communications of a communication session of the device using the IP address;

transitioning the communication service of the aircraft to a second spot beam of the plurality of spot beams when the aircraft is within an overlap of the first spot beam and the second spot beam, wherein the transitioning comprises changing at least one of the satellite or the gateway that is in communication with the aircraft via the first spot beam, and wherein the second spot beam is serviced by at least one of the one or more gateways having session information for maintaining connectivity of the communication session of the device; and

communicating, between the aircraft and the multi-beam satellite system via the second spot beam, second communications of the communication session of the device using the IP address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the satellite is a first satellite of the multi-beam satellite system; and

the transitioning comprises changing from the first satellite to a second satellite of the multi-beam satellite system, the second satellite having the second spot beam.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first satellite is a first type of satellite, and the second satellite is a second type of satellite different than the first type.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first satellite and the second satellite have different operational frequency bands.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first satellite is a Ka-band satellite, and the second satellite is a Ku-band satellite.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the second spot beam is serviced by the gateway that services the first spot beam.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein:

”

the gateway is a first gateway of the one or more gateways; and

the transitioning further comprises changing from the first gateway to a second gateway of the multi-beam satellite system, the second gateway servicing the second spot beam and having the session information for maintaining connectivity of the communication session of the device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first gateway and the second gateway are each a non-autonomous gateway.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the second gateway obtains the session information prior to the transitioning of the communication service of the aircraft to the second spot beam.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second gateway obtains the session information from the first gateway via a core node.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the core node and the first and second gateway are on the same non-routed network.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the gateway is a first gateway of the one or more gateways;

the satellite includes the second spot beam;

the transitioning comprises changing from the first spot beam of the satellite to the second spot beam of the satellite, the second spot beam serviced by a second gateway of the one or more gateways having the session information for maintaining connectivity of the communication session of the device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the transitioning of the communication service of the aircraft to the second spot beam is based on an indication that the aircraft is within the overlap.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting that the aircraft is within the overlap of the first spot beam and the second spot beam, and wherein the transitioning of the communication service of the aircraft to the second spot beam is in response to the detection.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the session information includes at least of the IP address of the device and application information of an application executing on the device.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the device remains within the same network when the communication service of the aircraft transitions from the first spot beam to the second spot beam.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is between the device and an external network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is associated with an application executing on the device.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the connectivity of the communication session of the device is not lost during the transitioning of the communication service of the aircraft to the second spot beam.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the device is one of a smartphone, a PDA, a laptop computer, a mobile computer, or a cellular telephone.