Untethered access point mesh system and method

• US 20070287390A1
• Filed: 05/11/2007
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/09/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Murphy, James, Morain, Gary, Chesnutt, Stan
• Granted Patent: US 8,818,322 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/85
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 36/08 Reselecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/082 for traffic bypassing of mobility servers, e.g. location registers, home PLMNs or home agents
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/02 Data link layer protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/22 with access to wired networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A technique for implementing an untethered access point (UAP) mesh involves enabling AP-local switching at one or more UAPs of the mesh. A system constructed according to the technique may include a wireless switch; an access point (AP) wire-coupled to the wireless switch; and a UAP mesh, wirelessly coupled to the AP, including a UAP with an AP-local switching engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. Another system constructed according to the technique may include an untethered access point (UAP), including: a radio; a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium; an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. In operation, the AAP selection engine may use the radio to attempt to associate with the AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID. A method according to the technique may include beaconing with a backhaul SSID; acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon; providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a wireless switch;

an access point (AP) wire coupled to the wireless switch;

an untethered AP (UAP) mesh, wirelessly coupled to the AP, including a UAP with an AP-local switching engine embodied in a computer-readable medium.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a wired backbone coupled to a wired network including the wireless switch.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the UAP mesh is self-healing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein a spanning tree algorithm is embodied in a computer readable medium of the UAP mesh.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireless switch includes an authorization engine, embodied in a computer-readable medium, for acting in concert with an anchoring AP to authorize a downstream station.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the AP-local switching engine makes use of a station switching record (SSR) stored a the UAP.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein, the SSR is sent from the wireless switch to the UAP.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the UAP propagates a new SSR upstream.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the UAP propagates any changes to the SSR upstream.

10. A system comprising:

an untethered access point (UAP), including;

a radio;

a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium;

an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium;

wherein, in operation, the AAP selection engine uses the radio to attempt to associate with an AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the UAP further includes a bootable image stored in a computer readable medium, wherein, in operation, the UAP boots up using the bootable image.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein, in operation, the UAP uses regulatory domain information to ensure the UAP is operating within regulatory limits before receiving a complete configuration.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the AAP selection engine listens for a beacon from the AAP that includes the backhaul SSID.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the AAP includes a backhaul SSID stored in a computer-readable medium, wherein the backhaul SSID is the beaconed backhaul SSID.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the AAP includes an authentication engine embodied in a computer-readable medium, wherein, in operation, the authentication engine works in concert with upstream components to authenticate the UAP.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the AAP includes:

a backhaul radio;

a backhaul radio and service profile stored in a computer-readable medium;

wherein, in operation, when the UAP is associated to the AAP, the backhaul radio sends messages from the UAP upstream using the backhaul radio and service profile.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the AAP is configured to anchor the UAP and a limited number of additional UAPs.

18. A method comprising:

beaconing with a backhaul SSID;

acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon;

providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

sending a station switching record (SSR) from the upstream switch to the downstream station;

receiving the SSR from the downstream station;

storing the SSR locally and sending the SSR upstream to a next upstream hop.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

receiving in an initial configuration the backhaul SSID;

listening for a beacon with the backhaul SSID;

attempting to associate with an anchoring AP that is beaconing with the backhaul SSID;

if association is successful,

receiving a station switching record (SSR) from the upstream switch;

storing the SSR locally;

passing the SSR upstream.