ACCESS POINT PROFILE FOR A MESH ACCESS POINT IN A WIRELESS MESH NETWORK

• US 20080112363A1
• Filed: 11/14/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Cam-Winget, Nancy, Rahman, Shahriar I.
• Granted Patent: US 8,102,814 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/331
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/24 Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A mesh access point that includes an access point profile storing one ore more parameters in non-volatile memory, and a method of using the mesh access point having the access point profile to select and carry out mutual authentication on a wireless mesh network to establish itself to the mesh network using information in the access point profile, and further to provide services to wireless clients according to information in the access point profile. Access point profiles can be pre-configured/configured/updated suitably in order to adapt the mesh access point in a mesh network according to its capabilities and requirements.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving in a mesh access point one or more advertisements from one or more potential parent mesh access points of at least one wireless mesh network, each mesh network having a mesh network identifier, each advertisement including the mesh network identifier;

selecting a particular wireless mesh network and a particular parent mesh access point of the particular wireless mesh network, the selecting using one or more parameters stored in an access point profile in the mesh access point;

setting up a physical radio link with a particular parent mesh access point as a child mesh access point;

requesting association with the particular parent mesh access point as a potential child mesh access point of the particular parent mesh access point, the requesting using one or more parameters in the access point profile;

receiving a response to the association request; and

in the case that the received response is positive, using one or more policies stored in the in the access point profile to join the particular wireless mesh network via the particular parent mesh access point.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more policies include an indication of whether or not mutual authentication is required, and in the case the indication is that authentication is required, the using one or more policies to join includes mutual authenticating starting with credential information stored in the access point profile.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of wireless mesh networks that the mesh access point is authorized to join and one or more parameters on such authorized mesh networks.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of wireless mesh networks that the mesh access point has previously joined, and one or more parameters on such previously joined mesh networks.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the selecting of the particular wireless mesh network and the particular parent mesh access point include using information from the access point profile to ascertain if the particular wireless mesh network and a particular parent mesh access point is in an authorized mesh network and can provide the services required.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein mesh nodes of the mesh network are lightweight nodes controlled by one or more controllers, and wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of whether the mesh access point can join any controller, or whether the mesh access point can only join only one or more controllers identified in the access point profile.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of one or more different security policies that the mesh access point can support.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for information for fast secure roaming that the mesh access point can support.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of one or more different types of authentication that the mesh access point can engage in for joining a mesh network.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for Quality of Service information for the mesh access point.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the Quality of Service information includes the one or more QoS levels supported by the mesh access point.

12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the Quality of Service information includes an indication of which one or more types of call admission control methods are supported by the mesh access point.

13. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the access point profile is pre-configured with one or more default parameters.

14. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the mesh access point is a lightweight access point that can be coupled to a controller, and wherein the access point profile is configurable once the mesh access point is coupled to a controller, including at least one of the default parameters being changeable.

15. A method comprising:

transmitting in a mesh access point of a wireless mesh network one or more beacon frames to advertise the mesh APs capabilities for servicing wireless clients, each advertisement including one or more parameters determined from content stored in an access point profile in the mesh access point;

setting up a physical radio link with a particular wireless client as a result of the particular wireless client receiving one of the beacon frames,

receiving an association request from the wireless client to become of client of the mesh access point,

ascertaining whether or not the wireless client can associate with mesh access point; and

sending a response to the association request.

16. A method comprising:

transmitting in a mesh access point of a wireless mesh network one or more advertisements, the mesh network having a mesh network identifier, each advertisement including the mesh network identifier and one or more parameters determined from content stored in an access point profile in the mesh access point;

setting up a physical radio link with a particular parent child mesh access point as a result of the child mesh access point receiving one of the advertisements;

receiving an association request from the particular child mesh access point as a potential child mesh access point of the mesh access point,

ascertaining, using one or more parameters stored in the access point profile whether or not the child mesh access point can and should join the mesh network with the mesh access point being the parent mesh access point of the particular child mesh access point; and

sending a response to the association request.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the mesh access point is a lightweight mesh access point having a secure tunnel with a controller, the method further comprising:

in the case the mesh access point ascertains that the child mesh access point can join the mesh network, sending a controller association request to the controller and receiving a controller response to the controller association request as a result of the controller ascertaining whether or not the child mesh access point can join the mesh network; and

in the case that the response is positive, mutually authenticating with the particular child mesh access point.

18. An apparatus comprising:

at least one a backhaul radio interface;

a control processor coupled to the backhaul radio interface operative with the radio interface to connect to one or more mesh nodes to form a wireless mesh network;

a non-volatile memory coupled to or residing in the control processor, and usable by the control processor, the non volatile memory including an access point profile operable to store one or more parameters usable by the processor to authenticate the apparatus in the process of joining a particular mesh network as a mesh access point that is a child mesh access point to a particular parent mesh access point.

19. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, further comprising:

a wired network interface coupled to or residing in the control processor, and operable to couple the apparatus to a wired network.

20. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the apparatus is operable as a lightweight mesh access point when coupled to a controller.

21. An apparatus as recited in claim 20, wherein the access point profile information on whether the mesh access point can join any controller, or whether the AP can only join one or more identified controllers.

22. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the access point profile is pre-configured with one or more default parameters.

23. An apparatus as recited in claim 22, wherein the apparatus is operable as a lightweight mesh access point when coupled to a controller, and wherein the access point profile is configurable once the mesh access point is coupled to a controller, including at least one of the default parameters being changeable.

24. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for one or more different security policies that the mesh access point can support.

25. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of allowed and/or not-allowed wireless mesh networks that the mesh network may and/or may not join.

26. An apparatus as recited in claim 25, wherein whether a particular mesh network is allowed or not is ascertained from one or more parameters stored in the AP profile.

27. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for credential information on where to find the credential or credentials for authenticating with the particular wireless mesh network.

28. An apparatus as recited in claim 18, wherein the access point profile includes one or more entries for an indication of wireless mesh networks that the mesh access point has previously joined.

29. Logic encoded in one or more tangible media for execution and when executed operable to:

receive in a mesh access point one or more advertisements from one or more potential parent mesh access points of at least one wireless mesh network, each mesh network having a mesh network identifier, each advertisement including the mesh network identifier;

select a particular wireless mesh network and a particular parent mesh access point of the particular wireless mesh network, the selecting using one or more parameters stored in an access point profile in the mesh access point;

set up a physical radio link with a particular parent mesh access point as a child mesh access point;

request association with the particular parent mesh access point as a potential child mesh access point of the particular parent mesh access point, the requesting using one or more parameters in the access point profile;

receive a response to the association request; and

in the case that the received response is positive, use one or more policies stored in the in the access point profile to join the particular wireless mesh network via the particular parent mesh access point.

30. Logic as recited in claim 29, wherein the one or more policies include an indication of whether or not mutual authentication is required, and in the case the indication is that authentication is required, the using one or more policies to join includes mutual authenticating starting with credential information stored in the access point profile.

31. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a wireless signal transmitted in a wireless mesh;

means for processing signals received and operative with the means for receiving to connect to one or more mesh nodes to form a wireless mesh network; and

means for storing one or more parameters usable by the means for processing to authenticate the apparatus in the process of joining a particular mesh network as a mesh access point that is a child mesh access point to a particular parent mesh access point.