Network assignment based on priority

• US 8,902,904 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2007
• Issued: 12/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Trapeze Networks Incorporated (Juniper Networks Incorporated)
• Inventors: Gast, Matthew Stuart, Sale, Michael Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Sheikh, Ayaz
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAMPTON, TARELL A
• Application Number:
  US11/852,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20090067436A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,643 Days
• Field of Search: 370/395.53
• US Class Current: 370/395.53
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4679 Arrangements for the registration or de-registration of VLAN attribute values, e.g. VLAN identifiers, port VLAN membership
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

Systems and methods for network assignment based on priority are described in this application. In one aspect, a technique for network assignment based on priority relates to establishing a connection between a client and a virtual local area network (VLAN), based on an explicit or implicit network priority preference of the client. In an embodiment, multiple VLANs can be combined into one network bundle, the network bundle being a unit network for priority specification. In addition, multiple network bundles may be available for network assignment on a particular network controller (e.g., network switch). For example, the preferred network of a client may be comprised of several individual VLANs. Thus, the client can be assigned to any of the constituent VLANs included in the preferred network bundle.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, from a client being (1) operationally connected to a second virtual local area network (VLAN) via a first access point, and (2) roaming from the first access point to a second access point, a request to operationally connect to a VLAN from a plurality of VLANs, the plurality of VLANs including a first VLAN and the second VLAN;

identifying network priority preference data of the client authorized to connect to both of the first VLAN the second VLAN, the network priority preference data indicating a preference of the client to connect to the first VLAN, the first VLAN being a highest preferred VLAN indicated by the network priority preference data that is available; and

if the first VLAN is available and the second VLAN is available, maintaining an operational connection between the client and the second VLAN.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising establishing (1) a first network bundle comprising the first VLAN and (2) a second network bundle comprising the second VLAN.

3. A system, comprising:

a means for receiving a request from a client to operationally connect to a virtual local area network (VLAN) of a plurality of VLANs, the client having roamed to within a range of a second access point of the second network controller from a first access point of a first network controller, where the client is coupled to a first VLAN via the first access point of the first network controller when roaming within the range of the second access point;

a means for identifying network priority preference data associated with the client to operationally connect to one or more VLANs of the plurality of VLANs where a second VLAN has a higher priority than the first VLAN;

a means for identifying a persistent group of network controllers including the first network controller;

a means for determining whether the persistent group of network controllers includes the second network controller; and

a means for maintaining connectivity from the second network controller to the first network controller between the client and the first VLAN, despite the second VLAN having higher priority than the first VLAN for the client, when connectivity to the first VLAN is available through the second network controller.

4. The system of claim 3, further comprising, a means for maintaining connectivity between the client and the first VLAN when the first VLAN is available at the second network controller, in response to determining that the second network controller is comprised in the persistent group.

5. The system of claim 3, further comprising a means for establishing an operational connection between the client and a preferred VLAN, based on the network priority preference data, that is available at the second network controller when the first VLAN is unavailable at the second network controller, in response to determining that the second network controller is not comprised in the persistent group.

6. The system of claim 3, further comprising a means for in response to determining that the second network controller is comprised in the persistent group and identifying that the first VLAN is not available at the second network controller, establishing an operational connection between the client and a preferred VLAN that is available at the second network controller, based on the priority preference data.

7. The system of claim 3, further comprising a means for, in response to determining that the first VLAN is not available at the second network controller, determining whether the first VLAN is available for tunneling.

8. The system of claim 3, further comprising a means for, in response to determining that the first VLAN is not available at the second network controller, and determining that the first VLAN is available for tunneling, establishing an operational connection between the client and the first VLAN by VLAN tunneling to a network controller of which the first VLAN is available for tunneling.

9. The system of claim 3, further comprising a means for, in response to determining that the first VLAN is not available at the second network controller, and determining that the first VLAN is not available for tunneling, establishing an operational connection between the client and a preferred VLAN based on the network priority preference data that is available at the second network controller.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the second VLAN is the highest ranked VLAN that is available based on the network priority preference data.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the first network controller includes a network switch and the second network controller includes a network switch.

12. A system, comprising:

a network switch configured to be operatively coupled to a network database storing network priority preference data of a client that is authorized to connect to (1) a first VLAN, (2) a second VLAN, and (3) a third VLAN, and authorized to roam from the first access point to a second access point;

the network switch is configured to lookup the network priority preference data of the client in the network database;

the network priority preference data indicating a preference to connect to the first VLAN before connecting to either the second VLAN or the third VLAN;

if the first VLAN is available and the second VLAN is available, the network switch is configured to maintain an operational connection between the client and the second VLAN.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the network switch is a first network switch, further comprising a second network switch configured to be operatively coupled to the network database, the client is configured to be authorized to connect to both of a third VLAN a fourth VLAN.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein, in operation, if the client roams to within range of an access point associated with the second network switch, the second network switch is configured to lookup the network priority preference data of the client in the network database;

the network priority preference data indicating a preference to connect to the third VLAN.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein

the network switch is configured to maintain the operational connection between the client and the second VLAN via tunneling.