Methods and apparatus for a common control protocol for wired and wireless nodes

• US 9,674,030 B2
• Filed: 09/28/2012
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Inventors: Choudhury, Abhijit, Pogde, Pranay, Tseng, Yung-Ching, Murphy, James, Shah, Sandip
• Primary Examiner(s): Onamuti, Gbemileke J
• Application Number:
  US13/630,488
• Publication Number:
  US 20140092884A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0654 using network fault recovery ring fault isolation or reconfiguration in loop networks without recovery actions by a network management system H04L12/437
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0806 for initial configuration or provisioning, e.g. plug-and-play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/344 Out-of-band transfers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/03 Protocol definition or specification protocol conformance testing H04L1/244
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/068 using credential vaults, e.g. password manager applications or one time password [OTP] applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/20 Control channels or signalling for resource management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/12 Access point controller devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

In some embodiments, an apparatus comprises of a control module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device that is configured to receive, via a network and from a wireless access point or an access network node, a control packet defined based on a control protocol. The control packet is associated with at least one control function of the wireless access point or access network node. The control module is configured to determine a status of an access network node based on the control packet from the access network node. The control module is configured to send via the network, a response to the access network node based on the status of the access network node.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a control module implemented in at least one of a memory or a processing device, the control module configured to receive, via a network and from a wireless access point that operatively couples a first client device to the network via a wireless link, a control packet defined based on a control protocol and associated with at least one control function of the wireless access point,

the control module configured to receive, via the network and from an access network node that operatively couples a second client device to the network via a wired link, a control packet defined based on the control protocol and associated with at least one control function of the access network node,

the control module configured to extract, from the control packet from the access network node, a configuration status of the access network node, the control module configured to send, via the network, a response to the access network node based on the configuration status of the access network node, and

the control module configured to exchange a data packet between the wireless access point and the access network node via a common data tunnel, the common data tunnel configured to operate according to the control protocol determined at least in part based on the control packet from the access network node, the common data tunnel including the wireless access point, the control module and the access network node.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one control function of the access network node includes at least one of a node management function, a session management function, or a route management function.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to determine a configuration status of the wireless access point based on the control packet from the wireless access point, the control module configured to send, via the network, a response to the wireless access point based on the configuration status of the wireless access point.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) access controller (AC).

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control protocol is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control packet from the wireless access point is defined based on a first Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol binding,

the control packet from the access network node is defined based on a second CAPWAP protocol binding different than the first CAPWAP protocol binding.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to receive the control packet from the access network node via a control channel between the control module and the access network node.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to receive the control packet from the access network node such that the control packet from the access network node is an authentication request associated with the second client device,

the control module configured to authenticate the second client device based on the control packet from the access network node, the control module configured to send the response in response to authenticating the second client device such that the access network node implements a policy associated with the second client device.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to receive the control packet from the access network node such that the control packet from the access network node includes information associated with a port of the access network node via which the second client device is operatively coupled to the network.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to receive the control packet from the access network node such that the control packet from the access network node is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol discovery request message, the response being a CAPWAP protocol discovery response message.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control module is configured to receive the control packet from the access network node such that the control packet from the access network node is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol configuration status request message.

12. A non-transitory processor-readable medium storing code representing instructions to be executed by a processor, the code comprising code to cause the processor to:

receive, at a control module and via a network and from a wireless access point, a configuration status request message defined based on a control protocol;

receive, at the control module and via the network and from an access network node, a configuration status request message defined based on the control protocol;

extract, from the configuration status request received from the wireless access point, a configuration status of the wireless access point;

determine, based on the configuration status request received from the access network node, a configuration status of the access network node;

send, from the control module and based on the configuration status of the wireless access point, a configuration status response message to the wireless access point;

send, from the control module and based on the configuration status of the access network node, a configuration status response message to the access network node; and

exchange a data packet between the wireless access point and the access network node via a common data tunnel, the common data tunnel configured to operate according to the control protocol determined at least in part based on the configuration status of the access network node, the common data tunnel including the wireless access point, the control module and the access network node.

13. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the control protocol is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol.

14. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration status request message received from the access network node is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol configuration status request message.

15. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration status request message received from the access network node includes at least one of a port identifier associated with a port of the access network node, an indication of a port speed of the port, or an indication of a power-over-Ethernet capability of the port.

16. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the control protocol is a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol, the configuration status request message received from the access network node is defined based on a CAPWAP binding for wired devices.

17. The non-transitory processor-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the configuration status request message is received from the access network node via a control channel between the control module and the access network node.

18. An apparatus, comprising:

an access network node configured to operatively couple a client device to a network via a wired link, the access network node configured to send a Control And Provisioning of Wireless Access Points (CAPWAP) protocol discovery request message to a CAPWAP control module via the network, the CAPWAP protocol discovery message including a configuration status of the access network node, the access network node configured to receive, from the CAPWAP control module and in response to the CAPWAP protocol discovery request message, a CAPWAP discovery response message including a service-and-capability advertisement,

the access network node configured to establish, in response to the CAPWAP discovery response message, a control channel with the CAPWAP control module, and

the access network node configured to establish, in response to the CAPWAP discovery response message, a data tunnel between the access network node and the CAPWAP control module, the data tunnel configured based at least on a frame tunneling mode indicated in the CAPWAP protocol discovery message.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the access network node is configured to send the CAPWAP protocol discovery request message to the CAPWAP control module as a User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packet.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the CAPWAP protocol discovery request message is associated with a CAPWAP binding for wired devices.

21. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the CAPWAP protocol discovery request message includes information associated with a port of the access network node via which the client device is operatively coupled to the network.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the CAPWAP protocol discovery request message includes an indicator associated with a power-over-Ethernet capability of a port of the access network node via which the client device is operatively coupled to the network.