U.S. patent application number 14/143518 was filed with the patent office on 2014-04-24 for method and system for providing an intelligent switch for bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network.
This patent application is currently assigned to Broadcom Corporation. The applicant listed for this patent is Broadcom Corporation. Invention is credited to Ed H. Frank, Richard Martin.
Application Number | 20140112299 14/143518 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34136747 |
Filed Date | 2014-04-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20140112299 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Frank; Ed H. ; et
al. |
April 24, 2014 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING AN INTELLIGENT SWITCH FOR BANDWIDTH
MANAGEMENT IN A HYBRID WIRED/WIRELESS LOCAL AREA NETWORK
Abstract
Aspects of the invention provide a system and method for
bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network.
A method for bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local
area network may include receiving from a first access point and/or
a first switch, a first messaging protocol message for establishing
a communication session. Responsive to the first messaging protocol
message, an available communication bandwidth is determined for at
least a portion of the hybrid wired/wireless local area network and
bandwidth is allocated to accommodate the communication session.
The first access point may be notified of the allocation of
bandwidth using a second messaging protocol message. The first
messaging protocol message may be received by a second switch
and/or a second access point. Bandwidth usage information may be
requested from the first access point and/or the first switch using
the first messaging protocol message.
Inventors: |
Frank; Ed H.; (Atherton,
CA) ; Martin; Richard; (Morgan Hill, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Broadcom Corporation |
Irvine |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Broadcom Corporation
Irvine
CA
|
Family ID: |
34136747 |
Appl. No.: |
14/143518 |
Filed: |
December 30, 2013 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10658725 |
Sep 9, 2003 |
8619728 |
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14143518 |
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60435984 |
Dec 20, 2002 |
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60433117 |
Dec 13, 2002 |
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60411301 |
Sep 17, 2002 |
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60411261 |
Sep 17, 2002 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
370/329 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 47/824 20130101;
H04L 47/70 20130101; H04L 63/10 20130101; H04W 72/04 20130101; H04L
1/1607 20130101; H04W 76/10 20180201; H04W 84/12 20130101; H04L
47/805 20130101; H04L 49/351 20130101; H04W 12/0602 20190101; H04W
16/04 20130101; H04L 67/14 20130101; H04L 69/329 20130101; H04L
47/767 20130101; H04W 48/16 20130101; H04L 47/785 20130101; H04L
47/822 20130101; H04L 12/413 20130101; H04W 12/0806 20190101; H04L
41/0896 20130101; H04L 49/205 20130101; H04L 67/322 20130101; H04W
16/16 20130101; H04W 28/16 20130101; H04L 47/24 20130101; H04L
47/125 20130101; H04L 47/14 20130101; H04W 28/02 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
370/329 |
International
Class: |
H04W 72/04 20060101
H04W072/04 |
Claims
1. A method for providing bandwidth management in a hybrid local
area network, the method comprising: receiving, by a network
switch, a first messaging protocol message for establishing a
communication session, the first messaging protocol message being
received from a first access point; responsive to the first
messaging protocol message, determining, by the network switch, an
available communication bandwidth for at least a portion of the
hybrid local area network; allocating bandwidth to accommodate the
communication session when sufficient communication bandwidth is
determined to be currently available; and notifying, by the network
switch, the first access point of the allocated bandwidth using a
second messaging protocol message to attempt establishment of the
communication session.
2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising requesting
bandwidth usage information from the first access point using a
second messaging protocol message.
3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising
de-allocating the allocated bandwidth using at least a third
messaging protocol message subsequent to termination of the
established communication session.
4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving
bandwidth information from at least one of a quality of service
management process, a load balancing management process, a session
control process, or a network management process using a fourth
messaging protocol message.
5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising requesting
the bandwidth information from the quality of service management
process, the load balancing management process, the session control
process, or the network management process using a fifth messaging
protocol message.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first messaging
protocol messages comprises a message selected from the group
consisting of an access point status message, access point
configuration message, a switch status message, a switch
configuration message, a client status message, and a device
discovery message.
7. A non-transitory machine-readable storage, having stored thereon
a computer program having at least one code section for providing
bandwidth management in a hybrid local area network, the at least
one code section executable by a machine for causing the machine to
perform: receiving, by a network switch, a first messaging protocol
message for establishing a communication session, the first
messaging protocol message being received from a first access
point; responsive to the first messaging protocol message,
determining, by the network switch, an available communication
bandwidth for at least a portion of the hybrid local area network;
allocating bandwidth to accommodate the communication session when
sufficient communication bandwidth is determined to be currently
available; and notifying, by the network switch, the first access
point of the allocated bandwidth using a second messaging protocol
message.
8. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim
7, further comprising code for requesting bandwidth usage
information from the first access point using a second messaging
protocol message.
9. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim
8, further comprising code for de-allocating the allocated
bandwidth using at least a third messaging protocol message
subsequent to termination of the established communication
session.
10. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim
7, further comprising code for receiving bandwidth information from
at least one of a quality of service management process, a load
balancing management process, a session control process, or a
network management process using a fourth messaging protocol
message.
11. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim
10, further comprising code for requesting the bandwidth
information from the quality of service management process, the
load balancing management process, the session control process, or
the network management process using a fifth messaging protocol
message.
12. The non-transitory machine-readable storage according to claim
7, wherein the first messaging protocol messages comprises a
message selected from the group consisting of an access point
status message, access point configuration message, a switch status
message, a switch configuration message, a client status message,
and a device discovery message.
13. A system for providing bandwidth management in a hybrid local
area network, the system comprising: a receiver adapted to receive
from a first access point a first messaging protocol message for
establishing a communication session; at least one controller
adapted to determine an available communication bandwidth for at
least a portion of the hybrid local area network, responsive to the
first messaging protocol message; the at least one controller
adapted to allocate bandwidth to accommodate the communication
session when sufficient communication bandwidth is determined to be
currently available; and the at least one controller adapted to
notify the first access point of the allocated bandwidth using a
second messaging protocol message.
14. The system according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is
further adapted to receive the first messaging protocol message by
at least one of a second switch or a second access point.
15. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one
controller is adapted to request bandwidth usage information from
the first access point using a second messaging protocol
message.
16. The system according to claim 15, wherein the at least one
controller is adapted to de-allocate the allocated bandwidth using
at least a third messaging protocol message subsequent to
termination of the established communication session.
17. The system according to claim 16, wherein the at least one
controller is adapted to send the third messaging protocol message
to the first access point.
18. The system according to claim 13, wherein the receiver is
adapted to receive bandwidth information from at least one of a
quality of service management process, a load balancing management
process, a session control process, or a network management process
using a fourth messaging protocol message.
19. The system according to claim 18, wherein the at least one
controller is adapted to request the bandwidth information from the
quality of service management process, the load balancing
management process, the session control process, or the network
management process using a fifth messaging protocol message.
20. The system according to claim 13, wherein the at least one
controller is a bandwidth management controller, a quality of
service controller, a load balancing controller, a session
controller, or a network management controller.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS/INCORPORATION BY
REFERENCE
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 10/658,725, entitled "Method and System for
Providing an Intelligent Switch for Bandwidth Management in a
Hybrid Wired/Wireless Local Area Network," filed on Sep. 9, 2003,
which makes reference to, claims priority to and claims the benefit
of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/433,117 entitled
"Method and System for Providing an Intelligent Switch for
Bandwidth Management in a Hybrid Wired/Wireless Network" filed on
Dec. 13, 2002; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.
60/411,261 entitled "Communications Systems Software and Protocols"
filed on Sep. 17, 2002; U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.
No. 60/411,301 entitled "Method and System for Providing a Scalable
Integrated Switch and Wireless Architecture" filed on Sep. 17,
2002; and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/435,984 entitled
"Communication System and Method in a Wireless Local Area Network"
filed on Dec. 20, 2002.
[0002] The above stated applications are all incorporated herein by
reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Embodiments of the present application relate generally to
local area networks, and more particularly to a switching system
and method for providing bandwidth management in a hybrid
wired/wireless local area network (WLAN).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model promulgated by
the International standards organization (ISO) was developed to
establish standardization for linking heterogeneous computer and
communication systems. The OSI model describes the flow of
information from a software application of a first computer system
to a software application of a second computer system through a
network medium. FIG. 1a is a block diagram 100 of the OSI model.
Referring to FIG. 1a, the OSI model has seven distinct functional
layers including layer 7, an application layer 114; layer 6, a
presentation layer 112; layer 5, a session layer 110; layer 4, a
transport layer 108, layer 3, a network layer 106; layer 2: a data
link layer 104; and layer 1, a physical layer 102. The physical
layer 102 may further include a physical layer convergence
procedure (PLOP) sublayer 102b and a physical media dependent
sublayer 102a. The data link layer 104 may also include a Medium
access control (MAC) layer 104a.
[0005] In general, each OSI layer describes certain tasks which are
necessary for facilitating the transfer of information through
interfacing layers and ultimately through the network.
Notwithstanding, the OSI model does not describe any particular
implementation of the various layers. OSI layers 1 to 4 generally
handle network control and data transmission and reception,
generally referred to as end-to-end network services. Layers 5 to 7
handle application issues, generally referred to as application
services. Specific functions of each layer may vary depending on
factors such as protocol and/or interface requirements or
specifications that are necessary for implementation of a
particular layer. For example, the Ethernet protocol may provide
collision detection and carrier sensing in the physical layer.
Layer 1, the physical layer 102, is responsible for handling all
electrical, optical, opto-electrical and mechanical requirements
for interfacing to the communication media. Notably, the physical
layer 102 may facilitate the transfer of electrical signals
representing an information bitstream. The physical layer 102 may
also provide services such as, encoding, decoding, synchronization,
clock data recovery, and transmission and reception of bit
streams.
[0006] The PLCP layer 102b may be configured to adapt and map
services provided by the physical layer 102 to the functions
provided by the device specific PMD sublayer 102a. Specifically,
the PLCP layer 102b may be adapted to map PHY sublayer service data
units (PDSUs) into a suitable packet and/or framing format
necessary for providing communication services between two or more
entities communicating via the physical medium. The PMD layer 102a
specifies the actual methodology and/or protocols which may be used
for receiving and transmitting via the physical medium. The MAC
sublayer 104a may be adapted to provide, for example, any necessary
drivers which may be utilized to access the functions and services
provided by the PLOP sublayer 102b. Accordingly, higher layer
services may be adapted to utilize the services provided by the MAC
sublayer 104a with little or no dependence on the PMD sublayer
102a.
[0007] 802.11 is a suite of specifications promulgated by the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which
provide communication standards for the MAC and physical (PHY)
layer of the OSI model. The 801.11 standard also provides
communication standards for wired and wireless local area networks
(WLANs). More specifically, the 802.11 standard specifies five (5)
types of physical layers for WLANs. These include, frequency
hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), direct sequence spread spectrum
(DSSS), infrared (IR) communication, high rate direct sequence
spread spectrum spread spectrum (HR-DSS) and orthogonal frequency
division multiplexing (OFDM). The 802.11 standard also provides a
PLOP frame format for each of the specified PHY layers.
[0008] Over the past decade, demands for higher data rates to
support applications such as streaming audio and streaming video,
have seen Ethernet speeds being increased from about 1-2 megabit
per second (Mbps), to 10 Mbps, to 100 Mbps, to 1 gigabit per second
(Gbps) to 10 Gbps. Currently, there are a number of standards in
the suite of specifications, namely 802.11b, 802.11a and 802.11g
which have been adapted to facilitate the demands for increased
data rates. The 802.11g standard for example, provides a maximum
data rate of about 54 Mbps at a transmitter/receiver range of 19
meters (m) in a frequency range of 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz. The
802.11b standard for example, provides a maximum data rate of about
11 Mbps at a transmitter/receiver range of 57 meters (m) in a
frequency range of 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz. Finally, the 802.11a
standard for example, may be adapted to provide a maximum data rate
of about 54 Mbps at a transmitter/receiver range of 12 meters (m)
in a 300 MHz segmented bandwidth ranging from 5.150 GHz to 5.350
GHz and from 5.725 GHz to 5.825 GHz.
[0009] The 802.11 standard forms the basis of the other standards
in the suite of specifications, and the 802.11b, 802.11a and
802.11g standards provide various enhancements and new features to
their predecessor standards. Notwithstanding, there are certain
elementary building blocks that are common to all the standards in
the suite of specifications. For example, all the standards in the
suite of specifications utilize the Ethernet protocol and utilize
carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance
(CSMA/CA).
[0010] CSMA/CA utilizes a simple negotiation scheme to permit
access to a communication medium. If a transmitting entity wishes
to transmit information to a receiving entity, the transmitting
entity may sense the communication medium for communication
traffic. In a case where the communication medium is busy, the
transmitting entity may desist from making a transmission and
attempt transmission at a subsequent time. In a case where the
communication transmission is not busy, then the transmitting
entity may send information over the communication medium.
Notwithstanding, there may be a case where two or more transmission
entities sense that the communication medium is not busy and
attempt transmission at the same instant. To avoid collisions and
retransmissions, a CSMA/OA or ready to send (RTS) and clear to send
(CTS) messaging scheme may be employed, for example. Accordingly,
whenever a transmitting device senses that the communication medium
is not busy, then the transmitting device may send a ready to send
message to one or more receiving device. Subsequent to the receipt
of the ready to send message, the receiving device may send a clear
to send message. Upon receipt of the clear to send message by the
transmitting device, the transmitting device may initiate transfer
of data to the receiving device. Upon receiving packets or frames
from the transmitting device, the receiving device may acknowledge
the received frames.
[0011] The 802.11b standard, commonly called Wi-Fi, which
represents wireless fidelity, is backward compatible with its
predecessor standard 802.11. Although 802.11 utilizes one of two
modulation formats including direct sequence spread spectrum (DSS)
using differential binary phase shift keying and frequency hopping
spread spectrum (11-bit Barker sequence), 802.11b utilizes a higher
data rate form of DSS called complementary code keying (CCK). CCK
permits higher data rate and particularly less susceptible to
interference effects such as multipath-propagation interference,
the PSK.
[0012] 802.11a utilizes orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing
(OFDM) modulation/encoding scheme, which provides a maximum data
rate 54 Mbps. Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing is a
digital modulation technique which splits a signal into several
narrowband channels, with each channel having a different
frequency. Each narrowband channel is arranged so as to minimize
the effects of crosstalk between the channels and symbols in the
data stream.
[0013] Since equipment designed to provide support for 802.11a
operates at frequencies in the ranges 5.150 GHz to 5.350 GHz and
from 5.725 GHz to 5.825 GHz, 802.11a equipment will not
interoperate with equipment designed to operate with the 802.11b
standard which defines operation in the 2.4 to 2.4835 GHz frequency
band. One major drawback is that companies that have invested in
802.11b equipment and infrastructure may not readily upgrade their
network without significant expenditure.
[0014] The 802.11g standard was developed as an extension to
802.11b standard. The 802.11g standard may utilize a similar OFDM
modulation scheme as the 802.11a standard and delivers speeds
comparable with the 802.11a standard. Since 802.11g compatible
equipment operates in the same portion of the electromagnetic
spectrum as 802.11b compatible equipment, 802.11g is backwards
compatible with existing 802.11b WLAN infrastructures. Due to
backward compatibility of 802.11g with 802.11b, it would be
desirable to have an 802.11b compliant radio card capable of
interfacing directly with an 802.11g compliant access point and
also an 802.11g compliant radio card capable of interfacing
directly with an 802.11 b compliant access point.
[0015] Furthermore although 802.11g compatible equipment operates
in the 2.4 GHz to 2.4835 GHz frequency range, a typical transmitted
signal utilizes a bandwidth of approximately 22 MHz, about a third
or 30% of the total allocated bandwidth. This limits the number of
non-overlapping channels utilized by an 802.11g access point to
three (3). A similar scenario exists with 802.11b. Accordingly,
many of the channel assignment and frequency reuse schemes
associated with the 802.11b standard may be inherent in the
802.11g.
[0016] RF interference may pose additional operational problems
with 802.11b and 802.11g equipment designed to operate in the 2.4
GHz portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The 2.4 GHz portion of
the spectrum is an unlicensed region which has been utilized for
some time and is crowded with potential interfering devices. Some
of these devices include cordless telephone, microwave ovens,
intercom systems and baby monitors. Other potential interfering
devices may be Bluetooth devices. Accordingly, interference poses
interference problems with the 802.11b and 802.11g standards.
[0017] 802.11a compatible equipment utilizes eight non-overlapping
channels, as compared to three non-overlapping channels utilized by
802.11b. Accordingly, 802.11a access points may be deployed in a
more dense manner than, for example 802.11b compatible equipment.
For example, up to twelve access points each having a different
assigned frequency may be deployed in a given area without causing
co-channel interference. Consequently, 802.11a may be particularly
useful in overcoming some of the problems associated with channel
assignment, especially in areas that may have a dense user
population and where increased throughput may be critical.
Notwithstanding, the higher operating frequency of 802.11a causes
more attenuation resulting in a shorter operating range at a given
data rate. This may significantly increase deployment cost since a
larger number of access points are required to service a given
service area.
[0018] In hybrid wired/wireless network systems that may utilize
one or more protocols in the 802.11 suite of protocols, the
mobility of access devices throughout the network may pose
additional challenges for conventional switches and switching
equipment. Since access devices are continuously changing their
point of access to the network, conventional switches may not have
the capability to control other network devices and/or entities to
provide seamless communication throughout the network. Allocation
and de-allocation of certain network resources can be challenging
in a continuously changing network. Moreover, particularly in
network systems that may handle large volumes of access device
traffic, conventional switching and signaling may consume
significant amounts of system resources and this may reduce the
amount of available system resources, thereby effectively reducing
system throughput and performance.
[0019] Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and
traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the
art, through comparison of such systems with some aspects of the
present invention as set forth in the remainder of the present
application with reference to the drawings.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Aspects of the invention provide a system and method for
bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network.
A method for bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local
area network may include receiving from a first access point and/or
a first switch, a first messaging protocol message for establishing
a communication session. Responsive to the first messaging protocol
message, determining an available communication bandwidth for at
least a portion of the hybrid wired/wireless local area network and
allocating bandwidth to accommodate the communication session. The
first access point may be notified of the allocation of bandwidth
using a second messaging protocol message. The first messaging
protocol message may be received by a second switch and/or a second
access point. Bandwidth usage information may be requested from the
first access point and/or the first switch using the first
messaging protocol message.
[0021] The allocated bandwidth may be de-allocated using a third
messaging protocol message upon termination of the established
communication session. The third messaging protocol message may be
sent from the second switch and/or the second access point to the
first switch and/or the first access point. Bandwidth information
may be received from at least one of a quality of service
management process, a load balancing management process, a session
control process, and a network management process using a fourth
messaging protocol message. The bandwidth information may be
requested from any one or more of the quality of service management
process, the load balancing management process, the session control
process, and the network management process using a fifth messaging
protocol message. The first, second, third, fourth and fifth
messaging protocol messages may be at least one of an access point
status message, access point configuration message, a switch status
message, a switch configuration message, a client status message
and a device discovery message.
[0022] Another embodiment of the invention may provide a
machine-readable storage, having stored thereon a computer program
having at least one code section for providing bandwidth management
for a switch in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network, where
the at least one code section is executable by a machine for
causing the machine to perform the steps described above.
[0023] Another embodiment of the invention may provide a system for
bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network.
The system may include a receiver adapted to receive from a first
access point and/or a first switch, a first messaging protocol
message for establishing a communication session. One or more
controllers may be adapted to determine an available communication
bandwidth for at least a portion of the hybrid wired/wireless local
area network. At least one of the controllers may determine the
available bandwidth in response to the first messaging protocol
message. Additionally, at least one of the controllers may be
adapted to allocate bandwidth to accommodate the communication
session and/or notify the access point of the allocated bandwidth
using a second messaging protocol message.
[0024] The receiver may be further adapted to receive the first
messaging protocol message by the second switch and/or a second
access point. At least one of the controllers may be adapted to
request bandwidth usage information from the first access point
and/or the first switch using a first messaging protocol message.
One or more of the controllers may be adapted to de-allocate the
allocated bandwidth using a third messaging protocol message
subsequent to termination of the established communication session.
The third messaging protocol message may be sent from the second
switch and/or the second access point to at least one of the first
switch and the first access point by one or more of the
controllers.
[0025] The receiver may be adapted to receive bandwidth information
from any one or more of a quality of service management process, a
load balancing management process, a session control process, and a
network management process using a fourth messaging protocol
message. At least one controller may be adapted to request the
bandwidth information from the quality of service management
process, the load balancing management process, the session control
process, and the network management process using a fifth messaging
protocol message. The first, second, third, fourth and fifth
messaging protocol messages may be any one or more of an access
point status message, access point configuration message, a switch
status message, a switch configuration message, a client status
message and a device discovery message. The may be a bandwidth
management controller, a quality of service controller at least one
controller, a load balancing controller a session controller and a
network management controller.
[0026] These and other advantages, aspects and novel features of
the present invention, as well as details of an illustrated
embodiment thereof, will be more fully understood from the
following description and drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0027] FIG. 1a is a block diagram of the OSI model.
[0028] FIG. 1b is a block diagram illustrating a general PLOP frame
as defined by 802.11.
[0029] FIG. 1c is a block diagram illustrating a PLOP frame
utilized by frequency hopping spread spectrum as defined by
802.11.
[0030] FIG. 1d is a block diagram illustrating a PLOP frame for
direct sequence spread spectrum and high rate direct sequence
spread spectrum as defined by 802.11.
[0031] FIG. 1e is a block diagram illustrating a PLOP frame for
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing as defined by
802.11.
[0032] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for network
management in a wireless local area network in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary Enterprise
Wireless LAN having switches serving as the edge managers in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0034] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an exemplary switch as
illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in accordance with an aspect of
the invention.
[0035] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an exemplary switching system
for bandwidth management in a wireless local area network in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0036] FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an exemplary session control
process as described in FIG. 8 that may be utilized by the
switching system for bandwidth management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0037] FIG. 7 is a block diagram of an exemplary load balancing
process as described in FIG. 8 that may be utilized by the
switching system for bandwidth management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
[0038] FIG. 8 is a block diagram of an exemplary QoS enabling
process as described in FIG. 8 that may be utilized by the
switching system for bandwidth management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0039] Aspects of the invention provide a system and method for
bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local area network.
A method for bandwidth management in a hybrid wired/wireless local
area network may include receiving from a first access point and/or
a first switch, a first messaging protocol message for establishing
a communication session. Responsive to the first messaging protocol
message, an available communication bandwidth is determined for at
least a portion of the hybrid wired/wireless local area network and
bandwidth is allocated to accommodate the communication session.
The first access point may be notified of the allocation of
bandwidth using a second messaging protocol message. The first
messaging protocol message may be received by a second switch
and/or a second access point. Bandwidth usage information may be
requested from the first access point and/or the first switch using
the first messaging protocol message.
[0040] FIG. 1b is a block diagram 120 illustrating a general PLCP
frame as defined by 802.11. Referring to FIG. 1b, there is shown
preamble 122, PLCP header 124, MAC data 126, and CRC 128. Preamble
122 may include synchronization (SYNC) data 122a and
synchronization delimiter 122b. The PLCP header 124 may include,
for example PLCP signal field (PSF) 124a, service data 124b, length
124c and other fields. The preamble 122 may be dependent on the
PHY. The SYNC data 122a may include a unique bit stream that may be
adapted to signal timing parameters such as the start of a frame.
The SYNC data 122a is used for bit synchronization and
demodulation. The SYNC delimiter 122b provides frame timing
information and may be adapted to delimit the end of
synchronization information. The PLCP header 124 may be adapted to
contain information used for decoding the frame. For example, the
PSF 124a may be adapted to include communication data rate
information. The service data 124b is generally reserved, but may
be utilized to provide application specific functionality. The
length 124c may be adapted to indicate the length of the MAC data
126. In this regard, the length 124c may be expressed in terms of
the time required to transmit the MAC data 126.
[0041] FIG. 1c is a block diagram 130 illustrating a PLCP frame
utilized by frequency hopping spread spectrum as defined by 802.11.
Referring to FIG. 1c, there is shown a SYNC data 132, PLCP header
134 and PSDU 136. The PLCP header 134 may include, for example,
PSDU length word (PLW) 134a, PLCP signaling field (PSF) 134b,
header error check field or CRC 134c and other fields. The PLW 134a
may specify the number of octets contained in the PSDU 136. The PSF
134 be may be 4-bits in length and may be used to denote the
communication data rate.
[0042] FIG. 1d is a block diagram 140 illustrating a PLCP frame for
direct sequence spread spectrum and high rate direct sequence
spread spectrum (HR-DSS) as defined by 802.11. Referring to FIG.
1d, there is shown preamble 142, PLCP header 144 and MPDU 146.
Preamble 142 may include synchronization (SYNC) data 142a and
synchronization delimiter 142b. The PLCP header 144 may include
PLCP signal field (PSF) 144a, service data 144b, length 144c, and
CRC field 144d. The SYNC data 142a may be 128 bits as compared to 8
bits for SYNC data 132a for frequency hopping spread spectrum. The
CRC 144d is 16 bits, which is similar to CRC 134c for frequency
hopping spread spectrum.
[0043] FIG. 1e is a block diagram 150 illustrating a PLCP frame for
orthogonal frequency division multiplexing as defined by 802.11.
Referring to FIG. 1e, there is shown preamble 152, PLCP header 154
and PSDU 156, tail 158 and pad 160. Preamble 152 may include
synchronization (SYNC) data 152a and synchronization delimiter
152b. The PLCP header 154 may include length 154a, PLCP signal
field (PSF) 154b, reserved field 154c, parity 154d, tail 154e and
service 154f. The length 154a is a 12-bit field that may be adapted
to indicate the length of the frame. The PSF 154b is a 4-bit field
that may indicate a modulation scheme utilized and its associated
coding rate of the PSDU. For example, the specification utilizes
binary 1011 to represent 6 Mbps, 1111 to represent 9 Mbps, 1010 to
represent 12 Mbps, 1110 to represent 18 Mbps, 1001 to represent 24
Mbps, 1011 to represent 36 Mbps, 1000 to represent 48 Mbps and
finally, 1100 to represent the maximum standardized rate if 54
Mbps. The reserved field 154c is a 1 bit field that is reserved for
future use and may be adapted for application specific use. The
parity field 154d may indicate odd or even parity. The tail field
154e is a 6-bit field. The service field 154f is a 16-bit field
that may be adapted to indicate the type of service.
[0044] In a typical wireless local area network, especially as
access devices become mobile throughout the network, channel
capacity may be rapidly time varying. For example, when the
distance from an access device to an access point increases or
decreases due to mobility, the channel capacity and ultimately the
channel throughput may change with time. In accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, a switch is provided to facilitate
communication between one or more of a plurality of access devices
and/or access points, and/or other switches. The switch may utilize
a messaging protocol, which may be adapted to facilitate tasks such
as, switch filter transfer, bandwidth management, session control
and management, load balancing and/or QoS control and
management.
[0045] Referring to the task of bandwidth management, in a hybrid
wired/wireless LAN in which bandwidth usage may be rapidly changing
over time due to the mobility of access devices, the switch, in
accordance with an aspect of the invention, may be configured to
perform bandwidth management for a wired and/or a wireless portion
of the network. The task of bandwidth management may involve
performing one or more activities including, but not limited to,
allocating and de-allocating bandwidth, implementing policies,
tracking bandwidth usage and adapting bandwidth allocation to meet
user demands and system capability. The management of these
activities may be directly or indirectly related to providing
mobility and operability throughout a wired or wireless LAN, or a
hybrid combination thereof.
[0046] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an exemplary system for network
management in a wireless local area network in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, there is
illustrated a first networking domain 214 and a second networking
domain 234. The first networking domain 214 may include a switch
202, and access points 204, 206, 208, 210, 212. Each of access
points 204, 206, 208, 210, 212 may be coupled to the switch 202.
The second networking domain 234 may include a switch 222, and
access points 224, 226, 228, 230, 232. Each of access points 224,
226, 208, 230, 232 may be coupled to the switch 222. Switch 222 may
be coupled to switch 202 through any one or more of a wired and a
wireless medium. Although not shown, at least some of the access
points in any one of the networking domains 214, 234 may be coupled
to each other. Notwithstanding, a plurality of actual and/or
virtual channels may be provided to facilitate communication with
the access points and switches. Although the networking domains 214
and 234 are illustrated as separate networking entities, the
invention is not so limited. Accordingly, the networking domain
214, 234 may be part of a single networking entity, but may
represent separate security domains within the single networking
entity.
[0047] In operation, any one or more of the switches 202, 222 may
be adapted to send network management related information and
parameters to any one or more of the access points in any one or
more of the networking domains 214, 234. In one embodiment of the
invention, for example, switch 202 may be adapted to communicate
bandwidth information to access point 206. Similarly, switch 202
may be adapted to send network management related information to
any one or more of access points 204, 208, 210, 214. Similarly,
switch 222 may be adapted to communicate network management related
information to any one or more of access points 224, 226, 228, 230,
232. The bandwidth information and/or network management related
information may be used by an access point to efficiently allocate
and/or de-allocate bandwidth for associating and/or dissociating
access devices.
[0048] In another aspect of the invention, the switches 202, 222
may be adapted to provide, for example, certain QoS management
activities to the access points using for example a messaging
protocol. Accordingly, some activities such as bandwidth policing,
bandwidth management, load balancing, roaming and handover may be
handled by coordinating one or more switches and one or more access
points utilizing, for example, the messaging protocol.
Notwithstanding, a switch for example, switch 222, may be
configured to establish rules that may be adapted by the access
points 224, 226, 228, 230, 232 in carrying out these activities.
The rules may be propagated from the switches 222, 202 to the
access points 204, 208, 210, 214, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232 using,
for example, the messaging protocol. Prioritization and processing,
for example, may be based on acceptable levels of latency and
bandwidth availability. For example, an IP telephone call may be
assigned highest queuing and processing priority in order to
minimize latency. Policing, for example, may include performing
activities which may limit and control the usage of available
bandwidth by a particular access device or a type of access device.
These and other tasks may be controlled by the switch using the
messaging protocol. Although activities such as policing and QoS
management may be conducted independently of the bandwidth
management, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, QoS
management related information may be utilized for bandwidth
management.
[0049] In operation, any one or more of the access points in any
one or more of the networking domains may be adapted to acquire
various bandwidth related information and parameters and
communicate the bandwidth related information to one or more of the
switches 202, 222. In one embodiment of the invention, for example,
access point 206 may be adapted to acquire various bandwidth
related information and communicate the acquired information back
to the switch 202. Similarly, any one or more of access points 204,
208, 210, 214 may acquire various bandwidth related information and
parameters and communicate the acquired information to switch 202.
In another aspect of the invention, any one or more of access
points 224, 226, 228, 230, 232 may acquire various bandwidth
related information and parameters and communicate the acquired
information to the switch 222.
[0050] In another embodiment of the invention, any one or more of
access points 224, 226, 228, 230, 232 may acquire various bandwidth
related information and parameters and communicate the acquired
information to the switch 202 through switch 222. This may be
particularly useful in, for example, a roaming scenario or handoff
scenario. In both the roaming and handoff scenarios where a
particular access device is roaming or being handed off from
networking domain 234 to networking domain 214, it may be
advantageous to acquire bandwidth related information pertaining to
networking domain 214 before permitting an access device to acquire
service from networking domain 214. In this case, switch 222 may
initiate a query requesting bandwidth related information from
switch 202. Consequently, switch 222 may request bandwidth related
information from any one or more of access points 204, 206, 208,
210, 212. Once switch 202 gets the bandwidth related information
from these access points, it may communicate the information to the
switch 222. Accordingly, the switch 222 may decide whether to
handoff or permit roaming depending on the bandwidth related
information received from the switch 202.
[0051] Based on bandwidth related information received from one or
more access devices or switches, a switch may be adapted to force
an access device to roam. For example, in a case where the switch
determines that there may be insufficient bandwidth or channel
capacity, then the switch may be adapted to dynamically force
existing and/or new incoming access devices to roam. In one aspect
of the invention, a list of devices which have been forced to roam
may be maintained. Accordingly, if a switch determines that there
is sufficient channel capacity available, then the switch may be
adapted to signal or notify devices on the list to reattempt
establishment of service and permit access to the service provided
by the network. In this regard, any one or more of the switches
202, 222 may be adapted to determine the total available bandwidth
for any one or more of a plurality of access points and/or
switches. Accordingly, the switches 202 and/or 222 may provide
channel/frequency management and quality of service QoS management
in order to optimize bandwidth utilization for a plurality of
access devices.
[0052] In another embodiment of the invention, based on various
bandwidth related information, an access prioritization scheme may
be adapted and enforced by, for example, any one or more of the
switches 202, 222. The prioritization scheme may include,
establishing a priority for all network traffic, honoring
prioritized traffic from all clients, and/or honoring prioritized
traffic from some select clients such as trusted clients. In
another aspect of the invention, the switches 202, 222 may be
adapted to provide certain QoS management activities to the access
points. Accordingly, some activities such as bandwidth policing,
bandwidth management, packet prioritization and processing, and
service type queuing may be handled by an access point.
Notwithstanding, a switch may be adapted to establish rules that
may be utilized by the access points in carrying out these
activities. Prioritization and processing, for example, may be
based on acceptable levels of latency and bandwidth availability.
For example, an IP telephone call may be assigned highest queuing
and processing priority in order to minimize latency. Policing, for
example, may include tasks which limit and control the usage of
available bandwidth by a particular access device or a type of
access device.
[0053] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the switch
may utilize the messaging protocol (MP) to provide enhanced
communication services to one or more of a plurality of access
devices or mobile stations in, for example, an enterprise Wireless
LAN (WLAN). The enhanced communication, in addition to ordinary
WLAN device communication such as authentication, authorization,
key exchanges, beacon broadcast, etc., may provide additional
features not provided by a WLAN to its clients. These additional
features may include, but are not limited to, bandwidth management,
access control, load balancing, network management and quality of
service. In addition to switches, other enterprise WLAN devices
that may utilize messaging protocol message transactions may
include but are not limited to, wireless access points, enterprise
switches and wireless stations. These devices may be messaging
protocol enabled in certain instances.
[0054] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, an exemplary
WLAN Architecture may be provided. In the enterprise Wireless LAN
environment, the wireless devices may be located at the edge of the
network. The wireless devices may be connected or coupled to the
enterprise network via the one or more access points, which in turn
may be the edge devices of, for example, a wired LAN. The access
points may be connected to the LAN via switches. These switches,
which may be called wireless LAN switches, and in certain
instances, may not only perform Layer 2 switching, but may be
adapted to function as a wireless edge manager. They may also
provide additional functionalities such as bandwidth management,
access control, firewall functions, traffic privacy and quality of
service (QoS), network management, and load balancing.
[0055] FIG. 3 is a block diagram 300 of an exemplary Enterprise
Wireless LAN having switches serving as the edge managers in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG.
3, there is shown, a local area network (LAN) 302, authentication
server 304, switches 306, 308, access points (APs) 310, 312, 314,
316, 318, 320 and access devices 322, 324, 326, 328, 330, 332, 334,
336, 338. It should be recognized that the invention is not limited
to and Enterprise WLAN. The invention may be applicable to a wired
LAN, a wireless LAN and any combination thereof.
[0056] Wireless transmission or communication between the access
devices or clients, and the access points may be secure. This may
be also be true for the wired connections between any of the access
points 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320 and the switches 306, 308. The
switches 306, 308 and access points 310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320
may be adapted to communicate using, for example, an Ethernet
protocol. From the switch's perspective, the switch may be
switching regular layer 2 frames. However, within the switch,
knowledge of a WLAN and its management intelligence may reside
primarily in software. Notwithstanding, the invention is not
limited in this regard.
[0057] FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 of an exemplary switch 402 as
illustrated in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, switch 402 may include a
processor 410, transmitter 404, receiver 406, generator 408 and
controller 412. The controller 412 may include bandwidth controller
422, QoS controller 414, load balancing controller 416, session
controller 418 and network management controller 420. The
transmitter 404, receiver 406, generator 408 and the components of
the controller 412, namely QoS controller 414, load balancing
controller 416, session controller 418 and network management
controller 420, may be variously coupled to processor 410.
[0058] The components of switch 402 may include suitable circuitry
and/or software capable of implementing the various functions,
including but not limited to, bandwidth management, QoS management,
load balancing, session management and control, and network
management. Notwithstanding, although the components of the switch
402 are individually shown, the invention is not limited in this
regard. For example, with suitable software and/or logic, the
generator function 408 may be implemented solely by the processor
422. Similarly, any one or more of the bandwidth management, QoS
management, load balancing, session management and control, and
network management may be integrated and with suitable logic and/or
software, may be executed by the processor 410.
[0059] In operation, the transmitter 404 may be adapted to send a
first messaging protocol message between a first switch and a first
access point. The receiver 406 may be adapted to receive a second
messaging protocol message from the first access point and the
first switch. In response to the transmittal of the first messaging
protocol message, a second messaging protocol message may be
received. The controller 412 may be adapted to allocate bandwidth
for one or more devices using any one or more of the first second
and/or third messaging protocol messages. These devices may include
but are not limited to the first switch, a second switch, the first
access point, the second access point, and one or more access
devices.
[0060] The generator 408 may be adapted to generate the first
messaging protocol message by the first switch. The receiver 406
may be adapted to receive the second messaging protocol message
from a second switch. The processor 410 may be adapted to control
the transmitter 404, the receiver 406, the controller 412 and the
generator 408. The processor 410 may utilize one or more messaging
protocol messages to control transmitter 404, receiver 406,
generator 408, bandwidth controller 422, QoS controller 414, load
balancing controller 416, session controller 418 and network
management controller 420.
[0061] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the switch
may be adapted to facilitate bandwidth management by utilizing a
messaging protocol. The messaging protocol may utilize one or more
protocols associated with a device communication protocol (DCP)
umbrella (DCPU). The messaging protocol utilized by the switch may
be adapted to run over the transmission control protocol (TCP) or
user datagram protocol (UDP) using for example, a well-known port
number specified under the framework of the device communication
protocol. Under the DCP umbrella, there may be several
sub-protocols defined for the purpose of facilitating
interoperability with other products. Some of these products may
include but are not limited to, cable modems and cable modem
termination systems (CMTS) equipment. The messaging protocol
utilized by the switch may be adapted to include the necessary
protocols under DCP to facilitate communication for wired and/or
WLAN devices.
[0062] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the switch
may utilize the messaging protocol to facilitate bandwidth
management between various wireless networking devices and/or
clients, and to facilitate bandwidth management the devices and/or
clients. In an embodiment of the invention, one or more of WLAN
switches 306, 308 may be adapted to utilize the messaging protocol
to facilitate communication with one or more of the access points
310, 312, 314, 316, 318, 320 of FIG. 3. Information exchanged
between these two devices may include, but is not limited to,
control, configuration and status information of the devices and
also client session information. At least some of this information
may be used for bandwidth management. The control information may
include, for example, signaling information that may be
communicated in-band or out-of-band.
[0063] The switch may utilize the messaging protocol, which may
include a plurality of message types. In accordance with an aspect
of the invention, the switch may utilize a messaging protocol that
may include, for example, six (6) categories of messages or message
types. Notwithstanding, the invention is not so limited. These
messages and their usage may be illustrated as follows:
AP_Status: from AP to Switch or AP
[0064] An AP_Status message may be used to indicate, for example,
an access point capacity, bandwidth allocation, the number of
attached clients, signal strength, power levels, etc.
AP_Config: from Switch to AP
[0065] An AP_Config message may be used to configure an access
point to accommodate a client. This may include but is not limited
to, 802.11e QoS, security information, etc.
Switch_Status: from Switch to Switch
[0066] A Switch_Status message may be used to indicate a switch's
association with one or more clients. This may include but is not
limited to, client session information, access control, QoS
parameters, etc.
Switch_Config: from Switch to Switch
[0067] A Switch_Config message may be used to configure a switch
such as a WLAN Switch to accommodate a client. The may include but
is not limited to, access control, QoS configuration, etc.
Client_Status: from AP to Switch
[0068] A Client_Status message may be used to indicate a client's
information. This may include but is not limited to, client
identification, associated MAC address, session status, connecting
location, etc.
Device_Discovery: any device to any device
[0069] In a client-server model of network services, the
Device_Discovery message may be used by a switch and/or a server to
discover clients or by client to discover servers. The message may
be broadcast to some or all devices in the subnet to draw responses
from the intended devices.
[0070] In each of the message types above, the message may include,
for example four (4) message subtypes--.request, .data, .alert, and
.ack. A message type/subtype pair of .request and .data may
represent the request of data and a corresponding response of data
itself. The subtype pair of .alert and .ack may represent the
voluntary transmission of data and its acknowledgement.
Additionally, there may be two conventions utilized in a message
exchange sequence. Accordingly, if a message exchange sequence
starts with a request (.req), it may be followed by a reactive
transmission of data (.data). Similarly, if a message exchange
sequence starts with a proactive transmission of data (.alert), it
is followed by an acknowledgement (.ack). In accordance with an
aspect of the invention, one or more message types and/or subtype
may be used to facilitate bandwidth management.
[0071] U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/607,094 entitled
"Communication System and Method in a Hybrid Wired/Wireless Local
Area Network" filed on Jun. 26, 2003, discloses a messaging
protocol that may be utilized by the switch in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention, and is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety. Exemplary valid fields and subfields for
various messaging protocol messages that may be utilized by the
switch in accordance with an aspect of the invention are disclosed
therein. Additionally, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/658,140
entitled "Method and System for Providing an Intelligent Switch in
a Hybrid Wired/Wireless Local Area Network" filed on Sep. 9, 2003,
discloses a messaging protocol that may be utilized by the switch
in accordance with an embodiment of the invention, and is
incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The switch
disclosed therein may be adapted to utilize the messaging protocol
to provide bandwidth management in accordance with an embodiment of
the invention.
[0072] In another embodiment of the invention, the switch may
include a network management controller that may be configured for
network management and may provide valuable information that may be
utilized for bandwidth management in accordance with an embodiment
of the invention. In this regard, the switch may be adapted to
utilize, for example, the messaging protocol to transfer networking
monitoring and/or status messages such as SNMP and RMON statistics
from an old attachment or connection point to a new connection
point. In this regard, the switch may be configured to use the
messaging protocol to enable location-specific management of at
least certain clients and/or network devices. In this regard, the
switch may send client association information to a central
management entity which may be aware of the location of the various
access points and/or switches in the network. This information may
be disseminated to, for example a bandwidth controller, a QoS
controller and/or a load balancing controller. Accordingly, a
decision may subsequently be made to determine whether to allow or
disallow access from certain locations in order to maximize
bandwidth usage, balance a load within the network and/or provide a
specified QoS.
[0073] For example, information pertaining to at least some
detected clients may be transferred to the switch. Accordingly, a
load balancing manager and/or controller located in the switch may
use this information to achieve efficient load balancing. In this
regard, the load balancing controller may include suitable
circuitry and/or software that may be adapted to receive and assess
various client information and effectuate an efficient load
balancing. Parameters such as signal strength, access level and
device type, may be indicative of the information that may be used
to effectuate efficient load balancing. Client
association/dissociation information may be communicated between
the load balancing manager and one or more access points and/or
switches. Once the load-balancing manager determines an optimal
load configuration, new client and/or access point association
information may be passed to the various access points in the
network using messaging protocol messages.
[0074] In another embodiment of the invention, the switch may
include a QoS controller that may be configured to utilize the
messaging protocol to transfer QoS parameters from an original
switch port to a new switch port, in order to facilitate roaming.
One or more switches in the network may be adapted to facilitate
roaming between various access points located in the same network
or between different networks. This may affect the QoS handling of,
for example, downstream traffic destined for the roaming client or
access device. In this regard, a switch may be adapted to utilize
one or more messaging protocol messages to automatically transfer
various pertinent network management parameters between access
points and or other switches. This centralized may eliminate a need
for a distributed management interface, thereby providing a more
robust communication system.
[0075] In another embodiment of the invention, to facilitate
roaming, a switch may be adapted to utilize the messaging protocol
to transfer QoS parameters from an old access point to a new access
point. This may affect upstream traffic from the client to an
access point. In this regard, the switch may utilize one or more
messaging protocol messages to transfer QoS parameters from the old
access point to the new access point. Since this handling of QoS
parameters may be similar to the handling of client traffic, the
messaging protocol may be used to provide seamless roaming.
[0076] FIG. 5 is a block diagram 500 of an exemplary switching
system for bandwidth management in a wireless local area network in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG.
5, there is shown a CPU block 502 and a switching fabric block 804.
The CPU block 502 may include a bandwidth management controller
block 520, a quality of service (QoS) controller block 506, a load
balancing controller block 508, a session controller block 510 and
a network management control block 512. The switching fabric block
504 may include a filtering engine block 514. The CPU block 502 may
be adapted to interface with the switching fabric block 504. One or
more of the QoS controller block 506, load balancing controller
block 508, session controller block 510 and network management
control block 512 may interface directly with the filtering engine
block 514.
[0077] In operation, selected signaling packets may be communicated
from the switching fabric block 504 to one or more of the bandwidth
management controller block 520, QoS controller block 506, load
balancing controller block 508, session controller block 510 and
network management control block 512. Messaging protocol messages
may be used to facilitate communication between the switching
fabric block 504 and one or more of the bandwidth management
controller block 520, QoS controller block 506, load balancing
controller block 508, session controller block 510 and network
management control block 512. The selected signaling packets may
include, but are not limited to, VoIP packets, and streaming media
packets including voice, video and data. The filtering engine block
514 may be adapted to filter information received from one or more
of the bandwidth management controller block 520, QoS controller
block 506, load balancing controller block 508, session controller
block 510 and a network management control block 512. In this
regard, the filtering engine block 514 may be adapted to filter
messaging protocol messages used to control switching functions,
network traffic statistics messages, layer two (2) address update
messages, and filter update messages. The filter update messages
may include, but are not limited to, bandwidth management messages,
access control messages, QoS messages and load balancing
messages.
[0078] In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the
switching system for network management may include a session
control process that may be adapted to manage and control at least
one client database and session information for some or all active
clients. In an embodiment of the invention, the switching system
for network management may be adapted to provide session management
information that may be utilized for bandwidth management. The
session control process may be configured to enforce access control
based on, for example, a client session, a subnet, a network
management application, and switch ports. Access control may be
used to facilitate, for example, bandwidth management and load
balancing in at least a portion of the network. The session control
process may also control and manage switching intelligence and to
determine bandwidth availability in order to facilitate
roaming.
[0079] FIG. 6 is a block diagram 600 of an exemplary session
control process as described in FIG. 5 that may be utilized by the
switching system for bandwidth management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a
session control process 602 having a client database 604, an access
control list (ACL) database 606, a session control manager 608 and
a VoIP enabler 610. One or more interfaces may be adapted to
provide communication between session manager 608 and the client
database 604 and the ACL database 606. The session manager 608 may
include at least one interface that may be adapted to facilitate
communication with the VoIP enabler 610.
[0080] In operation, the session control manager 608 may be adapted
to process, for example, messaging protocol messages, layer two (2)
updates, and filter updates. The session control manager 608 may be
adapted to receive information from one or more of client database
604 and ACL database 606. The VoIP enabler 610 may be adapted to
process VoIP signaling packets. VoIP enabler 610 may also be
adapted to decode various standards-based VoIP signaling packets
and prioritize filter setup. Information from the session control
manager 608 may be communicated to the bandwidth management
controller 520, the QoS controller 506, the load balancing
controller 508, and the network management controller 512, which
are illustrated in FIG. 5.
[0081] In an embodiment of the invention, the switching system 602
may include a load balancing process that may be adapted to obtain
access point load from, for example, a bandwidth management process
and a network management process. The network management process
may include but is not limited to SNMP, RMON, RMON2, and MIB. The
load balancing process may be adapted to keep an access point
database on, for example, a plurality or bank of access points. The
load balancing process may include intelligence for making load
distribution decisions. The access point database may be accessible
by one or more of the bandwidth management controller 520, the QoS
controller 506, the load balancing controller 508, and the network
management controller 512, which are illustrated in FIG. 5. In
addition, the bandwidth management controller 520 may be adapted to
request information from the session control manager 608 and/or the
load balancing process in order to facilitate bandwidth
management.
[0082] FIG. 7 is a block diagram 700 of an exemplary load balancing
process as described in FIG. 6 that may be utilized by the
switching system for network management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 7, there is shown a
load balancing process 702 having an access point database 702 and
a load balancing manager 706. At least one interface may be adapted
to provide communication between access point database 704 and the
load balancing manager 706. The load balancing manager 706 may be
adapted to include at least one interface that may facilitate
communication with a network management process.
[0083] In operation, the load balancing manager 706 may be adapted
to process messaging protocol messages, layer two (2) updates, and
filter updates. The load balancing manager 706 may receive network
statistics from one or more network management processes.
Information from the access point database 704 may be utilized by
the load balancing manager 706 for making load balancing
decisions.
[0084] In an embodiment of the invention, the switching system for
network management may include a QoS enabling process that may be
adapted to control and manage activities such as, traffic policing,
metering filters, and protocol configurations. In this regard, the
QoS enabling process may be adapted to manage, for example, 802.11e
based configurations that may be sent to the access point. A VoIP
enabler may be adapted to decode various standard-based VoIP
signaling packets and prioritize filter setup.
[0085] FIG. 8 is a block diagram 800 of an exemplary QoS enabling
process as described in FIG. 8 that may be utilized by an the
switching system for network management in accordance with an
embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown
QoS enabling process 802 having QoS policy database 804, a QoS
manager 806 and a VoIP enabler 808. At least one interface may be
adapted to provide communication between QoS policy database 804
and the QoS manager 808. The QoS manager 806 may be adapted to
include at least one interface that may facilitate communication
with, for example, the VoIP enabler 808.
[0086] In operation, the QoS manager 806 may be adapted to process,
for example, messaging protocol messages, and filter updates. The
QoS manager 806 may send and receive VoIP signaling information to
and from VoIP enabler 808 806 for making QoS related decisions. In
certain instances, information related to the QoS management may be
utilized for bandwidth management. Accordingly, with reference to
FIG. 4, the bandwidth management controller 412 may be adapted to
receive pertinent QoS related information from the QoS controller
414.
[0087] In one aspect of the invention, the QoS controller 414, the
load balancing controller 416, the session controller 418, the
network management controller 420 and/or the bandwidth management
controller 412 may be adapted to transfer and/or store information
in a database, for example, database 424. In this regard, the QoS
controller may be adapted to store at least some of its related QoS
related information in database 424. Accordingly, whenever a need
arises, the bandwidth management controller may access database 424
and retrieve any QoS related information that may be pertinent to
bandwidth management.
[0088] In another aspect of the invention, in certain instances,
the bandwidth management controller 422 may be adapted to request
required QoS related information from the QoS controller 414. To
facilitate bandwidth management, real-time information not
necessarily located in the database 424 may be requested from the
QoS controller 414 whenever a need arises. Additionally, through
this mechanism, the QoS controller 414 may be adapted to also
request an receive related information from any one or more of the
load balancing controller 416, the session controller 418, the
network management controller 420, the bandwidth management
controller 422 and/or the database 424. The bandwidth management
process may be executed in an adaptive manner and may occur in
real-time.
[0089] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention,
dependent on the modulation scheme utilized, one or more of the
PLCP frames illustrated in FIG. 1b, FIG. 1c, FIG. 1d and FIG. 1e
may be adapted to contain information which may be utilized for
providing communication in accordance with various embodiments of
the invention. Additionally, the PLCP frames may be adapted to
convey information for any one or more of the 801.11a, 802.11b and
802.11g modes of operation utilized by access points and/or access
devices in accordance the embodiments of the invention.
[0090] Accordingly, the present invention may be realized in
hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. The
present invention may be realized in a centralized fashion in one
computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different
elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems.
Any kind of computer system or other apparatus adapted for carrying
out the methods described herein is suited. A typical combination
of hardware and software may be a general-purpose computer system
with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed,
controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods
described herein.
[0091] The present invention also may be embedded in a computer
program product, which comprises all the features enabling the
implementation of the methods described herein, and which when
loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.
Computer program in the present context means any expression, in
any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended
to cause a system having an information processing capability to
perform a particular function either directly or after either or
both of the following: a) conversion to another language, code or
notation; b) reproduction in a different material form.
[0092] Notwithstanding, the invention and its inventive
arrangements disclosed herein may be embodied in other forms
without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof.
Accordingly, reference should be made to the following claims,
rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope
of the invention. In this regard, the description above is intended
by way of example only and is not intended to limit the present
invention in any way, except as set forth in the following
claims.
[0093] While the present invention has been described with
reference to certain embodiments, it will be understood by those
skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents
may be substituted without departing from the scope of the present
invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a
particular situation or material to the teachings of the present
invention without departing from its scope. Therefore, it is
intended that the present invention not be limited to the
particular embodiment disclosed, but that the present invention
will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the
appended claims.
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