Fortinet, Inc.

Avinash Bhagtani

Ajay Malik

Lakshmi Narayana Dronadula

Nuwas Ponnambathayil

Saurabh Kumar Agarwal

Saurabh Bhargava

Saurabh Agarwal

Radhakrishnan Suryanarayanan

The present description provides methods, computer program products, and systems for alternative network communication for access point troubleshooting and monitoring. When a station has difficulty initiating or maintaining a connection with an access point, or even when performance is suboptimal, alternative network communication is initiated. The issue can be handled by reporting to a troubled access point for self-correction, or by uploading interrogation commands or code for active correction externally by a station. Further actions can be taken, for example, when a station determines through alternative communication that a troubled access point itself has connection issues to a back end network, the station uses a different access point for reporting up to a network admin. Although Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are described herein, other combinations of wireless protocols are implementable.

Alternative network communication for access point troubleshooting and monitoring

Wi-Fi services multicast to a subnet in a software-defined network (SDN) are extended. An SDN controller centrally monitors a data plane of a Wi-Fi network. Advertisements for services within a first subnet by an advertising station are forwarded to the SDN controller. Parameters of the service of the advertising station are extracted for storage by performing deep packet inspection on the one or more packets. Queries for services within a second subnet by a querying station are also forwarded to the SDN controller. Parameters of the service of the querying station are extracted for storage by performing deep packet inspection on the one or more packets. The query for service to the advertisement matches responsive to the advertisement parameters compared to the query parameters. Responsive to matching, a set of connection parameters necessary for the querying station at the second subnet to connect to the advertising station at the first subnet is sent.

Extension of Wi-Fi services multicast to a subnet across a wi-fl network using software-defined network (SDN) to centrally control data plane behavior

Wi-Fi flows are intelligently bridged in a software-defined network (SDN) controller of a wireless communication network that centrally coordinates data plane behavior. A default mode tunnels packets received at an access point to the SDN controller for layer 2 routing decisions. A bridging policy concerning bridging of specific types of traffic flows for the wireless communication network is received at the SDN. Data plane traffic flow for each of a plurality of access points distributed around the wireless communication network is centrally monitored. New data streams tunneled to the SDN controller are matched to bridging policies with deep packet inspection. Responsive to matching, the tunnel mode is converted to a bridge mode by sending a rule concerning the new data stream to the access point. As a result, subsequent packets of the new data stream are transferred at the access point without tunneling additional packets to the SDN controller).

Intelligent bridging of Wi-Fi flows in a software defined network (SDN)

Extension of Wi-Fi services multicast to a subnet across a Wi-Fi network using software-defined networking (SDN) to centrally control data plane behavior

Extension of Wi-Fi services multicast to a subnet across a Wi-Fi network using software-defined network (SDN) to centrally control data plane behavior

Intelligent bridging of Wi-Fi flows in a software-defined network (SDN)

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Pleasanton, CA, United States of America

Avinash Bhagtani