Trapeze Networks, Inc.

Juniper Networks, Inc.

International Business Machines Corporation

Google Inc.

Gary Eugene Morain

James Michael Murphy

Stan Chesnutt

Brent Cameron Beardsley

Joseph S Hyde, Ii

Bruce McNutt

John Richard Paveza

Matthew Stuart Gast

Paul Heninwolf

Vernon John Legvold

Chan Y Ng

Anand M Shah

Lloyd R Shipman, Jr

Joel H Cord

Barrie N Harding

Carol Santich Michod

Jamsheed Bugwadia

Dan Simone

Ruth Enid Azevedo

Yun Freund

Roy Gignac

Stan Chestnutt

James Murphy

A technique for implementing AP-local dynamic switching involves Layer 2 switching. This may be accomplished by providing data associated with wireless stations to an AP sufficient to enable the AP to determine whether traffic from a particular wireless station should be locally switched. Alternatively, the wireless station may be able to determine whether to locally switch traffic based upon the traffic itself. For example, it may be desirable to AP-locally switch voice traffic to avoid latency, which is particularly detrimental to voice transmissions such as voiceover-IP. Traffic that is not to be switched locally is Layer 2 tunneled upstream.

AP-local dynamic switching

A technique for implementing an untethered access point (UAP) mesh involves enabling AP-local switching at one or more UAPs of the mesh. A system constructed according to the technique may include an untethered access point (UAP), including: a radio; a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium; an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. In operation, the AAP selection engine may use the radio to attempt to associate with the AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID. A method according to the technique may include beaconing with a backhaul SSID, acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon; providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.

Untethered access point mesh system and method

A technique for implementing an untethered access point (UAP) mesh involves enabling AP-local switching at one or more UAPs of the mesh. A system constructed according to the technique may include an untethered access point (UAP), including: a radio; a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium; an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. In operation, the AAP selection engine may use the radio to attempt to associate with the AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID. A method according to the technique may include beaconing with a backhaul SSID; acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon; providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.

A technique for implementing AP-local dynamic switching involves Layer 2 switching. This may be accomplished by providing data associated with wireless stations to an AP sufficient to enable the AP to determine whether traffic from a particular wireless station should be locally switched. Alternatively, the wireless station may be able to determine whether to locally switch traffic based upon the traffic itself. For example, it may be desirable to AP-locally switch voice traffic to avoid latency, which is particularly detrimental to voice transmissions such as voice-over-IP. Traffic that is not to be switched locally is Layer 2 tunneled upstream.

The broadcast nature of wireless communication may be utilized by transmitting a packet frame identifying at least one relay node that can transmit the packet frame without transmitting an acknowledgement frame confirming receipt of the packet frame by a respective relay node. A relay node may cancel a relay obligation to transmit a packet frame based on detecting transmission of the packet frame by another node or based on detection of an acknowledgement frame confirming that a destination node received the packet frame. A transmission chain corresponding to the transmission of a packet frame may be assigned a priority. Alternatively or in addition, a relay node within a transmission chain may be assigned a priority. A priority may determine the amount of delay inserted prior to transmitting a packet frame.

Wireless networking with flexibly-ordered relayers

A technique for implementing an untethered access point (UAP) mesh involves enabling AP-local switching at one or more UAPs of the mesh. A system constructed according to the technique may include a wireless switch; an access point (AP) wire-coupled to the wireless switch; and a UAP mesh, wirelessly coupled to the AP, including a UAP with an AP-local switching engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. Another system constructed according to the technique may include an untethered access point (UAP), including: a radio; a backhaul service set identifier (SSID) stored in a computer-readable medium; an anchor access point (AAP) selection engine embodied in a computer-readable medium. In operation, the AAP selection engine may use the radio to attempt to associate with the AAP if a beaconed backhaul SSID matches the stored backhaul SSID. A method according to the technique may include beaconing with a backhaul SSID; acting in concert with an upstream switch as an authenticator for a downstream station that responds to the beacon; providing limited local switching functionality for the downstream station.

A technique involves untethered access points (UAPs) that can broadcast estimated transmission time (ETT) that represents an estimated time it would take for a packet to be transmitted from the first UAP to an AP that is wire coupled to a network. The proposed system can offer, among other advantages, accurate ETT values for use by UAPs of a wireless network.

Wireless routing selection system and method

A technique for dynamically responding to threats in a wireless network involves deploying a single network including APs capable of booting from a plurality of software images. Individual APs can switch (or be switched) between multiple sets of software so that network managers can select the AP software most appropriate for a given instance. For example, if a threat is detected, multiple APs can be switched to sensor mode to deal with the threat. As another example, all of the APs can be switched to sensor mode after hours. Alternatively, a server can provide the software image(s) needed for an AP to operate in accordance with a desired functionality.

Application-aware wireless network system and method

A cache management system for dynamically switching between record caching and track caching. Statistics are collected within the cache management system to determine the type and amount of locality associated with a specific data set currently within the cache. Using these statistics, metrics of the actual hit ratio, whole-track hit ratio, and other-record-hit ratio are generated. The metrics are periodically reviewed for a given band, and the band is placed into one of three cache modes accordingly. The mode assignment determines what type of staging will be performed for data within the band in the event of a miss. The possible modes are: track mode for track-based staging, record mode for staging of a single record only, or uncached mode if no data is to be staged. If a band has been assigned to either record or track mode, the assignment is re-evaluated after for a predetermined number of I/O's (128). If the band has been assigned to uncached mode, then after another predetermined number of I/O's (4096), the band is reassigned to record mode in order to force an update of the band statistics.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Gary Eugene Morain