Nokia Siemens Networks Oy

Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy

Jan Erik Johan Berglund

Zheng Li

Kevin Tang

A wireless access node receives a first frame from a station through a first communication network such as an IEEE 802.11 network. The first frame comprises a source address identifying the station. The wireless access node applies a function to the source address to derive a destination address identifying an access controller coupled to the wireless access node through a second communication network such as an IEEE 802.3 network. The first frame is encapsulated in a second frame that comprises the destination address identifying the access controller and a source address identifying the wireless access node, respectively. The wireless access node sends the second frame to the access controller having the destination address through the second communication network. The access controller owns association and authentication state of the station, and shares the association and authentication state of the station with the wireless access node when needed to support desired service.

Providing station context and mobility in a wireless local area network having a split MAC architecture

A method includes receiving a first frame at a wireless access node, the first frame being received through a first communication network and having a source address; applying a function (e.g., a hash function) to the source address to derive a destination address; encapsulating the first frame in a second frame that includes the destination address and a source address identifying the wireless access node; and sending the second frame to a second communication network for receipt by a destination node having the destination address. The destination node is an access controller that maintains state for a station that sends the first frame. The first communication network may be an IEEE 802.11 network, and the second communication network may be an IEEE 802.3 network. The address of the access controller is one of potentially many virtual MAC addresses associated with the access controller that enables an N:M relationship between a particular access node and a plurality of access controllers that may be clustered, and a N:1 relationship between a Station and a virtual access controller.

Various example embodiments are disclosed herein. According to an example embodiment, an apparatus may include a wireless transceiver, memory and a controller. The apparatus may be configured to assign, by a first physical access point (AP), a unique transferrable virtual AP address to one associated mobile station address; and perform, in response to a network request for handover, a handover for the associated mobile station address including: transferring the transferrable virtual AP address assigned to the associated mobile station address from a first physical AP to a second physical AP; and providing association state information for the associated mobile station address to the second physical AP.

Mobile station handover using transferrable virtual access point address for wireless networks

A method includes receiving at a gateway mesh node a channel set list indicating radio channels that are allowed for use by the gateway mesh node, scanning channels in the channel set list and creating a list of channels in order of interference that is present, allocating channels from the list of channels to a plurality of radios that comprise the gateway mesh node, and initiating transmission of beacon frames from each of the plurality of radios on a main channel. Each beacon frame includes information descriptive of a path cost representing a sum of all link costs back to a central point, a primary radio channel used by the radio transmitting the beacon frame, a channel set indicating only those channels that an associated portion of the mesh network is allowed to use, and a set of meshed nodes associated with the radio.

Growing community of inventors

Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Jan Erik Johan Berglund