Cisco Technology, Inc.

Joshua Broch

Norman William Finn

Robert B O'Hara, Jr

Patrice R Calhoun

Rohit Kumar Suri

Robert B O'Hara

David Stiff

Sujit Ghosh

David Hunt

Jacob E Woodhams

In one embodiment, a transmitting node may be configured to transmit a wireless advertisement frame over a computer network, wherein the frame includes a source address of a reachable node being advertised, a destination address to which the reachable node is to be advertised, a transmitter address of the transmitting node, and a receiver address of a wireless access point to which the wireless advertisement frame is to be received. Also, the wireless access point may be configured to receive the wireless advertisement frame from the network, and in response, transmit a reflected wireless advertisement frame having the source address of the reachable node, the destination address to which the reachable node is to be advertised, a transmitter address of the access point, and a receiver address that indicates the reflected frame is to be accepted by any appropriate receiver excluding the transmitting node.

Bridging wireless and wired media in a computer network

In one embodiment, a wireless access point receives a wireless advertisement frame having a source address field that indicates a reachable node being advertised, a destination address field that indicates a destination to which the reachable node is to be advertised, a transmitter address field that indicates a transmitting node from which the wireless advertisement frame is received, and a receiver address field that indicates the access point. The wireless access point then transmits a reflected wireless advertisement frame having a source address field that indicates the reachable node, a destination address field that indicates the destination, a transmitter address field that indicates the wireless access point, and a receiver address field that indicates both a plurality of receivers the reflected wireless advertisement frame is to be accepted by, and a node that is to be excluded from accepting the reflected wireless advertisement frame.

Methods, apparatuses, and systems directed to facilitating roaming and client handoffs in wireless networks. In one implementation, the present invention is directed to a coordination mechanism facilitating handoffs of wireless clients in a wireless network infrastructure. In one implementation, the coordination mechanism minimizes the use of group- or multi-casting to provide a scalable wireless network roaming infrastructure.

Methods, apparatuses and systems facilitating client handoffs in wireless network systems

A method, an apparatus, a system, and logic encoded in one or more computer-readable tangible medium to carry out a method. The method includes maintaining the state of clients of an access point controlled by a controller in the controller of the access point, including multicast group information, and updating the access point with multicast group identification for the clients, such that the controller in combination with the access point can forward packets, and such that multicast group information for a roaming client of the access point is maintained.

CAPWAP/LWAPP multicast flood control for roaming clients

Methods, apparatuses, and systems directed to a key distribution and caching mechanism that facilitates roaming in wireless networks. In one implementation, the present invention reduces the latency associated with handoffs by reducing the time required to set up encryption or other secure access mechanisms between access points and clients in the wireless network infrastructure. In one implementation, the present invention operates proactively to distribute authentication credential information to selected components of the wireless network infrastructure before a client roams to another access point.

Growing community of inventors

San Jose, CA, United States of America

Joshua Broch