Adtran Gmbh

Mark Christian Rudolph

Timothy James Schlichter

David Perkinson

Thomas F Guevin

Derek Martin Spadaro

The switch port at which traffic associated with a specified media access control (MAC) address originates is searched for in a local area network (LAN). One or more switches receive a broadcast discovery message on a LAN subnet. Each switch determines whether the MAC address identified by the discovery message is associated with one of its ports. If the switch determines that the MAC address is associated with one of its ports, then the switch determines whether that port defines an edge of a searchable space. If the switch determines that that port defines an edge of the searchable space, then the switch issues a response message identifying the switch and the port.

Locating traffic origin in a network

A rogue access point in a wireless local-area network can be disabled by an authorized access point wirelessly transmitting a layer-2 broadcast packet. If a rogue access point receives this broadcast packet, it will forward a copy to the switch to which it is connected. The switch then determines whether the port on which the copy of the broadcast packet is received is associated an authorized access point port. If the switch determines the port is not an authorized access point port, the switch shuts down the port.

Detecting and disabling rogue access points in a network

In a distributed switching environment, a plurality of switches are clustered together to form a stack, and it is generally desirable for forwarding tables, such as MAC tables, to be synchronized so that their mappings are consistent. When a switch receives a packet having a source address (e.g., MAC address) that is unknown, the switch is configured to disseminate the source address to the other switches of the stack. Rather than using software protocols to disseminate the source address, the switch instead transmits a multicast packet that (1) includes the unknown source address and (2) spoofs the other switches into believing that the packet was received on the same port from which the unknown source address was received on ingress to the stack. Thus, the other switches learn the unknown source address in hardware without having to rely on software for updating their forwarding tables.

Systems and methods for disseminating addresses in distributed switching environments

A system and method detects within an IP network an offending network device that has been adversely affecting the IP network performance. A discovery protocol frame is propagated to successive network switches and is formed as a field having a query for inquiring within each network switch to which the frame is propagated whether the network switch has a database entry regarding the MAC address and switch port for the offending network device to locate the offending network device. This discovery protocol frame includes a command for any network switch that has the offending network device connected thereto to disable the switch port to which the offending network device is connected or block all data traffic from the MAC address of the offending network device.

Growing community of inventors

Madison, AL, United States of America

Mark Christian Rudolph