Multiple wireless spanning tree protocol for use in a wireless mesh network

A first wireless mesh point comprising:

• a radio transceiver;
• a wireless MAC protocol processor coupled to the radio transceiver, such that the radio transceiver and MAC protocol processor combination is able to wirelessly send and receive frames substantially conforming to a wireless network standard;
• and
• a wireless spanning tree protocol processor coupled to the radio transceiver and configured to:
• establish a plurality of active spanning tree topologies in a wireless mesh network of a plurality of mesh points, the wireless mesh network substantially conforming to the wireless network standard, the wireless network standard providing a mechanism for a wireless network entity to wirelessly communicate with other wireless network entities using control/management frames for the exchange of wireless network information, the first wireless mesh point, and
• maintain information on each topology, each topology specifying the communication pathways between wireless mesh points in the wireless network, each spanning tree topology having a root mesh point, the maintained information including the identity of the root mesh point each topology determined according to a spanning tree protocol that substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol but with a path cost different than a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol path cost in that the wireless spanning tree protocol path cost measure is designed for wireless communication and has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable,
• wherein each root wireless mesh point is not required to have a wired network interface,
• wherein the establishing of each spanning tree protocol of the plurality includes receiving spanning tree protocol capabilities from other wireless mesh points in control/management frames that encapsulate path cost information as one or more path cost information elements that may include bridge protocol data units (“BPDUs”), the path cost information announcing the spanning tree protocol capabilities of the first wireless mesh point for the topology by transmitting control/management frames that encapsulate path cost information as one or more path cost information elements for the topology,
• wherein each path cost information element includes the path cost measure designed that has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable, and
• wherein any BPDUs included in the one or more path cost information elements substantially conform to standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDUs, but with a path cost different than a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU path cost in that the path cost is designed for wireless communication and has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable.

An apparatus in a first wireless mesh point, the apparatus comprising:

• means for establishing and/or maintaining, in collaboration with other wireless mesh points, multiple instances of a spanning tree protocol (“WSTP instances”) in a wireless mesh network that includes the first wireless mesh point and the other wireless mesh points, the wireless mesh network conforming to a wireless network standard, each spanning tree protocol instance substantially conforming to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol, the wireless network including the first wireless mesh point and at least two other wireless mesh points, the wireless network standard providing a mechanism for a wireless network entity to wirelessly communicate with other wireless network entities using control/management frames for the exchange of wireless network information, the means for establishing and/or maintaining comprising:
• means for maintaining information in the first wireless mesh point on a plurality of spanning tree topologies each determined according to a spanning tree protocol that substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol using a wireless network path cost measure that can have a plurality of values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable, the maintained information for a topology including maintaining the identity of a root wireless mesh point of the spanning tree topology;
• and
• means for wirelessly transmitting bridging path cost information information for each topology as at least one path cost information element that may includes one or more bridge protocol data units (“BPDUs”) for the topology to other wireless mesh points of the network encapsulated in one or more control/management frames,
• wherein the root wireless mesh point is not required to have a wired network interface, and
• wherein the BPDUs substantially conforms to BPDUs according to the standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol, but with a path cost different than a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU path cost in that the path cost is designed for wireless communication and has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable.

A computer readable storage medium configured with computer readable code that when executed by a processor of a processing system in a first wireless mesh point to cause the first wireless mesh point to carry out a method, the processing system and the computer readable storage medium a first wireless mesh point, the computer readable storage medium configured with:

• code to cause establishing and/or maintaining, in collaboration with other wireless mesh nodes, multiple spanning tree topologies in a multi-hop wireless mesh network, each spanning tree topology according to a respective instance of a spanning tree protocol (“WSTP instances”) for a wireless mesh network, such that each WSTP instance substantially conforms to the standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol, the wireless network conforming to a wireless network standard, the wireless network including the first wireless mesh point and at least two other wireless mesh points, the first wireless mesh point including a transceiver coupled to the processor and configured to wirelessly transmit and receive frames, the wireless network standard providing a mechanism for a wireless network entity to wirelessly communicate with other wireless network entities using control/management frames for the exchange of wireless network information, the code to cause establishing and/or maintaining comprising:
• code to cause the processor to maintain information in the first wireless mesh point on the plurality of spanning tree topologies determined according to the spanning tree protocol that substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol, but that uses a wireless network path cost measure that is designed for wireless communication and that has one of a plurality of values for a path between two connectable wireless mesh points, the maintained information for a topology including maintaining the identity of a root wireless mesh point of the spanning tree topology;
• and
• code to cause the transceiver to wirelessly transmit path cost information for each topology as one or mote path cost information elements that may include bridge protocol data units (“BPDUs”) for the topology, the transmitting to other wireless mesh points of the network, the path cost information encapsulated in one or more control/management frames,
• wherein each root wireless mesh point is not required to have a wired network interface,
• wherein each path cost information element includes the path cost measure designed that has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable, and
• wherein a BPDU substantially conforms to a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU but with a path cost different than a standard IEEE 802.1 spanning tree protocol BPDU path cost in that the path cost is designed for wireless communication and has one of a plurality of possible values for a path between two mesh points that are connectable.