Access port adoption to multiple wireless switches
AssigneeSymbol Technologies, Inc.
InventorsKarthikeyan Balasubramanian, Venkatesh Kannan, Shrijith Velayudhan, Vivek Krishnan, Somesh Agrawal
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Abstract
An apparatus, network and techniques for minimizing wireless network downtime associated with a wireless switch failure are disclosed. Access ports are adopted to multiple wireless switches wherein one switch operates to exchange data and control traffic with the access port and remaining switches operate to exchange control traffic with the access port. In the event of a link failure between the wireless switch exchanging data and control traffic with the access port, the access port remains adopted to remaining switches and exchanges data and control traffic with one of the remaining switches.
Claims9
A method of minimizing wireless network downtime associated with a wireless switch failure comprising:
- adopting an access port to a N number of wireless switches, wherein said access port is actually adopted by a first switch of said N number of wireless switches, said first switch configured to send control and data traffic to said access port, wherein said access port is virtually adopted by N−1 wireless switches, said N−1 wireless switches configured to send control traffic to said access port, N being an integer value greater than 1;
- selecting a second switch from said N−1 switches to actually adopt said access port upon a link failure between said access port and said first wireless switch, whereupon if the first and second switches share a wireless protocol security mechanism, said second switch configured to send control and data traffic to said access port, and otherwise the second switch sending de-authentication packets to mobile devices identified in a memory of said second switch;
- exchanging control and data traffic between said access port and said second wireless switch;
- and
- updating a status of said mobile devices associated with said access port using a message exchange between all of said N wireless switches.
A network configured to minimize wireless network downtime associated with a wireless switch failure comprising:
- an N number of wireless switches including a first and a second wireless switch where N is an integer value greater than 1;
- and
- an access port, wherein;
- the first wireless switch operable to actually adopt the access port, and N-1 wireless switches operable to virtually adopt the access port and send control traffic to said access port, said first switch configured to send control and data traffic to said access port, and
- upon a link failure between said access port and said first wireless switch, if the first and second switches share a wireless protocol security mechanism, said second switch of said N−1 wireless switches configured to send control and data traffic to said access port, and otherwise the second switch sends de-authentication packets to mobile devices identified in a memory of said second switch, whereafter
- said access port and said second wireless switch exchanging control and data traffic therebetween, and
- said N wireless switches operable to update a status of mobile devices associated with said access port using a message exchange between all of said N wireless switches.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.