System and method for managing access point failover within a wireless mesh network
View Patent ↗A node within a wireless mesh network is configured to select a primary path through an access point and to designate that access point as the primary access point for the node. The access point then transmits a failover message indicating that the node designated that access point as the primary access point for the node at a particular time. When another access point receives the failover message, the other access point may determine that the first node has also designated the other access point as the primary access point for the node, and may then de-register the node and stop advertising a primary path to the node.
1. A computer-implemented method for de-registering a node residing within a network from a first access point coupled to the network when the first access point incurs a network communication failure, the method comprising:
receiving a failover message from a second access point coupled to the network indicating that the node, at time t1, had designated the second access point as a primary access point for the node;
reading an entry in a registration table indicating that the node, at time t0, had designated the first access point as the primary access point for the node;
determining that time t0 occurred prior to time t1; and
de-registering the node from the first access point by removing the entry from the registration table.
2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising causing the first access point to terminate advertising a primary path cost for reaching the node to an upstream router.
3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, at time t1, a registration message from the node designating the second access point as the primary access point for the node;
transmitting the failover message to the first node; and
advertising to an upstream router a primary path cost for reaching the node that is less than another primary path cost for reaching the node that had been advertised to the upstream router by the first access point.
4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein, prior to time t0, the second access point is designated by the node as a secondary access point for the node, and, after time t0, another access point is designated as the secondary access point for the node.
5. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the failover message comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, and the first access point and the second access point are configured to advertise costs for reaching the node to the upstream router path using router information protocol (RIP) messages.
6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first access point and the second access point reside on the same local area network (LAN), and the failover message comprises a link-layer multicast.
7. The computer implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second access points reside on the same wide-area network (WAN), and the failover message comprises a global multicast.
8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing program instructions that, when executed by a processing unit, cause the processing unit to de-register a node residing within a network from a first access point coupled to the network when the first access point incurs a network communication failure, by performing the steps of:
receiving a failover message from a second access point coupled to the network indicating that the node, at time t1, had designated the second access point as a primary access point for the node;
reading an entry in a registration table indicating that the node, at time t0, had designated the first access point as the primary access point for the node;
determining that time t0 occurred prior to time t1; and
de-registering the node from the first access point by removing the entry from the registration table.
9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising the step of causing the first access point to terminate advertising a primary path cost for reaching the node to an upstream router.
10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , further comprising the steps of:
receiving, at time t1, a registration message from the node designating the second access point as the primary access point for the node;
transmitting the failover message to the first node; and
advertising to an upstream router a primary path cost for reaching the node that is less than another primary path cost for reaching the node that had been advertised to the upstream router by the first access point.
11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein, prior to time t0, the second access point is designated by the node as a secondary access point for the node, and, after time t0, another access point is designated as the secondary access point for the node.
12. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the failover message comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, and the first access point and the second access point are configured to advertise costs for reaching the node to the upstream router path using router information protocol (RIP) messages.
13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first and second access points reside on the same local area network (LAN), and the failover message comprises a link-layer multicast.
14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8 , wherein the first and second access points reside on the same wide-area network (WAN), and the failover message comprises a global multicast.
15. A computing device coupled to a network and configured to de-register a node residing within a network from the computing device, including:
a processor configured to:
receive a failover message from an access point coupled to the network indicating that the node, at time t1, had designated the access point as a primary access point for the node;
read an entry in a registration table indicating that the node, at time t0, had designated the computing device as the primary access point for the node;
determine that time t0 occurred prior to time t1; and
de-register the node by removing the entry from the registration table.
16. The computing device of claim 15 , further comprising:
a memory unit coupled to the processing unit and storing program instructions that, when executed by the processing unit, cause the processing unit to:
receive the failover message;
read the entry in the registration table;
determine that time t0 occurred prior to time t1; and
de-register the node.
17. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the processor is further configured to terminate advertising a primary path cost for reaching the node to an upstream router.
18. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the access point is configured to:
receive, at time t1, a registration message from the node designating the second access point as the primary access point for the node;
transmit the failover message to the first node; and
advertise to an upstream router a primary path cost for reaching the node that is less than another primary path cost for reaching the node that had been advertised to the upstream router by the first access point.
19. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein prior to time t0, the second access point is designated by the node as a secondary access point for the node, and after time t0, another access point is designated as the secondary access point for the node.
20. The computing device of claim 15 , wherein the failover message comprises a user datagram protocol (UDP) message, and the computing device and the access point are configured to advertise costs for reaching the node to the upstream router path using router information protocol (RIP) messages, wherein the computing device and the access point (i) reside on the same local area network (LAN) and the failover message comprises a link-layer multicast, or (ii) the computing device and the access point reside on the same wide-area network (WAN) and the failover message comprises a global multicast, and wherein the network comprises a wireless mesh network configured to manage an electricity distribution infrastructure.