EP-4740576-A2 - COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOSSLESS MESH NETWORK TOPOLOGY CHANGE USING MULTI-LINK OPERATION

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods that provide a computerized network management framework that adaptively configures a network according to mesh network topologies. The disclosed framework enables the implementation of multi-link operation (MLO) functionality with WiFi 7 enabled mesh networks. The disclosed network management framework operates by enabling mesh network topology changes, via MLO, to ensure that network disruptions are eliminated so as to enable continued best in class network connectivity through a network topology change.

Inventors

• SAMPATHKUMAR, Badri, Srinivasan

Assignees

• Plume Design, Inc.

Dates

Publication Date

20260513

Application Date

20240702

Claims (20)

1. 1. A method comprising: identifying a set of devices on a network, the set of devices comprising a first network topology corresponding to a relationship connection between each of the set of devices; detecting information corresponding to a change of the first network topology; identifying a network connection between a pair of devices within the set of devices, the identified network connection corresponding to the detected information; activating, via multi-link operation (MLO) of the network, a dormant link between the pair of devices, the activated dormant link enabling data transmission to remain continuous between the pair of devices; determining a new pair of devices corresponding to the identified network connection; and establishing a new network connection within the network for the new pair of devices.
2. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the dormant link is rendered dormant again upon the establishment of the new network connection.
3. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the rendering of the link dormant occurs according to a predetermined threshold of time.
4. 4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: disconnecting the network connection for the pair of devices upon the establishment of the new network connection.
5. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the change in the first network topology corresponds to a second network topology, the second network topology comprising a different relationship connection between each of the set of devices, wherein the new pair of devices adheres to the different relationship connection.
6. 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining connectivity information among the set of devices, wherein the identification of the set of devices further comprises determination of the connectivity information.
7. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the connectivity information comprises information related to channel, frequency, band, time, frequency and device relationship among the set of devices.
8. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detected change corresponds to at least one of a change in a frequency band or radio in a front haul or back haul of the network, and change in parent-child relationship among the set of devices.
9. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is a location-specific network, wherein the network is a WiFi mesh network, wherein the WiFi mesh network comprises front haul and back haul components between nodes of the network, wherein the front haul and back haul components comprise the MLO components.
10. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of devices comprise at least one of a user device an access point device for a location.
11. 11. A device comprising: a processor configured to: identify a set of devices on a network, the set of devices comprising a first network topology corresponding to a relationship connection between each of the set of devices; detect information corresponding to a change of the first network topology; identify a network connection between a pair of devices within the set of devices, the identified network connection corresponding to the detected information; activate, via multi-link operation (MLO) of the network, a dormant link between the pair of devices, the activated dormant link enabling data transmission to remain continuous between the pair of devices; determine a new pair of devices corresponding to the identified network connection; and establish a new network connection within the network for the new pair of devices.
12. 12. The device of claim 11, wherein the dormant link is rendered dormant again upon the establishment of the new network connection, wherein the rendering of the link dormant occurs according to a predetermined threshold of time.
13. 13. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: disconnect the network connection for the pair of devices upon the establishment of the new network connection.
14. 14. The device of claim 11, wherein the change in the first network topology corresponds to a second network topology, the second network topology comprising a different relationship connection between each of the set of devices, wherein the new pair of devices adheres to the different relationship connection.
15. 15. The device of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to: determine connectivity information among the set of devices, wherein the identification of the set of devices further comprises determination of the connectivity information, wherein the connectivity information comprises information related to channel, frequency, band, time, frequency and device relationship among the set of devices.
16. 16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium tangibly encoded with computer-executable instructions that when executed by a device, perform a method comprising: identifying a set of devices on a network, the set of devices comprising a first network topology corresponding to a relationship connection between each of the set of devices; detecting information corresponding to a change of the first network topology; identifying a network connection between a pair of devices within the set of devices, the identified network connection corresponding to the detected information; activating, via multi-link operation (MLO) of the network, a dormant link between the pair of devices, the activated dormant link enabling data transmission to remain continuous between the pair of devices; determining a new pair of devices corresponding to the identified network connection; and establishing a new network connection within the network for the new pair of devices.
17. 17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the dormant link is rendered dormant again upon the establishment of the new network connection, wherein the rendering of the link dormant occurs according to a predetermined threshold of time.
18. 18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising: disconnecting the network connection for the pair of devices upon the establishment of the new network connection.
19. 19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the change in the first network topology corresponds to a second network topology, the second network topology comprising a different relationship connection between each of the set of devices, wherein the new pair of devices adheres to the different relationship connection.
20. 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, further comprising: determining connectivity information among the set of devices, wherein the identification of the set of devices further comprises determination of the connectivity information, wherein the connectivity information comprises information related to channel, frequency, band, time, frequency and device relationship among the set of devices.

Description

COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR LOSSLESS MESH NETWORK TOPOLOGY CHANGE USING MULTI-LINK OPERATION FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE [0001] The present disclosure is generally related to management of a network, and more particularly, to a decision intelligence (Dl)-based computerized framework for deterministically managing, controlling and/or configuring multi-link operation (MLO) functionality of a mesh network at a location. BACKGROUND [0002] WiFi 7, also referred to as IEEE 802.11be, is the latest generation of wireless technology. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE [0003] WiFi 7 is designed to provide faster speeds, lower latency and increased capacity compared to previous WiFi standards. Among other benefits, WiFi 7 can provide extreme high throughput (EHT), and can support multi-access point (AP) coordination (e.g., coordination and joint transmission. [0004] WiFi 7 includes functionality to bond WiFi links across multiple radios/frequency bands together into a single multi-link device, which provides the ability to transmit packets destined for that endpoint via either of the constituent links. This ability translates to improved throughput performance and capacity since such metrics can now become additive amongst the constituent links. For example, WiFi 7 provides improved latency in traffic flows due to the ability to send traffic over the less congested link. [0005] WiFi 7 MLO features provide redundancy in terms of providing the ability to have multiple Median Access Control (MAC) Link layer connections between an access point (AP) and a client device (referred to as a client or user device, or user equipment (UE), interchangeably). Such connections can be realized for both front haul and back haul connections of a WiFi Mesh network. [0006] To that end, according to some embodiments, as discussed herein, the disclosed systems and methods provide a novel computerized network framework that can leverage such redundancy to effect mesh topology changes in a lossless manner. That is, the framework can cause, control and/or manage mesh network topology changes without causing a disruption to connectivity between the APs in the back haul and between APs and clients in the front haul. [0007] Currently, without MLO, any changes to a mesh topology incurs a disruption in the data path and connectivity because there can be changes in parent-child relationship between Access Points in the Mesh network, changes to the frequency band/radio in which the back haul / front haul connections are made, and/or changes in channels within a radio frequency band for the back haul / front haul connections. Indeed, any combination of the above can occur in a typical mesh topology change, which can result in disruption of connectivity. [0008] Accordingly, as discussed herein, the disclosed framework can operate to mitigate such shortcomings, among others, via the implementation of MLO. That is, since MLO provides the ability to have two (2) link layer connections, a mesh topology parent-child connection can always have a 2.4 GHz radio connection established as part of a MLO connection in the back haul (e.g., when the APs are WiFi 7 compliant), and front-haul for the clients that are WiFi 7 compliant. Thus, in some embodiments, the 2.4 GHz link can remain in a dormant state by not using it to transfer any packets. However, whenever there is a mesh topology change requires a change to the radios other than the 2.4 GHz band (5 GHz/6 GHz radios in this example case), the framework can function to activate the dormant 2.4 GHz link to pass data while the framework breaks the connection on the 5 GHz/6 GHz radio and established the new connection. As such, once the new connection is completed (e.g., after the connection is secure and established and/or after a predetermined period of time (e.g., 1 minute or 10 minutes, dependent upon jurisdiction), the framework can disconnect the old MLO connection. [0009] According to some embodiments, it should be understood that the mention of a 2.4 GHz radio link that is part of the MLO connection in the above example, to be used as a back-up connectivity path when the other radios are reconfigured/changed is a non-limiting embodiment, and one of ordinary skill art would be able to understand that any radio (5 GHz, 6 GHz, and the like), whether known or to be known, can be used as the back-up connectivity link while the other radios are being reconfigured. [0010] It should be understood that while the discussion herein will focus on WiFi 7 and mesh networks at a location, it should not be construed as limiting, as any type of known or to be known type of network for which MLO functionality can be implemented can be utilized via the disclosed systems and methods without departing from the scope of the instant disclosure. [0011] According to some embodiments, a method is disclosed for a lossless mesh network topology via executed MLO functionality. In accordance with some embodiments, the present disclosur