Link control method, and its device, equipment, and storage medium

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides a link control method, and an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium thereof, the method including: an access point multilink device (AP MLD) receiving a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD) via a first access point AP belonging to the AP MLD; and if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the AP MLD transmitting a first status code, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD that has already associated with the AP MLD; and the second condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD that has already associated with the AP MLD. In relation to a fourth non-AP STA already associated with a second AP belonging to the MLD, the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration request.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of mobile communication technology, and more particularly to a link control method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] The wireless LAN industry is currently one of the fastest growing in the entire data communications field. As a complement and extension of traditional wired LANs, wireless LAN solutions are gaining popularity among home network users, small and medium-sized office users, a wide range of enterprise users, and telecommunications carriers due to their advantages such as flexibility, mobility, scalability, and relatively low investment costs.

[0003] An access point multi-link device (AP MLD) can form a wireless LAN based on a transmission signal. There are two types of stations that can establish association with an AP MLD: a non-AP STA and a non-AP MLD. In the related art, an attacking station establishes association with an AP MLD using a Media Access Control (MAC) address that is deemed legitimate by the AP MLD. Therefore, the AP MLD must accurately determine whether a station requesting association with the AP MLD is a legitimate station or an attacking station. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide a link control method, an apparatus, a device, and a storage medium.

[0005] The link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: The method includes: an AP MLD receiving a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD) via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD; and if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the AP MLD transmitting a first status code, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD; and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD. In relation to a STA, the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration request.

[0006] The AP MLD provided in the embodiment of the present application comprises a first communication unit, The first communication unit is configured to receive a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD) via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and to transmit a first status code if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD. In relation to a STA, the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration request.

[0007] A communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application may be the AP MLD in the above solution, and the communication device includes a processor and a memory, the memory is configured to store a computer program, and the processor is configured to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, thereby causing the communication device to perform the above link control method.

[0008] The chip provided in the embodiment of this application is used to implement the above link control method.

[0009] Specifically, the chip includes a processor, and the processor is configured to call up and execute a computer program from memory, thereby causing the device in which the chip is mounted to execute the link control method described above.

[0010] The embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored therein, which causes a computer to execute the above-described link control method.

[0011] The computer program product provided in the embodiments of the present application includes computer program instructions, which cause a computer to perform the above link control method.

[0012] The computer program provided in the embodiment of the present application causes a computer to execute the above link control method. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the above technical solution, the AP MLD receives a first frame sent from a first Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multi-link reconfiguration, and determines based on a first condition related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to a second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD and / or a second condition related to a fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD that a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies the first condition and / or the second condition, rejects the association request and / or re-association request and / or multi-link reconfiguration request of the first Non-AP MLD, thereby rejecting ... The first Non-AP MLD determines whether it is an attacking station based on the STA and / or the Non-AP STA in the STA-level association, allowing the AP MLD to accurately determine whether a station requesting association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration with the AP MLD is a legitimate station or an attacking station. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2A] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2B] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 3] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a link control method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 4] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a link control method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 5] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a link control method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 11] 1 is an exemplary flowchart of a link control method according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 16] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 17] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 18] FIG. 1 is an exemplary schematic diagram of one application scene of an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is an exemplary structural diagram of an AP MLD according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is an exemplary structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 21] 1 is an exemplary structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 22] 1 is an exemplary block diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] The drawings described above are intended to provide a further understanding of the present application and are constituted as a part of the present application, and the illustrative embodiments and descriptions thereof are intended to interpret the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0016] The following describes the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments that can be obtained by those skilled in the art without any creative efforts are included in the protection scope of the present application.

[0017] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application are applicable to various communication systems, such as Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), Wireless Fidelity (WiFi), or other communication systems. Bands supported by WLAN may include, but are not limited to, low bands (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 6 GHz) and high bands (45 GHz, 60 GHz).

[0018] FIG. 1 is an example of a communication system architecture to which the embodiments of the present application are applied.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 , the communication system 100 may include an AP 110 and a station (STA) 120 that accesses a network via the AP 110. In some scenarios, the AP 110 may also be referred to as an AP STA, which means that the AP 110 is also a type of STA in some sense. In some scenarios, the STA 120 may also be referred to as a non-AP STA. In some scenarios, the STA 120 may include an AP STA and a non-AP STA. Communication in the communication system 100 may be communication between the AP 110 and the STA 120, communication between the STAs 120, or communication between the STA 120 and another peer STA. Here, the peer STA may refer to a device that communicates with the STA 120. For example, the peer STA may be an AP or a non-AP STA.

[0020] The AP 110 is used as a bridge connecting a wired network and a wireless network, and its main function is to connect clients of each wireless network and connect the wireless network to an Ethernet. The AP 110 can be a terminal device (such as a mobile phone) equipped with a Wi-Fi chip or a network device (such as a router).

[0021] It should be noted that the role of the STA 120 in the communication system is not absolute, that is, the role of the STA 120 in the communication system can be switched between an AP and a STA. For example, in some scenarios, when a mobile phone connects to a router, the mobile phone is a STA, and when the mobile phone is used as a hotspot for other mobile phones, the mobile phone functions as an AP.

[0022] In some embodiments, the AP 110 and the STA 120 may be devices applied to the Internet of Vehicles, IoT nodes in the Internet of Things (IoT), sensors, smart cameras in smart homes, smart remote controls, smart water meters or electricity meters, or sensors in smart cities.

[0023] In some embodiments, the AP 110 may be a device that supports the 802.11be standard. The AP may also be a device that supports current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a. In some embodiments, the STA 120 may support the 802.11be standard. The STA may also support current and future 802.11 family WLAN standards, such as 802.11ax, 802.11ac, 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, and 802.11a.

[0024] In some embodiments, the AP 110 and / or the STA 120 may be deployed on land (including indoor or outdoor, handheld, wearable, or vehicle-mounted), on water (such as on a ship), or in the air (such as on an aircraft, balloon, satellite, etc.).

[0025] In some embodiments, the STA 120 may be a mobile phone supporting WLAN / WiFi technology, a tablet, a computer with wireless transmission and reception capabilities, a virtual reality (VR) device, an augmented reality (AR) device, a wireless device in industrial control, a set-top box, a wireless device in self driving, an in-vehicle communication device, a wireless device in remote medical, a wireless device in a smart grid, a wireless device in transportation safety, a wireless device in a smart city, or a wireless device in a smart home, an in-vehicle communication device, a wireless communication chip / application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) / system on chip (SoC), etc.

[0026] For example, the STA 120 may be a wearable device. A wearable device, also known as a wearable smart device, is a collective term for everyday wearable items (e.g., glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, shoes, etc.) that are developed by applying wearable technology to make them smart and wearable. A wearable device is a portable device that can be worn directly on the body or incorporated into a user's clothing or accessories. A wearable device is not simply a hardware device; it achieves powerful functions through software support, data interaction, cloud interaction, etc. In a broad sense, wearable smart devices include devices that are fully functional, large in size, and can achieve full or partial functions independently of a smartphone (e.g., smart watches and smart glasses), as well as devices that are specialized for specific application functions and require use in conjunction with other devices such as smartphones (e.g., various smart bands and smart jewelry for body sign monitoring).

[0027] It should be understood that Fig. 1 is merely an example of the present application and should not be construed as a limitation of the present application. For example, Fig. 1 exemplarily shows only one AP and two STAs. In some embodiments, the communication system 100 may include multiple APs and other numbers of STAs, but the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0028] FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of an application scene of an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] 2A , communication system 200 may include AP MLD 210 and non-AP MLD 220. AP MLD 210 is an electronic device capable of forming a Wireless LAN 230 based on a transmission signal, such as a router or a mobile phone with a hotspot function. Non-AP MLD 220 is an electronic device that accesses the Wireless LAN 230 formed by AP MLD 210, such as a mobile phone, a smart washing machine, an air conditioner, or an electronic lock. Non-AP MLD 220 and AP MLD 210 communicate via Wireless LAN 230. Here, AP MLD 210 may be a soft AP MLD, a mobile AP MLD, or the like.

[0030] 2A, at least two APs 2101 belong to the AP MLD 210, and at least two stations (STAs) 2201 belong to the non-AP MLD 220, where each AP is connected to a different STA belonging to the non-AP MLD 220 via a different link. Here, an AP affiliated with an AP MLD may also be referred to as an AP affiliated with the AP MLD, and a STA affiliated with a non-AP MLD may also be referred to as a non-AP STA affiliated with the non-AP MLD, or a STA affiliated with the non-AP MLD.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD 210 and the non-AP MLD 220 may be terminal equipment, which may refer to an access terminal, user equipment (UE), user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, or user device, etc. The access terminal may be a mobile phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a portable device with wireless communication capabilities, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, a wearable device, a terminal device in a 5th generation (5G) network, or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), etc.

[0032] 2A may further include network equipment, which may be access network equipment for communicating with terminal equipment, which may provide communication coverage in a particular geographic area and may communicate with terminal equipment located within said coverage.

[0033] Although FIG. 2A exemplarily illustrates one AP MLD and one non-AP MLD, optionally, the communication system 200 may include multiple non-AP MLDs accessing the wireless LAN 230, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0034] 1, 2A, and 2B merely exemplify systems to which the present application is applicable, and the methods described in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are used interchangeably throughout the present specification. The term "and / or" used herein simply describes a relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can indicate three cases: A exists alone, both A and B exist, and B exists alone. The symbol " / " used herein generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship. It should be understood that the term "indicates" in the embodiments of the present application may refer directly, indirectly, or as having a related relationship. For example, when A indicates B, this can mean that A directly indicates B, e.g., B can obtain information through A, or that A indirectly indicates B, e.g., A indicates C, and B can obtain information through C, or that A and B have an association relationship. It should be understood that in the description of the embodiments of the present application, the term "corresponding" can mean a direct or indirect correspondence between two entities, an association relationship between two entities, or a relationship such as a commanding and commanded relationship, a configuring and configured relationship, etc. It should be understood that the "predefined" or "predefined rule" referred to in the embodiments of the present application can be realized by pre-storing corresponding codes, tables, or other methods that can be used to indicate related information in devices (e.g., including terminal devices and network devices), and the present application does not limit the specific embodiment. For example, the predefined may refer to a protocol-defined relationship.It should be further understood that in the embodiments of the present application, the "protocol" may refer to a standard protocol in the communication field, and may include, for example, the IEEE 802.11 protocol, the LTE protocol, the NR protocol, and related protocols applied to future communication systems, but the present application is not limited thereto.

[0035] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the related arts of the embodiments of the present application, which can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and all of them fall within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0036] Security Disassociation Protection When a legitimate, already associated non-AP STA attempts to re-associate, the non-AP STA sends an association request frame and / or a re-association request frame to the AP. When the AP detects that a security association with the non-AP STA is currently established, it continuously sends a security association (SA) query request to the non-AP STA. The non-AP STA ignores the SA query request and waits until the security association times out and terminates, before sending another association request frame and / or a re-association request frame to the AP.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, this process may include the following steps:

[0038] In step S301, the non-AP STA transmits an association request to the AP.

[0039] In step S302, the AP transmits an association response to the non-AP STA.

[0040] An Association Response is used to indicate a denial of the association request, where the denial can be understood as "try again later."

[0041] In step S303, the AP continuously transmits an SA Query Request before the timer times out.

[0042] Here, the timeout of the timer can be understood as the timeout of the response.

[0043] After the timer times out, the non-AP STA executes step S301 again and sends an Association Request to the AP.

[0044] If an attacker spoofing the MAC address of a legitimate non-AP STA sends an association request frame and / or reassociation request frame to an AP, the AP will detect that a security association with the legitimate non-AP STA is already established. The AP will then send an association response frame and / or reassociation response frame to the legitimate non-AP STA, indicating a denial and instructing the non-AP STA to try again later, and then send an SA Query Request to the legitimate non-AP STA. Since the legitimate non-AP STA does not wish to reassociate, it will send an SA Query Response frame to the AP, which is a security association (SA) query response, and the security association between the legitimate non-AP STA and the AP will remain unaffected.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 4, this process may include the following steps:

[0046] In step S401, the attacker sends an association request to the AP.

[0047] In step S402, the AP transmits an Association Response to the non-AP STA.

[0048] An Association Response is used to indicate a denial of the association request, where the denial can be understood as "try again later."

[0049] In step S403, the AP sends an SA Query Request to the non-AP STA before the timer times out.

[0050] In step S404, the non-AP STA transmits an SA Query Response to the AP.

[0051] An SA Query Response can be understood as a response to an SA Query Request.

[0052] SA QueryProcedure (Procedure) When an already associated legitimate non-AP STA receives an unprotected disassociation or deauthentication frame, it can verify that the disassociation or deauthentication frame is from the legitimate AP by performing a security association query procedure in cooperation with the legitimate AP associated with the non-AP STA. When an AP receives a reassociation request frame, it can verify that the reassociation request frame is from the legitimate non-AP STA by performing a security association query procedure in cooperation with the already associated legitimate non-AP STA.

[0053] The flow of the SA Query procedure includes the following:

[0054] If the variable dot11RSNAProtectedManagementFramesActivated, which indicates whether the management frame protection function in the security association is activated, is true, i.e., if the management frame protection function in the security association is activated, the STA or MLD must support the SA query process.

[0055] To send an SA Query Request or SA Query Response frame to the peer STA or peer MLD, the Station Management Entity (SME) must issue a MAC Sublayer Management Entity (MLME)-SA-Query.Request or MLME-SA-Query.Response response primitive. Receipt of the SA Query Request or SA Query Response frame is acknowledged to the SME by an MLME-SA-Query.indication or MLME-SA-Query.confirm confirmation primitive, respectively.

[0056] A STA or MLD that supports the SA Query process and receives an SA Query Request frame MUST respond with an SA Query Response frame unless one of the following conditions is true:

[0057] 1. The STA or the Non-AP MLD is not currently associated with the STA or AP MLD that sent the SA query request frame.

[0058] 2. The STA has sent an association request frame (again) within the time indicated by the variable dot11AssociationResponseTimeOut, but has not yet received a corresponding association response frame (again).

[0059] 3. The variable dot11RSNAOperatingChannelValidationActivated, which indicates whether the operating channel validation function is activated, is true, i.e., indicates that the operating channel validation function is activated, and the sending STA indicates operating channel validation capable (OCVC) capability in its association, and the operating channel information (OCI) element is not present in the SA Query request, or the indicated operating channel information does not match the current channel information.

[0060] When a STA sends an SA Query Response frame to a STA that has indicated OCVC capability, if dot11RSNAOperatingChannelValidationActivated is true, the SA Query Response frame must include an OCI element.

[0061] When a non-AP or non-PCP (personal basic service set (PBSS) control point, PCP) STA receives an SA query response frame from a STA that indicates OCVC capability, it must ensure that the SA response contains an OCI element and that the channel information in the OCI element matches the current operating channel parameters. Otherwise, the receiving STA shall consider the response invalid and discard it.

[0062] If a Non-AP or Non-PCP STA receives an SA Query Response frame sent by a STA that indicated OCVC capability during a channel switch other than within dot11AssociationResponseTimeOut time units from the start of the SA Query process, the Non-AP or Non-PCP STA deauthenticates from the Basic Service Set (BSS).

[0063] If a Non-AP or Non-PCP STA attempts to reassociate with the AP or PCP that sent the SA Query request, or attempts to associate with a different AP or PCP that sent the SA Query request, the Non-AP or Non-PCP STA will not respond. APs or PCPs have no such restriction.

[0064] If a Non-AP or Non-PCP STA has a security association with an AP or PCP and has already negotiated management frame protection, when the Non-AP or Non-PCP STA receives an unprotected deauthentication or disassociation frame from the AP or PCP that contains reason code INVALID_CLASS2_frame or INVALID_CLASS3_frame, the Non-AP or Non-PCP STA can take this as an indication of a possible mismatch in the association state between itself and the AP or PCP. In this case, the SME of the Non-AP or Non-PCP STA may initiate an SA Query process with the AP or PCP to verify the validity of the SA security association by sending an MLME-SA-QUERY.request primitive every dot11AssociationSAQueryRetryTimeout time units, and this process continues until it receives a matching MLME-SA-QUERY.confirm primitive or times out dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout time units from the start of the SA Query process. If the AP or PCP responds to the SA Query Request with a valid SA Query Response, the Non-AP STA SHOULD continue to use the SA security association; if a valid SA Query Response is not received, the SME of the Non-AP and Non-PCP STA MAY delete the security association (and temporary keys) maintained for communication with the STA by sending an MLME-DELETEKEYS request primitive, and the Non-AP and Non-PCP will transition to State 1 with the AP (or State 2 for DMG stations), i.e., the Unauthenticated and Unassociated state.

[0065] If a Non-AP STA has a security association with an AP MLD and belongs to a Non-AP MLD that has already negotiated management frame protection, when the Non-AP STA receives an unprotected deauthentication or disassociation frame with reason code INVALID_CLASS2_frame or INVALID_CLASS3_frame from an AP that belongs to the AP MLD via a link established with that AP, the Non-AP MLD can use this as an indication of a possible mismatch in the association state between itself and the AP MLD. In this case, the SME can initiate an SA Query process with the AP MLD to verify the validity of the SA security association by sending an MLME-SA-QUERY.request primitive every dot11AssociationSAQueryRetryTimeout time units. This process continues until a matching MLME-SA-QUERY.confirm primitive is received or until the SA Query process times out after dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout time units have elapsed since the start of the SA Query process. If the AP MLD responds to the SA Query request with a valid SA Query response, the Non-AP MLD SHOULD continue to use the security association. If a valid SA Query response is not received, the SME can delete the security association and temporary keys maintained for communication with the AP MLD by sending an MLME-DELETEKEYS request primitive. The Non-AP MLD transitions to State 1, i.e., Unauthenticated and Unassociated, with the AP MLD.

[0066] If the wake-up interval of an S1G (Sub 1 GHz) STA in energy-saving mode exceeds dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout, the existing security association is already destroyed. Therefore, to maintain a valid security state, the S1G STA wakes up within the interval set by dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout to monitor SA request frames. If dot11RSNAProtectedManagementFramesActivated is true, the S1G AP must send the S1G STA an association response frame with status code 0 and / or another association response frame with the timeout interval.

[0067] Relationship between non-AP MLD and AP MLD As specified in the protocol, in multilink operation, the security association negotiation is performed at the MLD level, not at the home station level. However, after the security association negotiation is completed and multilink is established, the home station also changes to the associated state, just like the MLD. The details are as follows:

[0068] Unless otherwise specified, STA refers to STA that is not a member of an MLD.

[0069] In multi-link operation (MLO), security associations are negotiated between MLD pairs. The use of the term "STA or MLD" refers to the requirements on the STA when the STA pair establishes the security association, or the requirements on the MLD after the MLD pair establishes the security association. When the MLD negotiates the security association, the "SME" is the entity managing the MLD.

[0070] When a Robust Secure Network Association (RSNA) is established between a pair of MLD SMEs, the MAC address in the frame body of authentication and association frames and in Extensible Authentication Protocol over LAN (EAPO) L-Key frames must be the MLD MAC address. These frames are sent by STAs that belong to the MLD.

[0071] After a multilink is successfully established or re-established between the Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD, the Non-AP MLD associates with the AP MLD based on the inter-MLD association and / or re-association process, and the Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD establish a link for multilink operation.

[0072] For each established link, the corresponding Non-AP STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD have the same association state as the Non-AP MLD and are associated with the corresponding APs belonging to the AP MLD. For each established link, the mapping relationship between the Non-AP STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD and the APs belonging to the AP MLD needs to be provided to the distribution system (DS).

[0073] Authentication and Association Status The current state between a sending and receiving STA determines the frame types exchanged between them. If the current state is State 1 (i.e., unauthenticated and unassociated) or State 2 (i.e., authenticated but unassociated), the current state that exists between an MLD pair determines the frame types that can be exchanged between STAs belonging to the MLD. If the current state is State 3 (i.e., authenticated and associated, but not unblocked) or State 4 (i.e., authenticated, associated, and unblocked), the current state between an MLD pair determines the frame types that can be exchanged on the link established between them, and there can be only one state between each sending and receiving STA pair or each MLD pair.

[0074] How AP or AP MLD handles association requests For a Non-AP MLD associated with an AP MLD, if an AP belonging to the AP MLD receives an association request frame that does not include a basic multilink element from a Non-AP STA belonging to the Non-AP MLD, the AP must reject the association request using the rejection status code DENIED_STA_affiliated_with_EXISTING_MLD_Association.

[0075] When an AP or PCP receives an association request frame from a STA, or when it receives an association request frame containing a basic multilink element from a non-AP STA that belongs to a non-AP MLD via an AP that belongs to an AP MLD, it performs the following process.

[0076] a. The MLME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive to notify the SME of the association request. The SME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive to the STA or MLD indicated in the PeerSTAAddress parameter of the MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive. If the association is not successful, the SME indicates the specific reason for the association failure in the ResultCode parameter. Upon receiving the MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive, the MLME sends an association response frame.

[0077] b. If the STA's state is State 1 and the STA is a non-DMG STA or the Non-AP MLD state is State 1, the SME must reject the association request by sending an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive with the status code NOT_AUTHENTICATED.

[0078] c. For only those APs for which the variable dot11InterworkingServiceActivated, which indicates only the interworking capability with external networks, is set to true, if the Emergency Services parameter of the MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive is set to true and the Robust Security Network (RSN) parameter does not include a Robust Security Network Element (RSNE), the SME shall not reject the association request on the basis that dot11RSNAActivated is true, thereby granting network access to emergency services using unprotected frames.

[0079] d. Otherwise, in RSNA, the SME MUST verify the value received in the RSN parameter and check whether the received value complies with the security policy. If not, the SME shall reject the association by sending an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response primitive with a status code indicating a security policy mismatch.

[0080] e. Otherwise, if the state of the STA or Non-AP MLD is State 4, the STA or Non-AP MLD has a valid security association, the STA or Non-AP MLD has negotiated management frame protection, the STA or Non-AP MLD has not successfully performed Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE) authentication since the current association was established, and there is no previous timed-out SA Query process with the STA or Non-AP MLD (which allows a new association process to be initiated without requiring an additional SA Query process), then:

[0081] 1. The SME MUST reject the association request by sending an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive with the reject code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and a TimeoutInterval element with the TimeoutIntervalType field set to 3 (Re-association Time). If the SME is performing an SA query related to a STA or Non-AP MLD, the TimeoutIntervalValue field MUST be set to the remaining SA query period; otherwise, it MUST be set to dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout or dot11MLDAssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout.

[0082] 2. The state of STA or Non-AP MLD must not be changed.

[0083] 3. If the SME has not subsequently performed an SA Query for the STA or Non-AP MLD, the SME sends an MLME-SA-Query request primitive to the STA or Non-AP MLD every dot11AssociationSAQueryRetryTimeout time units until it receives an MLME-SA-QUERY confirmation primitive from the STA or Non-AP, or until dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout or ot11MLDAssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout time units have elapsed since the start of the SA Query process. For each MLME-SA-QUERY.request primitive, the SME increments the transaction identifier (TransactionIdentifier) ​​by 1, rolling it over to 0 after the TransactionIdentifier reaches its maximum allowed value.

[0084] 4. If an MLME-SA-QUERY.confirm primitive for a STA or Non-AP MLD is not received within the dot11AssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout period or the dot11MLDAssociationSAQueryMaximumTimeout period, the SME shall allow the initiation of a subsequent association process for the STA or Non-AP MLD without initiating an additional SA Query process, but shall reject the subsequent association process for the STA or Non-AP MLD only if it has successfully received an MSDU from one of the Non-AP STAs belonging to the STA or Non-AP MLD, because receipt of an MSDU implies receipt of a valid protection frame, thereby eliminating the need for an SA Query process.

[0085] The process of processing a re-association request by an AP or AP MLD is similar to the process of processing an association request, so it will not be described again here. Note that in the process of processing an association request and / or a re-association request by an AP MLD, the AP MLD performs processing at the MLD level.

[0086] Mobility Type Conversion The protocol specifies three mobility type transitions in a STA or MLD network: no transition, inter-BSS transition, and inter-Extended Service Set (ESS) transition. Here, when transitioning between BSSs, a non-AP STA can convert to a non-AP MLD (the non-AP STA's MAC address is converted to the non-AP MLD's MLD MAC address), and a non-AP MLD can also convert to a non-AP STA (the non-AP MLD's MLD MAC address is converted to the non-AP STA's MAC address).

[0087] Multilink Reconfiguration The protocol specifies that a non-AP MLD that is already associated with an AP MLD can request the addition of at least one link and / or the removal of at least one link by sending a Multi-Link Reconfiguration Request.

[0088] In related technologies, security association negotiation is performed at the MLD level. However, due to the detection conditions specified in the current protocol, AP MLD cannot accurately detect the following attackers: the attacker's MAC address is different from that of the legitimate device, but the MAC address of the station to which the attacker belongs is the same as that of an already associated legitimate device or the station to which the legitimate device belongs.

[0089] In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail below through specific examples. The above-mentioned related technologies can be arbitrarily combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of the present application. The embodiments of the present application include at least some of the following contents:

[0090] The link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application is applied to AP MLD, and may include the following steps, as shown in FIG.

[0091] In step S501, an access point multilink device (AP MLD) receives a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD) via a first access point AP belonging to the AP MLD, and if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the AP MLD transmits a first status code, the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD. In relation to a STA, the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration request.

[0092] The AP MLD receives the first frame transmitted from the first Non-AP MLD, and the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration. As can be seen, if the first Non-AP MLD is not associated with the AP MLD, the first frame is used to request association. If the first Non-AP MLD is already associated with the AP MLD, the first frame is used to request re-association or multilink reconfiguration.

[0093] In the embodiments of the present application, when the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, it can be understood that AP MLD supports at least one of the following scenarios: a scenario in which the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association; and a scenario in which the first frame is used to request multilink reconfiguration.

[0094] When the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association, the AP MLD receives the first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and if it determines that at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies the first condition and / or the second condition, it sends a first status code to the first Non-AP MLD to reject the association request and / or re-association request.

[0095] When the first frame is used to request multi-link reconfiguration, the AP MLD receives the first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and if it determines that at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies the first condition and / or the second condition, it transmits a first status code to the first Non-AP MLD to reject the multi-link reconfiguration request.

[0096] The first condition relates to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and as can be understood, the selection range of the third Non-AP STA in the first condition includes Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD.

[0097] The second condition relates to at least one fourth non-AP STA that is already associated with the second AP that belongs to the AP MLD, and as can be understood, the selection range of the fourth non-AP STA in the second condition includes non-AP STAs that are already associated with the second AP that belongs to the AP MLD.

[0098] As you can see, there are two types of stations that can establish association with an AP MLD: non-AP MLD and non-AP STA. A non-AP MLD has at least one non-AP STA. If a station has no STAs, it is a non-AP STA.

[0099] In an embodiment of the present application, the MLD MAC address of the first Non-AP MLD is different from the MLD MAC address of the second Non-AP MLD.

[0100] If the MLD MAC address of the first Non-AP MLD is the same as the MLD MAC address of the second Non-AP MLD, the AP MLD rejects the association request and / or re-association request and / or multi-link reconfiguration request of the first Non-AP MLD based on the MLD MAC addresses of the two MLDs.

[0101] In an embodiment of the present application, the address may include a MAC address.

[0102] In the present application, two levels of association are involved:

[0103] This is an MLD-level association, i.e., an association between an AP MLD and a Non-AP MLD.

[0104] This is a STA-level association, that is, an association between an AP and a non-AP STA that belongs to an AP MLD.

[0105] As can be seen, for AP MLD, a non-AP STA establishes a STA-level association with an AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the non-AP MLD establishes an MLD-level association with the AP MLD (at least one belonging non-AP STA and one corresponding belonging AP establish a link and transition to an associated state, i.e., a STA-level association is established).

[0106] The first condition is established based on the MLD-level association, and the second condition is established based on the STA-level association. Therefore, according to the link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives a first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multi-link reconfiguration, and determines that a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies the first condition and / or the second condition based on a first condition related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to a second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and / or a second condition related to a fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and in this case, The first Non-AP MLD can determine whether it is an attacking station based on the Non-AP STA in the MLD-level association and / or the Non-AP STA in the STA-level association, and the AP MLD can accurately determine whether the station requesting association and / or reassociation and / or multi-link reconfiguration with the AP MLD is a legitimate station or an attacking station.

[0107] In some embodiments, the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as or different from the first Non-AP STA.

[0108] The at least one second Non-AP STA being the same as the first Non-AP STA can be understood to mean that the at least one second Non-AP STA includes the first Non-AP STA.

[0109] The at least one second non-AP STA being different from the first non-AP STA can be understood to mean that the at least one second non-AP STA does not include the first non-AP STA.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a second address of at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD.

[0111] If the first address of at least one second Non-AP STA in the first Non-AP MLD is the same as the second address of at least one third Non-AP STA belonging to a second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, the AP MLD sends a first status code to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0112] The first address of at least one second Non-AP STA being the same as the second address of at least one third Non-AP STA may be understood to mean that for each second Non-AP STA among the at least one second Non-AP STA, the first address of the second Non-AP STA is the same as the second address of one third Non-AP STA among the at least one third Non-AP STA.

[0113] When the first Non-AP MLD includes at least two Non-AP STAs, multiple Non-AP STAs may satisfy the first condition with one second Non-AP MLD, or multiple Non-AP STAs may satisfy the first condition with multiple different second Non-AP MLDs.

[0114] For example, if the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD1 include Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2, and the addresses of Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2 are Address 1 and Address 2, respectively, and the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD2 include Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA4, and the addresses of Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA4 are Address 1 and Address 2, respectively, the addresses of Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2 are the same as the addresses of Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA4, respectively, and in this case, Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2 satisfy one second Non-AP MLD and the first condition.

[0115] For example, if the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD1 include Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2, and the addresses of Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2 are Address 1 and Address 2, respectively, the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD2 include Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA4, and the addresses of Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA4 are Address 1 and Address 3, respectively, and the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD3 include Non-AP STA5 and Non-AP STA6, and the addresses of Non-AP STA5 and Non-AP STA6 are Address 4 and Address 2, respectively, then the address of Non-AP STA1 is the same as the address of Non-AP STA3, and the address of Non-AP STA2 is the same as the address of Non-AP STA6. In this case, Non-AP STA1 and Non-AP STA2 are respectively associated with different second Non-APs. This will satisfy MLD and the first condition.

[0116] 6, the APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, the Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD includes Non-AP MLD2, and the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD2 include STA3 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA4 with a MAC address of MAC4. The STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2. When Non-AP MLD1 transmits a first frame to AP2 belonging to the AP MLD via STA2 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, the MAC address of STA1 is the same as the MAC address of STA3 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, and therefore STA1 of Non-AP MLD1 satisfies the first condition. In this case, the first Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD is STA2 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD is STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, and at least one third Non-AP STA belonging to the second Non-AP MLD is STA3 belonging to Non-AP MLD 2. Here, the link between STA2 belonging to Non-AP MLD1 and AP2 belonging to AP MLD is link 2.

[0117] 6, the APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, the Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD includes Non-AP MLD2, and the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD2 include STA3 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA4 with a MAC address of MAC4. The STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2. When Non-AP MLD1 transmits a first frame to AP1 belonging to the AP MLD via STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, the MAC address of STA1 is the same as the MAC address of STA3 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, and therefore STA1 of Non-AP MLD1 satisfies the first condition. In this case, the first Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD is STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD is STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD1, and at least one third Non-AP STA belonging to the second Non-AP MLD is STA3 belonging to Non-AP MLD2. Here, the link between STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD1 and AP1 belonging to AP MLD is Link 1.

[0118] In one example, as shown in FIG. 7, the APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, the Non-AP MLDs already associated with the AP MLD include Non-AP MLD1 and Non-AP MLD2, the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2, and the STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD2 include STA3 with a MAC address of MAC3 and STA4 with a MAC address of MAC4. The STAs belonging to Non-AP MLD3 include STA5, whose MAC address is MAC1, and STA6, whose MAC address is MAC4. When Non-AP MLD3 transmits a first frame to AP MLD via STA5, which belongs to Non-AP MLD3, the MAC address of STA5 is the same as the MAC address of STA1, which belongs to Non-AP MLD1, and the MAC address of STA6 is the same as the MAC address of STA4, which belongs to Non-AP MLD2. Therefore, STA5 and STA6 of Non-AP MLD3 each satisfy the first condition.

[0119] As can be seen, when the state of a Non-AP STA belonging to a certain Non-AP MLD is state 4, the Non-AP STA is already associated with the corresponding AP in the AP MLD.

[0120] If the address of at least one Non-AP STA belonging to a certain Non-AP MLD is the same as the address of at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD, the Non-AP STA (i.e., the third Non-AP STA) may have an address conflict with the at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0121] If the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as the first Non-AP STA, assuming that the AP MLD accepts the association request of the first Non-AP MLD, i.e., the first Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD establish an association, the first Non-AP STA and at least one third Non-AP STA will simultaneously establish an association with the first AP, in which case the first Non-AP STA and at least one third Non-AP STA will operate on the same link with the same address, resulting in an address conflict.

[0122] If the at least one second Non-AP STA is different from the first Non-AP STA, assuming that the AP MLD accepts the association request of the first Non-AP MLD, i.e., the first Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD establish an association, then at least one second Non-AP STA and at least one third Non-AP STA will simultaneously establish an association with another AP other than the first AP. In this case, at least one second Non-AP STA and at least one third Non-AP STA will operate on the same link with the same address, resulting in an address conflict.

[0123] In an embodiment of the present application, if at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD has the same address as at least one third Non-AP STA belonging to a second Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, an address conflict may occur between Non-AP STAs belonging to different Non-AP MLDs for the same AP that belongs to the AP MLD. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, if such a possibility exists, an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration is rejected, thereby avoiding an address conflict between Non-AP STAs belonging to Non-AP MLDs that establish association with the same AP.

[0124] In some embodiments, the first condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA.

[0125] Here, operating on the same channel can also be understood as operating on the same frequency band and the same channel.

[0126] The at least one second Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA, which can be understood as one second Non-AP STA and one third Non-AP STA operating on the same channel, and a different second Non-AP STA and a different third Non-AP STA operating on another same channel.

[0127] If the at least one second Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA and the first Non-AP MLD is associated with an AP MLD, the at least one second Non-AP STA and the at least one third Non-AP STA are associated with the same AP, in which case an address conflict occurs between the at least one second Non-AP STA and the at least one third Non-AP STA.

[0128] In an embodiment of the present application, when at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD and at least one third Non-AP STA belonging to the second Non-AP MLD establish a link or association with the same AP belonging to the same AP MLD using the same address, the association request and / or re-association request and / or multi-link reconfiguration request of the first Non-AP MLD is rejected, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a situation in which different Non-AP STAs use the same address to establish a link or association with the same AP belonging to the same AP MLD.

[0129] In some embodiments, the channel on which the first AP operates is the same as or different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0130] In an embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives a first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP STA via a first link between the first AP and the first Non-AP STA, that is, the first AP and the first Non-AP STA operate on the same channel.

[0131] When a first Non-AP STA is the same as at least one second Non-AP STA, the channel on which the first AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates. The channel on which the first AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates, which can be understood as meaning that the channel information on which the first AP operates is the same as the channel information on which one of the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0132] When a first Non-AP STA is different from at least one second Non-AP STA, the channel on which the first AP operates is different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates. The channel on which the first AP operates is different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates, which can be understood as the channel information on which the first AP operates is different from the channel information on which any of the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0133] In some embodiments, the second condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP.

[0134] If the first address of at least one second Non-AP STA in the first Non-AP MLD is the same as the third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD, the AP MLD sends a first status code to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0135] The first address of at least one second Non-AP STA being the same as the third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP can be understood to mean that the first address of a different second Non-AP STA is the same as the third address of one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with a different second AP.

[0136] As can be seen, when a Non-AP STA is in state 4, the Non-AP STA is already associated with an AP that belongs to the AP MLD.

[0137] When the state of a certain Non-AP STA is state 4 and the address of the Non-AP STA is the same as the address of at least one second Non-AP MLD belonging to the first Non-AP MLD, the Non-AP STA (i.e., the fourth Non-AP STA) may have an address conflict with at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0138] The first address of at least one second Non-AP STA being the same as the third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP can be understood to mean that for each second Non-AP STA of the at least one second Non-AP STA, the first address of the second Non-AP STA is the same as the third address of one of the at least one fourth Non-AP STAs.

[0139] In the embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives a first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP MLD via a first link between the first AP and a first Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD. The second AP may be the same as or different from the first AP.

[0140] 8, the APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, and the STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2. The Non-AP STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 is already associated with AP1. If the Non-AP MLD1 transmits a first frame to the AP2 belonging to the AP MLD via STA2 belonging to the Non-AP MLD1, and in this case, the MAC address of STA1 is the same as the MAC address of the Non-AP STA1, then the STA1 of the Non-AP MLD1 satisfies the second condition.

[0141] 9, the APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, and the STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2. The Non-AP STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 is already associated with AP1, and the Non-AP STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2 is already associated with AP2. When the Non-AP MLD1 transmits a first frame to the AP2 belonging to the AP MLD via the STA2 belonging to the Non-AP MLD1, and in this case, if the MAC address of STA1 is the same as the MAC address of the Non-AP STA1 and the MAC address of STA2 is the same as the MAC address of the Non-AP STA2, the STA1 and STA2 of the Non-AP MLD1 each satisfy the second condition.

[0142] If the address of at least one Non-AP STA already associated with an AP belonging to an AP MLD is the same as the address of at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD, the Non-AP STA (i.e., the fourth Non-AP STA) may have an address conflict with the at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0143] Assuming that the AP MLD accepts the association request of the first Non-AP MLD, that is, the first Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD establish an association, one second Non-AP STA and one fourth Non-AP STA simultaneously establish an association with the same AP belonging to the AP MLD. In this case, at least the second Non-AP STA and the fourth Non-AP STA will operate on the same link, resulting in an address conflict.

[0144] In an embodiment of the present application, if at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD has the same address as at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with a second AP belonging to an AP MLD, there is a possibility that the address of a Non-AP STA belonging to the Non-AP MLD conflicts with the address of a Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present application, if such a possibility exists, the association request and / or re-association request and / or multilink reconfiguration are rejected, thereby avoiding address conflicts between Non-AP STAs establishing association with the same AP and Non-AP STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD.

[0145] In some embodiments, the second condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA.

[0146] Here, operating on the same channel can also be understood as operating on the same frequency band and the same channel.

[0147] If the at least one second Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA and the first Non-AP MLD is associated with the AP MLD, the at least one second Non-AP STA and the at least one fourth Non-AP STA are associated with the same AP (i.e., the second AP), and in this case, an address conflict occurs between the at least one second Non-AP STA and the at least one fourth Non-AP STA.

[0148] The at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA can be understood to mean that a different second Non-AP STA among the at least one second Non-AP STA and a different fourth Non-AP STA among the at least one fourth Non-AP STA each operate on the same channel.

[0149] In an embodiment of the present application, when at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to a first Non-AP MLD and at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with an AP belonging to an AP MLD use the same address to establish a link or association with the second AP, the association request and / or re-association request and / or multi-link reconfiguration request of the first Non-AP MLD is rejected, thereby avoiding the occurrence of a situation in which different Non-AP STAs use the same address to establish a link or association with the same AP belonging to the same AP MLD.

[0150] In some embodiments, the channel of the second AP is the same as the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0151] In an embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives a first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP STA via a first link between the first AP and the first Non-AP STA, that is, the first AP and the first Non-AP STA operate on the same channel.

[0152] In some embodiments, the second AP is the same as or different from the first AP.

[0153] The first AP is the same as the second AP if the first Non-AP STA is the same as at least one second Non-AP STA, the channel on which at least one second Non-AP STA and at least one fourth Non-AP STA operate is the same, and the channel on which at least one fourth Non-AP STA operates is the channel on which the second AP operates.

[0154] A first AP is different from a second AP if the first Non-AP STA is different from at least one second Non-AP STA, the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA and at least one fourth Non-AP STA operate is the same, and the channel on which the at least one fourth Non-AP STA operates is the channel on which the second AP operates.

[0155] 10, APs belonging to the AP MLD include AP1 and AP2, and STAs belonging to the Non-AP MLD1 include STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 and STA2 with a MAC address of MAC2. Non-AP STA1 with a MAC address of MAC1 is already associated with AP1 and has established Link 1. Non-AP MLD1 transmits a first frame to AP2 belonging to the AP MLD via Link 2 between STA2 belonging to the Non-AP MLD1 and AP2. In this case, the MAC address of STA1 is the same as the MAC address of Non-AP STA1 already associated with AP1, STA1 of Non-AP MLD1 satisfies the second condition, and the AP associated with STA2 is different from the AP associated with the Non-AP STA that satisfies the second condition.

[0156] In some embodiments, before step S501, the AP MLD further performs the following process.

[0157] The AP MLD receives the first frame transmitted from the first Non-AP STA of the first Non-AP MLD via the first AP.

[0158] In some embodiments, the first frame comprises: Association request frame, Association request frame again, and The frame includes at least one of a multilink reconfiguration request frame.

[0159] The association request frame can be used to request association and / or request multilink reconfiguration.

[0160] The reassociation request frame can be used to request reassociation and / or to request multilink reconfiguration.

[0161] The multilink reconfiguration request frame can be used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0162] In some embodiments, if the first frame includes a basic multilink element, the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD.

[0163] In one example, when an AP MLD receives an association request frame sent from a first Non-AP STA in a first Non-AP MLD via a first AP, and the association request frame includes a basic multilink element, the association request frame is used to request association with the AP MLD.

[0164] In one example, when an AP MLD receives a reassociation request frame sent from a first Non-AP STA in a first Non-AP MLD via a first AP, and the reassociation request frame includes a basic multilink element, the reassociation request frame is used to request reassociation with the AP MLD.

[0165] In some embodiments, the basic multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0166] If the first Non-AP STA is different from the at least one second Non-AP STA, the basic multilink element includes an address of the first Non-AP STA and an address of the at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0167] As can be seen, the serving STA corresponding to the address included in the basic multilink element is the serving STA that requests to establish a link or association with the STA that belongs to the AP MLD.

[0168] As can be understood, the basic multilink element may include, in addition to the address of the at least one second Non-AP STA, addresses of other Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD other than the first Non-AP STA and / or at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0169] In one example, in the application scenario shown in FIG. 6, the basic multilink element includes MAC addresses of STA1 and STA2 belonging to Non-AP MLD1.

[0170] In some embodiments, if the first frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the first frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0171] In one example, when the AP MLD receives an association request frame sent from a first Non-AP STA in a first Non-AP MLD via a first AP, and the association request frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the association request frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0172] In one example, when the AP MLD receives a reassociation request frame sent from a first Non-AP STA in the first Non-AP MLD via the first AP, and the reassociation request frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the reassociation request frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0173] In one example, when the AP MLD receives a multilink reconfiguration request frame sent from a first non-AP STA in the first non-AP MLD via a first AP, and the multilink reconfiguration request frame includes a reconfigure multilink element, the multilink reconfiguration request frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0174] In some embodiments, the reconfigured multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0175] As can be understood, the belonging STA corresponding to the address included in the reconstructed multi-link element is the belonging STA of the first Non-AP MLD that requests the addition of a link when the first Non-AP MLD and the AP MLD establish a multi-link.

[0176] As can be understood, the reconfigured multilink element may include, in addition to the address of the at least one second Non-AP STA, addresses of other Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD other than the first Non-AP STA and / or the at least one second Non-AP STA.

[0177] In scenario 1, where the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association, the first status code sent by the AP MLD includes the following two cases:

[0178] In case A1, if the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD.

[0179] In case A2, when the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD.

[0180] For case A1, the first status code is:

[0181] Since an association with the MLD already exists, the rejection code is DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION, which indicates that the request from the station is rejected.

[0182] When the AP MLD sends the first status code, it instructs the first Non-AP MLD not to re-request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD.

[0183] In case A1, the AP MLD does not initiate the SA Query process.

[0184] In case A2, the first status code may be a rejection code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY, which indicates a temporary rejection.

[0185] When the AP MLD sends the first status code, it indicates that the first Non-AP MLD can attempt to associate with the AP MLD again after a certain period of time, that is, it will send an association request and / or a first frame requesting reassociation to the AP MLD again after a certain period of time.

[0186] In some embodiments of Case A2, the AP MLD further performs the following processes: The AP MLD initiates a security association query procedure with the second Non-AP MLD and / or the fourth Non-AP STA.

[0187] If the first MAC address of at least one second Non-AP STA satisfies the first condition, initiate a security association query procedure for the second Non-AP MLD.

[0188] If the first MAC address of at least one second Non-AP STA satisfies the second condition, initiate a security association query procedure with the fourth Non-AP STA.

[0189] The link control method provided in the embodiments of the present application can directly reject the association (i.e., link) establishment request of the first Non-AP MLD, or can temporarily reject the association (i.e., link) establishment request of the first Non-AP MLD, thereby adopting a flexible method to meet different security requirements for link establishment.

[0190] In scenario 2, where the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code sent by the AP MLD includes the following two cases:

[0191] In case B1, if the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to indicate a denial of the multi-link reconfiguration request.

[0192] In case B2, if the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to reject the reconfiguration of the conflicting links in the first frame.

[0193] In case B1, the AP MLD rejects the reconfiguration of all links requested by the first Non-AP MLD, that is, it directly rejects the multi-link reconfiguration request of the Non-AP MLD.

[0194] In case B2, the AP MLD does not directly reject all links for which the first Non-AP MLD requests reconfiguration, but rejects only conflicting links among the links for which the Non-AP MLD requests reconfiguration, where the conflicting links refer to links corresponding to at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0195] The link control method provided in the embodiments of the present application can directly reject the reconfiguration of all links requested by the first Non-AP MLD, or can reject the reconfiguration of only conflicting links among the links requested by the first Non-AP MLD, thereby adopting a flexible method that meets different security requirements for link reconfiguration.

[0196] An embodiment of the present application provides a link control method, which may include the following steps, as shown in FIG.

[0197] In step S1101, if the AP MLD receives a second frame sent from a fifth Non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies a third condition, the AP MLD sends a second status code, the second frame is used to request association and / or re-association, the fourth condition is related to at least one sixth Non-AP STA belonging to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and the second status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0198] As can be understood, the link control method shown in FIG. 11 can be implemented independently of or together with the link control method shown in FIG. 5, and when the link control method shown in FIG. 10 and the link control method shown in FIG. 5 are implemented together, their execution does not affect each other.

[0199] The AP MLD receives a second frame transmitted from the fifth Non-AP STA, which is used to request association and / or re-association. As can be seen, the fifth Non-AP STA is not yet associated with the AP MLD.

[0200] The AP MLD receives the second frame transmitted from the fifth Non-AP STA via the third AP belonging to the AP MLD, and if it determines that the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies the third condition, it transmits to the fifth Non-AP STA a second status code for rejecting the association request and / or the re-association request.

[0201] The third condition relates to at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and as can be understood, the selection range of the sixth Non-AP STA in the third condition includes Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD.

[0202] As you can see, there are two types of stations that can establish association with an AP MLD: non-AP MLD and non-AP STA. A non-AP MLD belongs to at least one non-AP STA. If there is no STA that belongs to a station, the station is a non-AP STA.

[0203] If the MLD MAC address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as the MLD MAC address of the third Non-AP MLD, the AP MLD rejects the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA because the MLD MAC addresses are the same.

[0204] In an embodiment of the present application, the address may include a MAC address.

[0205] In the examples of this application, two levels of association are mentioned:

[0206] This is an MLD-level association, i.e., an association between an AP MLD and a Non-AP MLD.

[0207] This is a STA-level association, that is, an association between an AP and a non-AP STA that belongs to an AP MLD.

[0208] As can be seen, for AP MLD, a non-AP STA establishes a STA-level association with an AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the non-AP MLD establishes an MLD-level association with the AP MLD (at least one belonging non-AP STA and one corresponding belonging AP establish a link and transition to an associated state, i.e., a STA-level association is established).

[0209] The third condition is a condition for non-AP STAs that is established based on MLD-level associations. Therefore, according to the link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives a second frame sent from the fifth Non-AP STA, the second frame being used to request association and / or re-association, and determines that the third address of the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies the third condition based on a third condition related to at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, in which case the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA is rejected, thereby determining whether the fifth Non-AP STA is an attacking station based on the Non-AP STAs associated with the Non-AP STA established based on the MLD-level association, and the AP MLD determines whether the fifth Non-AP STA is an attacking station based on the Non-AP STAs associated with the fifth Non-AP STA, It is possible to accurately determine whether a STA is a legitimate station or an attacking station.

[0210] In some embodiments, the third condition includes that the fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as the fifth address of at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD.

[0211] If the fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as the fifth address of the sixth Non-AP STA that belongs to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, the AP MLD sends a second status code to the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0212] As can be seen, when the state of a non-AP STA belonging to a certain non-AP MLD is state 4, the non-AP STA belonging to the non-AP MLD is already associated with one AP belonging to the AP MLD.

[0213] If the state of at least one Non-AP STA belonging to a certain Non-AP MLD is state 4 and the address of these belonging Non-AP STAs is the same as the address of the 5th Non-AP MLD, these belonging Non-AP STAs (i.e., the 6th Non-AP STA) may cause an address conflict with the 5th Non-AP STA.

[0214] In the embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives the second frame transmitted from the fifth Non-AP STA via the third link between the third AP and the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0215] In some embodiments, the third condition further includes the fifth Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one sixth Non-AP STA.

[0216] Here, operating on the same channel can also be understood as operating on the same frequency band and the same channel.

[0217] If the fifth Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the sixth Non-AP STA and the fifth Non-AP STA is associated with an AP MLD, the fifth Non-AP STA and the sixth Non-AP STA will be associated with the same AP, in which case an address conflict will occur between the fifth Non-AP STA and at least one sixth Non-AP STA.

[0218] In an embodiment of the present application, when a fifth Non-AP STA and at least one sixth Non-AP STA belonging to a third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD use the same address to establish a link or association with the third AP, the association request is rejected to avoid the occurrence of a situation in which the Non-AP STA and the associated Non-AP STA use the same address to establish a link or association with the same AP that belongs to the AP MLD.

[0219] In some embodiments, the channel on which the third AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one sixth Non-AP STA operates.

[0220] In the embodiment of the present application, the AP MLD receives the second frame transmitted from the fifth Non-AP STA via the third link between the third AP and the fifth Non-AP STA, that is, the third AP and the fifth Non-AP STA operate on the same channel.

[0221] When the fifth non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the sixth non-AP STA, the channel on which the sixth non-AP STA operates is the same as the channel on which the third AP operates.

[0222] In some embodiments, before step S1101, the AP MLD further performs the following process.

[0223] The AP MLD receives the second frame transmitted from the fifth Non-AP STA via the third AP.

[0224] In some embodiments, the second frame comprises: Association request frames, and again including at least one of the association request frames.

[0225] The second status code sent by AP MLD includes the following two cases:

[0226] In case C1, the second status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0227] In case C2, the second status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0228] For case C1, the second status code is: The rejection code can be DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0229] When the AP MLD transmits the second status code, it indicates that the fifth Non-AP STA will no longer request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD.

[0230] For case C2, the second status code may be the reject code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY.

[0231] When the AP MLD sends the second status code, it indicates that the fifth Non-AP STA can attempt to associate and / or re-associate with the AP MLD again after a certain period of time, that is, it sends a second frame to the AP MLD requesting re-association and / or re-association after a certain period of time.

[0232] In some embodiments of Case A2, the AP MLD further performs the following processes: The AP MLD initiates a security association query procedure involving the third Non-AP MLD.

[0233] The link control method provided in the embodiments of the present application can directly reject the association (i.e., link) and / or re-association establishment request of the fifth Non-AP STA, or can temporarily reject the association and / or re-association establishment request of the fifth Non-AP STA, thereby adopting a flexible method to meet different security requirements for link establishment.

[0234] The link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application will be further described below.

[0235] Here, transitions based on mobility type include, but are not limited to, the following scenarios:

[0236] In Scenario A shown in FIG. 12 or 13, a legitimate non-AP MLD A that is already associated may downgrade to non-AP STA5 (for example, by turning off other associated stations for power saving) and then request association establishment with an AP MLD. The MAC address of non-AP MLD A is MAC A, and the MAC address of non-AP STA5 is the same as that of non-AP MLD A, both of which are MAC A. In FIG. 12, the non-AP STAs that belong to non-AP MLD A include STA1, whose MAC address is MAC A1, and in FIG. 13, the non-AP STAs that belong to non-AP MLD A include STA1, whose MAC address is MAC A1, and STA2, whose MAC address is MAC A2. The AP MLD must allow such a legitimate situation. The AP MLD checks by performing an SA Query procedure based on MAC A and non-AP MLD A.

[0237] However, in Figure 12, for non-AP STA3, which is the attacker, the MAC address of non-AP STA3 is MAC A1, which is different from MAC A, so non-AP STA3 can establish an association with AP1. At this time, AP1 can associate with both non-AP STA3 and STA1 belonging to non-AP MLD A at the same time, so downlink data from the AP MLD to non-AP STA3 places an unnecessary data load on legitimate non-AP MLD A, and uplink data from legitimate non-AP MLD A may be mistakenly processed by AP1 as uplink data from the attacker non-AP STA3, resulting in the loss of uplink data from legitimate non-AP MLD A.

[0238] In FIG. 12 or 13, non-AP MLD A establishes a multi-link operation (MLO) association with the AP MLD via link 1 between STA1 and AP1, non-AP STA5 establishes a non-multi-link operation (Non-MLO) association with AP1 belonging to the AP MLD, and non-AP STA3 establishes a Non-MLO association with AP1 belonging to the AP MLD.

[0239] In Scenario B shown in FIG. 14, a legitimate non-AP STA1 (with MAC address MAC A1) may resume association with the AP MLD after waking up as non-AP MLD A or non-AP MLD C (e.g., by turning on another associated station that had been turned off for energy saving purposes). The MAC address of non-AP MLD A or non-AP MLD C is the same as that of non-AP STA1, both of which are MAC A1. The non-AP STAs belonging to non-AP MLD A include STA7, whose MAC address is MAC A1, and the non-AP STAs belonging to non-AP MLD C are STA5, whose MAC address is MAC A5, and STA6, whose MAC address is MAC A6. The AP MLD must allow such a legitimate situation. The AP MLD checks this by performing an SA Query procedure with non-AP STA1 based on MAC A1.

[0240] However, in the case of attacker non-AP MLD B in Figure 14, the MAC address of non-AP MLD B is MAC B, and the non-AP STAs belonging to non-AP MLD B include STA3, whose MAC address is MAC A1, and STA4, whose MAC address is MAC A4. Since non-AP MLD B's MAC address is MAC B, which is different from non-AP STA1's MAC A1, attacker non-AP MLD B can establish an association with the AP MLD. As a result, downlink data from the AP MLD to attacker non-AP MLD B places an unnecessary data load on legitimate non-AP STA1, and uplink data from legitimate non-AP STA1 may be mistakenly processed by AP1 as uplink data from attacker non-AP MLD B, resulting in the loss of uplink data from legitimate non-AP STA1.

[0241] In FIG. 14, Non-AP STA1 establishes a Non-MLO association with AP1 belonging to the AP MLD, Non-AP MLD A and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 1 between STA7 belonging to Non-AP MLD A and AP1 belonging to the AP MLD, and Non-AP MLD C and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 2 between STA6 belonging to Non-AP MLD C and AP2 belonging to the AP MLD.

[0242] In scenario C shown in FIG. 15 or FIG. 16, if the MAC address of non-AP MLD A is MAC A and the MAC address of attacker non-AP MLD B is MAC B, the attacker non-AP MLD B establishes an association with the AP MLD using a MAC address different from that of the legitimate non-AP MLD already associated, and the MAC address of at least one station belonging to the attacker non-AP MLD B is the same as the MAC address of at least one station belonging to the legitimate non-AP MLD already associated (for example, in FIG. 15, the MAC address of STA3 belonging to non-AP MLD B is MAC A1, which is the same as the MAC address of STA1 belonging to non-AP MLD A. Also, in FIG. 16, the MAC address of STA5 belonging to non-AP MLD B is MAC A1, which is the same as the MAC address of STA1 belonging to non-AP MLD A, and the MAC address of STA6 belonging to non-AP MLD B is MAC A4, which is the same as the MAC address of the legitimate non-AP MLD C), and operates on the same frequency band and the same channel. According to current standards, the attacker non-AP MLD B can establish an association with the AP MLD, so that downlink data from the AP MLD to the attacker non-AP MLD B will impose unnecessary data load on already associated legitimate stations or already associated legitimate non-AP MLDs. Also, uplink data from the legitimate non-AP MLD may be mistakenly treated by the AP MLD as uplink data from the attacker non-AP MLD, resulting in the loss of uplink data from the legitimate non-AP MLD.

[0243] In FIG. 15, Non-AP MLD A and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 1 between STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD A and AP1 belonging to AP MLD, and attacker Non-AP MLD B and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 2 between STA4 belonging to Non-AP MLD B and AP2 belonging to AP MLD.

[0244] In FIG. 16, Non-AP MLD A and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 1 between STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD A and AP1 belonging to AP MLD, Non-AP MLD C and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 1 between STA3 belonging to Non-AP MLD C and AP1 belonging to AP MLD, and attacker Non-AP MLD B and AP MLD establish an MLO association via link 2 between STA5 belonging to Non-AP MLD B and AP2 belonging to AP MLD.

[0245] In scenario D shown in Figure 17 or 18, when the attacker non-AP MLD is already associated with the AP MLD, the attacker non-AP MLD can add at least one new link, and the MAC address of at least one newly added affiliated station is the same as the MAC address of at least one affiliated station in the already associated legitimate non-AP MLD or an already associated legitimate non-AP STA, and they operate in the same frequency band and the same channel. In this case, if the AP MLD accepts the new link request, downlink data from the AP MLD to the attacker non-AP MLD will impose unnecessary data load on the already associated legitimate station or the already associated legitimate non-AP MLD, and uplink data from the legitimate non-AP MLD will be mistaken by the AP MLD as uplink data from the attacker non-AP MLD, which may result in the loss of uplink data from the legitimate non-AP MLD.

[0246] As shown in Figure 17, if the AP MLD is already associated with a legitimate non-AP MLD A and also with an attacker non-AP MLD B, non-AP MLD B sends a multi-link reconfiguration request to the AP MLD, and the newly added affiliated station is STA3, and the MAC address of STA3 is the same as the MAC address of STA1 in Non-AP MLD A, that is, MAC A1, and they operate on the same frequency band and the same channel, if the AP MLD accepts the reconfiguration request, it will impose an unnecessary data load on Non-AP MLD A, and uplink data from Non-AP MLD A may be lost.

[0247] As shown in Figure 18, if the AP MLD is already associated with a legitimate non-AP STA1 and also with an attacker non-AP MLD B, non-AP MLD B sends a multi-link reconfiguration request to the AP MLD, and the newly added affiliated station is STA3, whose MAC address is the same as that of non-AP STA1, i.e., MAC A1, and they operate on the same frequency band and the same channel. If the AP MLD accepts the reconfiguration request, it will impose an unnecessary data load on non-AP STA1, which may result in the loss of uplink data from non-AP MLD A.

[0248] The link control method provided in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented as including, but not limited to, the following embodiments.

[0249] Example 1: Reject all About Scenario A When the AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame transmitted from a fifth non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD, and a third condition is met, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION. The third condition is that the MAC address of the fifth non-AP STA is the same as the MAC address of a sixth non-AP STA. The sixth non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the sixth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the fifth non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the third AP operates).

[0250] When an AP or PCP receives an association request frame from a STA, it uses the following process.

[0251] The MLME notifies the SME of the association request by sending an MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive, and the SME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive to the STA indicated in the PeerSTAAddress parameter in the MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive. If the association is not successful, the SME indicates the specific reason for the association failure in the ResultCode parameter. When the MLME receives the MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive, the MLME transmits an association response frame.

[0252] If at least one of the non-AP STAs belonging to a non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD (i.e., the state of the non-AP MLD is state 4) has the same MAC address as the STA and operates on the same channel, the AP rejects the association request using the reject code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0253] In some examples, as shown in FIG. 12 or 13, when the AP MLD receives an association request and / or re-association request from the attacker Non-AP STA3 via AP1, and the MAC address of the Non-AP STA3 is the same as the MAC address of the STA1 belonging to the Non-AP MLD that is already associated with AP1 that belongs to the AP MLP, and the Non-AP STA3 and the STA1 belonging to the Non-AP MLD are operating in the same frequency band and the same channel, the AP MLD rejects the association request by sending an association response frame including the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION to the Non-AP STA3.

[0254] Regarding Scenario B When the AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame from a first non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD and a second condition is met, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION. The second condition is that the MAC address of the second non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD is the same as the MAC address of the fourth non-AP STA. The fourth non-AP STA is one of the non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the fourth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the second AP operates).

[0255] When an AP MLD receives an association request frame (or a re-association request frame) containing a basic multilink element sent from a non-AP STA belonging to a non-AP MLD via an AP belonging to the AP MLD, the following process is used.

[0256] The MLME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive to notify the SME of the association request, and the SME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive to the non-AP MLD indicated in the PeerSTAAddress parameter in the MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive. If the association is not successful, the SME indicates the specific reason for the association failure in the ResultCode parameter. Upon receiving the MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive, the MLME sends an association response frame.

[0257] If at least one non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD (i.e., the state of the non-AP STA is state 4) has the same MAC address as at least one of the non-AP STAs belonging to the non-AP MLD and operates on the same channel, the AP MLD rejects the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0258] In one example, as shown in FIG. 14, if the AP MLD receives an association request and / or re-association request sent from STA4 of the attacker Non-AP MLD B via AP2, and the MAC address included in the basic multilink element from Non-AP STA4 includes the MAC address of STA3 (i.e., MAC A1), and the MAC address of STA3 is the same as the MAC address of Non-AP STA1 already associated with AP1 belonging to the AP MLP, and Non-AP STA3 and Non-AP STA1 operate on the same frequency band and the same channel (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which AP1 operates), then the AP MLD rejects the association request by sending an association response frame to Non-AP MLD B that includes the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0259] About Scenario C When an AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a basic multi-link element sent by a first non-AP MLD via a first non-AP STA belonging to a first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the basic multi-link element satisfies a first condition, the AP MLD must reject the association request using a status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION. The first condition is that the MAC address of at least one associated second non-AP STA included in the basic multi-link element is the same as the MAC address of a third non-AP STA. The third non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the third non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the third AP operates). Specifically, the following applies:

[0260] When an AP MLD receives an association request frame (or a re-association request frame) containing a basic multilink element sent from a non-AP STA belonging to a non-AP MLD via an AP belonging to the AP MLD, the following process is used.

[0261] The MLME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive to notify the SME of the association request, and the SME sends an MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive to the non-AP MLD indicated in the PeerSTAAddress parameter in the MLME-ASSOCIATE.indication indication primitive. If the association is not successful, the SME indicates the specific reason for the association failure in the ResultCode parameter. When the MLME receives the MLME-ASSOCIATE.response response primitive, the MLME transmits an association response frame.

[0262] If at least one non-AP STA among the non-AP STAs belonging to the non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD (i.e., the state of the non-AP STA is state 4) has the same MAC address as at least one of the non-AP STAs belonging to the non-AP MLD and operates on the same channel, the AP MLD rejects the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0263] In one example, as shown in FIG. 15, if the AP MLD receives an association request and / or re-association request sent from STA4 of the attacker Non-AP MLD B via AP2, and the MAC address included in the basic multilink element from Non-AP STA4 includes the MAC address of STA3 (i.e., MAC A1), the MAC address of STA3 is the same as the MAC address of Non-AP STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD A associated with the AP MLP, Non-AP STA3 operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as Non-AP STA1, and the frequency band and channel on which Non-AP STA1 operates are different from the frequency band and channel on which AP2 operates, the AP MLP will issue a status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION to the Non-AP MLD B to reject the association request with the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION.

[0264] In one example, as shown in FIG. 16, the AP MLD receives an association request and / or re-association request sent from STA6 of the attacker Non-AP MLD B via AP2, and the MAC addresses included in the basic multilink element from Non-AP STA6 include the MAC address of STA5 (i.e., MAC A1) and the MAC address of STA6 (i.e., MAC A4), the MAC address of STA5 is the same as the MAC address of STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD A associated with the AP MLP, STA5 operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as STA1, and the frequency band and channel on which STA1 operates are different from the frequency band and channel on which AP2 operates, the MAC address of STA6 is the same as the MAC address of STA4 belonging to Non-AP MLD C associated with the AP MLP, STA6 operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as STA4, and the frequency band and channel on which STA4 operates are the same as the frequency band and channel on which AP2 operates, and in this case, the AP The MLP rejects the association request with the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION by sending the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION to Non-AP MLD B.

[0265] About Scenario D When the AP MLD receives a multilink reconfiguration request frame (ML Reconfiguration Request) and / or an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a reconfiguration multilink element transmitted by the first non-AP MLD via a first non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the reconfiguration multilink element satisfies a fourth condition, the AP MLD must reject the multilink reconfiguration request and / or the association request. The fourth condition is that the MAC address of at least one non-AP STA included in the reconfiguration multilink element is the same as the MAC address of a seventh non-AP STA. The seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, or the seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the seventh non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the fourth AP operates).

[0266] The MAC address of at least one associated non-AP STA included in the reconfigured multi-link element can be understood as the MAC address of at least one link that is requested to be added.

[0267] In one example, as shown in FIG. 17, the AP MLD receives a multi-link reconfiguration request sent from STA4 of the attacker Non-AP MLD B via AP2, and the MAC address included in the reconfigured multi-link element from Non-AP STA4 includes the MAC address of STA3 (i.e., MAC A1), and the MAC address of STA3 is the same as the MAC address of Non-AP STA1 belonging to Non-AP MLD A associated with the AP MLP, and Non-AP STA3 operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as Non-AP STA1, and the frequency band and channel on which Non-AP STA1 operates are different from the frequency band and channel on which AP2 operates. In this case, the AP MLP sends a status code to Non-AP MLD B to reject the multi-link reconfiguration request.

[0268] In one example, as shown in FIG. 18, the AP MLD receives a multi-link reconfiguration request sent from STA4 of the attacker Non-AP MLD B via AP2, and the MAC address included in the reconfigured multi-link element from Non-AP STA4 includes the MAC address of STA3 (i.e., MAC A1), the MAC address of STA3 is the same as the MAC address of Non-AP STA1 associated with AP1, Non-AP STA3 operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as Non-AP STA1, and the frequency band and channel on which Non-AP STA1 operates are the same as the frequency band and channel on which AP1 operates, in this case, the AP MLP sends a status code to Non-AP MLD B to reject the multi-link reconfiguration request.

[0269] Example 2 About Scenario A When the AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame transmitted from a fifth non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD, and a third condition is met, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and initiate a security association query procedure. The third condition is that the MAC address of the fifth non-AP STA is the same as the MAC address of a sixth non-AP STA. The sixth non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the sixth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the fifth non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the third AP operates).

[0270] Regarding Scenario B When the AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame transmitted from a first non-AP STA belonging to a first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and a second condition is met, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and initiate a security association query procedure. The second condition is that the MAC address of a second non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD is the same as the MAC address of a fourth non-AP STA. The fourth non-AP STA is one of the non-AP STAs already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the fourth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the second AP operates).

[0271] About Scenario C When an AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a basic multi-link element sent by a first non-AP MLD via a non-AP STA belonging to a first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the basic multi-link element satisfies a first condition, the AP MLD must reject the association request using a status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION. The first condition is that the MAC address of at least one affiliated non-AP STA (referred to as a second non-AP STA) included in the basic multi-link element is the same as the MAC address of a third non-AP STA. The third non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the third non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the first AP operates).

[0272] About Scenario D When the AP MLD receives a multilink reconfiguration request frame (ML Reconfiguration Request) and / or an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a reconfiguration multilink element sent by the first non-AP MLD via a first non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the reconfiguration multilink element satisfies a fourth condition, the AP MLD must reject the link in which a conflict has occurred in the multilink reconfiguration request and / or the link in which a conflict has occurred in the association request. The fourth condition is that the MAC address of at least one affiliated non-AP STA (referred to as a second non-AP STA) included in the reconfiguration multilink element is the same as the MAC address of a seventh non-AP STA. The seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, or the seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the seventh non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the first AP operates).

[0273] In the embodiments of the present application, different scenarios in the above-described embodiments 1 and 2 can be arbitrarily combined. For example, in the case of scenario C in embodiment 2, scenario A in embodiment 2 or scenario B in embodiment 2 can be implemented.

[0274] In scenario C, if the MAC address included in the basic multilink element satisfies the first condition, the AP MLD may reject the association request with the status code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and may also initiate a Security Association Query procedure.

[0275] The protocol specifies how the AP and / or AP MLD should handle association requests and / or re-association requests, but the embodiments of the present application improve upon this by adding conditions for rejecting association requests, such as:

[0276] When the AP MLD receives an Association Request frame and / or Reassociation Request frame sent from a fifth non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD and a third condition is met, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION or must reject the association request using the status code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and initiate a security association query procedure. The third condition is that the MAC address of the fifth non-AP STA is the same as the MAC address of the sixth non-AP STA. The sixth non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any third non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the sixth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the first non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the first AP operates).

[0277] When the AP MLD receives an Association Request frame and / or Reassociation Request frame including a Basic Multi-Link element sent by the first non-AP MLD via a non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the Basic Multi-Link element satisfies a second condition, the AP MLD must reject the association request using the status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION or reject the association request using the status code REFUSED_TEMPORARILY and initiate a security association query procedure. The second condition is that the MAC address of at least one affiliated non-AP STA (referred to as a second non-AP STA) included in the Basic Multi-Link element is the same as the MAC address of a fourth non-AP STA. The fourth non-AP STA is one of the non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the fourth non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (i.e., the frequency band and channel on which the second AP operates).

[0278] When an AP MLD receives an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a basic multi-link element sent by a first non-AP MLD via a non-AP STA belonging to a first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the basic multi-link element satisfies a first condition, the AP MLD must reject the association request using a status code DENIED_STA_AFFILIATED_WITH_MLD_WITH_EXISTING_MLD_ASSOCIATION. The first condition is that the MAC address of at least one affiliated non-AP STA (referred to as a second non-AP STA) included in the basic multi-link element is the same as the MAC address of a third non-AP STA. The third non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STs belonging to any second non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the third non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the third AP operates).

[0279] The link control method provided in the embodiment of the present application improves the link addition procedure of multi-link, and adds the following conditions for rejecting link addition:

[0280] When the AP MLD receives a multilink reconfiguration request frame (ML Reconfiguration Request) and / or an association request frame and / or a reassociation request frame including a reconfiguration multilink element transmitted by the first non-AP MLD via a non-AP STA belonging to the first non-AP MLD via a first AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the reconfiguration multilink element satisfies a fourth condition, the AP MLD must reject the multilink reconfiguration request and / or the association request. The fourth condition is that the MAC address of at least one associated non-AP STA (referred to as a second non-AP STA) included in the reconfiguration multilink element is the same as the MAC address of a seventh non-AP STA. The seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs belonging to any seventh non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, or the seventh non-AP STA is one of multiple non-AP STAs already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD, and the seventh non-AP STA operates on the same frequency band and the same channel as the second non-AP STA (which may be the same as or different from the frequency band and channel on which the first AP operates).

[0281] Although the preferred embodiments of the present application have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the present application is not limited to the specific details of the above embodiments. Various simple modifications may be made to the technical solutions of the present application within the scope of the technical concept of the present application, and all such simple modifications are intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present application. For example, the specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments may be combined in any appropriate manner as long as they are not contradictory. To avoid unnecessary repetition, the present application will not separately describe various possible combinations. For example, any combination between various different embodiments of the present application is also possible, and as long as it does not contradict the concept of the present application, it should be considered as the content disclosed in the present application. Furthermore, for example, provided that there is no conflict, each example and / or technical feature of each example described in the present application may be arbitrarily combined with prior art, and the technical solution obtained by the combination is also intended to fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0282] It should also be understood that in the embodiments of the methods of the present application, the magnitude of the numbers of the above processes does not indicate the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and does not constitute any limitation on the embodiments of the present application. In the embodiments of the present application, the terms "downlink," "uplink," and "sidelink" are used to indicate the transmission direction of a signal or data. "Downlink" indicates that the transmission direction of a signal or data is the first direction from a station to a user equipment of a cell. "Uplink" indicates that the transmission direction of a signal or data is the second direction from a user equipment of a cell to a station. "Sidelink" indicates that the transmission direction of a signal or data is the third direction from user equipment 1 to user equipment 2. For example, a "downlink signal" indicates that the transmission direction of the signal is the first direction. In the embodiments of the present application, the term "and / or" is used to describe a relationship between related objects and indicates that three relationships may exist. Specifically, A and / or B can represent three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the symbol " / " in this specification generally indicates that the related objects before and after it are in an "or" relationship.

[0283] FIG. 19 is a schematic structural diagram of an AP MLD provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 19, the AP MLD 1900 includes: a first communication unit 1901;

[0284] The first communication unit 1901 is configured to receive a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD) via a first access point (AP) belonging to the AP MLD, and to transmit a first status code if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with the second AP belonging to the AP MLD. In relation to a STA, the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multilink reconfiguration request.

[0285] As can be seen, the AP MLD further includes a storage unit, and the storage unit is configured to store Non-AP STAs belonging to Non-AP MLDs that are already associated with the AP MLD and / or Non-AP STAs that are already associated with APs that belong to the AP MLD.

[0286] In some embodiments, the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as or different from the first Non-AP STA.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a second address of at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD.

[0288] In some embodiments, the first condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA.

[0289] In some embodiments, the channel on which the first AP operates is the same as or different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0290] In some embodiments, the second condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP.

[0291] In some embodiments, the second condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA.

[0292] In some embodiments, the channel of the second AP is the same as the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates.

[0293] In some embodiments, the second AP is the same as or different from the first AP.

[0294] In some embodiments, the first frame comprises: Association request frame, Association request frame again, and The frame includes at least one of a multilink reconfiguration request frame.

[0295] In some embodiments, if the first frame includes a basic multilink element, the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD.

[0296] In some embodiments, the basic multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0297] In some embodiments, if the first frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the first frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration.

[0298] In some embodiments, the reconfigured multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD.

[0299] In some embodiments, if the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD.

[0300] In some embodiments, when the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD.

[0301] In some embodiments, the AP MLD further comprises a control unit, the control unit configured to initiate a security association query procedure with respect to the second Non-AP MLD and / or the fourth Non-AP STA.

[0302] In some embodiments, if the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to indicate a denial of the multi-link reconfiguration request.

[0303] In some embodiments, when the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to reject reconfiguration of conflicting links in the first frame.

[0304] In some embodiments, the AP MLD further comprises a second communication unit, wherein the second communication unit is configured to transmit a second status code when the AP MLD receives a second frame transmitted from a fifth Non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD and a fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies a third condition, the second frame being used to request association and / or re-association, the fourth condition being related to at least one sixth Non-AP STA belonging to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and the second status code being used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0305] As can be understood, in a given AP MLD, the first communication unit and the second communication unit may be the same communication unit.

[0306] In some embodiments, the third condition includes that the fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as the fifth address of at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD.

[0307] In some embodiments, the third condition further includes the fifth Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one sixth Non-AP STA.

[0308] In some embodiments, the channel on which the third AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one sixth Non-AP STA operates.

[0309] In some embodiments, the second frame comprises: Association request frames, and again including at least one of the association request frames.

[0310] In some embodiments, the second status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0311] In some embodiments, the second status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

[0312] In some embodiments, the AP MLD further comprises a second control unit, the second control unit configured to initiate a security association query procedure involving the third Non-AP MLD.

[0313] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above description of AP MLD in the embodiment of the present application can be understood with reference to the description of the embodiment link control method of the present application.

[0314] 20 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device may be an AP MLD or a non-access point device. The communication device 2000 shown in FIG. 20 includes a processor 2010, which can call and execute a computer program from a memory to implement the method in the embodiment of the present application.

[0315] Optionally, as shown in Fig. 20, the communication device 2000 further includes a memory 2020. Here, the processor 2010 can call and execute a computer program from the memory 2020 to realize the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0316] Here, the memory 2020 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2010 or may be integrated into the processor 2010.

[0317] Optionally, as shown in FIG. 20 , the communication device 2000 further includes a transceiver 2030, and the processor 2010 can control the transceiver 2030 to communicate with other devices, specifically to transmit information or data to other devices and receive information or data transmitted from other devices.

[0318] Here, the transceiver 2030 may include a transmitter and a receiver, and may further include an antenna, the number of which may be one or more.

[0319] Optionally, the communication device 2000 may specifically be an AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and the communication device 2000 may perform corresponding processes realized by the AP MLD in each method of the embodiments of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0320] 21 is a schematic structural diagram of a chip according to an embodiment of the present application. The chip 2100 shown in FIG. 21 includes a processor 2110, which can implement the method according to the embodiment of the present application by calling and executing a computer program from a memory.

[0321] Optionally, as shown in Figure 21, the chip 2100 may further include a memory 2120. Here, the processor 2110 can call and execute a computer program from the memory 2120 to realize the method in the embodiments of the present application.

[0322] Here, the memory 2120 may be a separate device independent of the processor 2110 or may be integrated into the processor 2110.

[0323] Optionally, the chip 2100 further includes an input interface 2130. Here, the processor 2110 can control the input interface 2130 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically, to obtain information or data transmitted from other devices or chips.

[0324] Optionally, the chip 2100 further includes an output interface 2140. Here, the processor 2110 can control the output interface 2140 to communicate with other devices or chips, specifically to output information or data to other devices or chips.

[0325] Optionally, the chip can be applied to the AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and the chip can perform the corresponding processes realized by the AP MLD in each method of the embodiments of the present application, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0326] It should be understood that the chips referred to in the examples of this application may also be referred to as system level chips, system chips, chip systems, or system-on-chips.

[0327] Fig. 22 is a schematic block diagram of a communication system 2200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Fig. 22, the communication system 2200 includes an AP MLD 2210 and a non-access point device 2220. The non-access point device may be a station (e.g., a non-AP MLD or a non-AP STA) that accesses the AP MLD 2210.

[0328] Here, the AP MLD 2210 can be used to implement the corresponding functions implemented by the AP MLD in the above method, which will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0329] It should be understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing functions. In the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiments can be performed by an integrated logic circuit in the form of hardware in the processor or by instructions in the form of software. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc., and can implement or execute each method, step, and logical block diagram disclosed in the embodiments of the present application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be directly embodied as performed by a hardware decoding processor or performed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module may be located in a conventional storage medium such as a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable memory, a register, etc. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and performs the steps of the above method in combination with the hardware.

[0330] As can be appreciated, memory in the embodiments of the present application may be volatile or nonvolatile memory, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile memory. Here, nonvolatile memory may be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory may be random access memory (RAM) used as an external cache. By way of illustrative, but non-limiting example, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM). Note that memory in the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0331] It should be understood that the above-mentioned memories are exemplary and not limiting. For example, the memory in the embodiments of the present application may be static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchlink dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM), etc. Thus, the memory in the embodiments of the present application is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0332] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon.

[0333] For example, the computer-readable storage medium may be applied to the AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and the computer program causes a computer to execute corresponding processes implemented by the AP MLD in each method in the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described repeatedly here for the sake of brevity.

[0334] Embodiments of the present application further provide a computer program product including computer program instructions.

[0335] For example, the computer program may be applied to the AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer performs corresponding processes implemented by the AP MLD in each method in the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described again here for the sake of brevity.

[0336] The present application embodiments further provide computer program instructions.

[0337] For example, the computer program may be applied to the AP MLD in the embodiments of the present application, and when the computer program is executed on a computer, the computer performs corresponding processes implemented by the AP MLD in each method in the embodiments of the present application, which will not be described again here for the sake of brevity.

[0338] As can be understood by those skilled in the art, each exemplary unit and algorithm step described with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein may be realized by electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed by hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional engineers may use different methods to realize the described functions for each specific application, but such realization should not be considered as going beyond the scope of this application.

[0339] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for convenience and conciseness of description, the specific operation processes of the above systems, devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0340] It should be understood that in some embodiments provided in the present application, the disclosed devices and methods can be realized in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative, and the division of the units is merely a division of logical functions. In actual implementation, other division methods may exist. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into other systems, or some features may be omitted or not implemented. In addition, the couplings or direct couplings or communication connections between devices or units shown or discussed may be via some interfaces, and the indirect couplings or communication connections between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other types.

[0341] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. According to actual needs, some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the objective of the technical solution in this embodiment.

[0342] Furthermore, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application may be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0343] When the functions are realized in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, an essential part of the technical solution of the present application, i.e., a part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, a network device, etc.) to execute all or some of the steps of the methods described in each embodiment of the present application. The storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB memory, a portable hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0344] The above content is only a specific embodiment of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any modifications or replacements that can be easily thought of by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A link control method, comprising: The method includes an access point multilink device (AP MLD) receiving a first frame transmitted from a first non-access point station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first non-access point multilink device (Non-AP MLD), and if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the AP MLD transmitting a first status code, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD. A link control method relating to a STA, wherein the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multi-link reconfiguration request.

2. The at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as or different from the first Non-AP STA; The link control method according to claim 1 .

3. the first condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a second address of at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD; 3. The link control method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. the first condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA; The link control method according to claim 3.

5. The channel on which the first AP operates is the same as or different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates; The link control method according to claim 4.

6. the second condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP; 3. The link control method according to claim 1 or 2.

7. the second condition further includes that the at least one second Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA; The link control method according to claim 6.

8. The channel of the second AP is the same as the channel on which the at least one second non-AP STA operates; The link control method according to claim 6.

9. The second AP is the same as or different from the first AP; The link control method according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 6 to 8.

10. The first frame is Association request frame, Association request frame again, and a multilink reconfiguration request frame; The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. If the first frame includes a basic multilink element, the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The basic multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD; The link control method according to claim 11.

13. If the first frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the first frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. The reconstructed multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD; The link control method according to claim 13.

15. If the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association, the first status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

16. When the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association, the first status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

17. The link control method includes: The method further includes the AP MLD initiating a security association query procedure with the second Non-AP MLD and / or the fourth Non-AP STA. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

18. If the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to indicate a denial of the multi-link reconfiguration request. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 13 to 14.

19. If the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to reject the reconfiguration of conflicting links in the first frame. The link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 and 13 to 14.

20. The link control method includes: The method further includes the AP MLD transmitting a second status code when the AP MLD receives a second frame transmitted from a fifth Non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD and a fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies a third condition, the second frame being used to request association and / or re-association, the fourth condition being related to at least one sixth Non-AP STA belonging to a third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and the second status code being used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA. A link control method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

21. the third condition includes that a fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as a fifth address of at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD; 21. The link control method of claim 20.

22. the third condition further includes that the fifth Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one sixth Non-AP STA; 22. The link control method of claim 21.

23. the channel on which the third AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one sixth non-AP STA operates; 23. The link control method of claim 22.

24. The second frame is Association request frames, and and at least one of the following: The link control method according to any one of claims 20 to 23.

25. The second status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA. The link control method according to any one of claims 20 to 24.

26. The second status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA. The link control method according to any one of claims 20 to 24.

27. The link control method includes: The method further includes the AP MLD initiating a security association query procedure involving the third Non-AP MLD.

27. The link control method of claim 26.

28. An access point multi-link device (AP MLD), comprising: a first communication unit; The first communication unit is configured to receive a first frame transmitted from a first Non-AP Station (Non-AP STA) belonging to a first Non-AP Multilink Device (Non-AP MLD) via a first Access Point (AP) belonging to the AP MLD, and to transmit a first status code if a first address of at least one second Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the first Non-AP MLD satisfies a first condition and / or a second condition, the first frame being used to request association and / or re-association and / or multilink reconfiguration, the first condition being related to at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD already associated with the AP MLD, and the second condition being related to at least one fourth Non-AP STA already associated with a second AP belonging to the AP MLD. AP MLD, associated with a STA, wherein the first status code is used to reject an association request and / or a re-association request and / or a multi-link reconfiguration request.

29. The at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as or different from the first Non-AP STA; 29. The AP MLD of claim 28.

30. the first condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a second address of at least one third Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the second Non-AP MLD; 30. The AP MLD of claim 28 or 29.

31. the first condition further includes the at least one second Non-AP STA operating on the same channel as the at least one third Non-AP STA; The AP MLD of claim 30.

32. The channel on which the first AP operates is the same as or different from the channel on which the at least one second Non-AP STA operates; 32. The AP MLD of claim 31.

33. the second condition includes that a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA is the same as a third address of at least one fourth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs already associated with the second AP; 30. The AP MLD of claim 28 or 29.

34. the second condition further includes that the at least one second Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one fourth Non-AP STA; 34. The AP MLD of claim 33.

35. The channel of the second AP is the same as the channel on which the at least one second non-AP STA operates; 35. The AP MLD of claim 34.

36. The second AP is the same as or different from the first AP; The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28, 29, 33 to 35.

37. The first frame is Association request frame, Association request frame again, and a multilink reconfiguration request frame; The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 36.

38. If the first frame includes a basic multilink element, the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 37.

39. The basic multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD; 39. The AP MLD of claim 38.

40. If the first frame includes a reconfiguration multilink element, the first frame is used to request a multilink reconfiguration. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 39.

41. The reconstructed multilink element includes a first address of the at least one second Non-AP STA belonging to the first Non-AP MLD; 41. The AP MLD of claim 40.

42. When the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 39.

43. When the first frame is used to request association and / or re-association with the AP MLD, the first status code is used to temporarily reject the association request and / or re-association request of the first Non-AP MLD. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 39.

44. the AP MLD further comprises a control unit configured to initiate a security association query procedure with the second Non-AP MLD and / or the fourth Non-AP STA; 44. The AP MLD of claim 43.

45. If the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to indicate a denial of the multi-link reconfiguration request. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 37 and 40 to 41.

46. If the first frame is used to request a multi-link reconfiguration, the first status code is used to reject the reconfiguration of conflicting links in the first frame. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 37 and 40 to 41.

47. the AP MLD further comprises a second communication unit, the second communication unit configured to transmit a second status code when the AP MLD receives a second frame transmitted from a fifth Non-AP STA via a third AP belonging to the AP MLD and a fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA satisfies a third condition, the second frame being used to request association and / or re-association, the fourth condition being related to at least one sixth Non-AP STA belonging to the third Non-AP MLD that is already associated with the AP MLD, and the second status code being used to reject the association request and / or re-association request of the fifth Non-AP STA; The AP MLD according to any one of claims 28 to 46.

48. the third condition includes that a fourth address of the fifth Non-AP STA is the same as a fifth address of at least one sixth Non-AP STA among the Non-AP STAs belonging to the third Non-AP MLD; 48. The AP MLD of claim 47.

49. the third condition further includes that the fifth Non-AP STA operates on the same channel as the at least one sixth Non-AP STA; 49. The AP MLD of claim 48.

50. the channel on which the third AP operates is the same as the channel on which the at least one sixth non-AP STA operates; 50. The AP MLD of claim 49.

51. The second frame is Association request frames, and and at least one of the following: The AP MLD according to any one of claims 47 to 50.

52. The second status code is used to reject the association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

52. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 47 to 51.

53. The second status code is used to temporarily reject the association request of the fifth Non-AP STA.

52. The AP MLD according to any one of claims 47 to 51.

54. the AP MLD further comprises a second control unit configured to initiate a security association query procedure involving the third Non-AP MLD; 54. The AP MLD of claim 53.

55. 28. An Access Point Multi-Link Device (AP MLD), comprising: a processor; and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store a computer program, and wherein the processor invokes and executes the computer program stored in the memory, thereby causing the AP MLD to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 27.

56. A chip comprising a processor, the processor being configured to cause a device in which the chip is mounted to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 27 by calling and executing a computer program from a memory.

57. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program for causing a computer to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

58. A computer program product comprising computer program instructions for causing a computer to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 27.

59. A computer program for causing a computer to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 27.

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