Device positioning method and device positioning system of mesh network

Abstract

A device positioning method of a mesh network includes transmitting a topology query packet to a plurality of extended access points and a root access point in the mesh network; returning a plurality of topology response packets to the root access point according to the topology query packet; collecting a plurality of customized forwarding databases and a plurality of interface access addresses corresponding to the extended access points and the root access point from the topology response packets; obtaining a wireless client address based on the topology response packets, thereby determining that one of a plurality of access addresses other than the wireless client address and the interface access addresses is an Ethernet client address; and searching for the Ethernet client address from the topology response packets corresponding to the extended access points and the root access point to decide an Ethernet client device is connected to one of the extended access points and the root access point. Thus, the Ethernet client device can be accurately positioned.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The content of this disclosure relates to a device positioning method and a device positioning system, in particular a device positioning method and a device positioning system for a mesh network. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Today, wireless networks (Wi-Fi) and Ethernet have become the main communication technologies people usually use to access the Internet. Mesh Network is a type of transmission of data and control instructions through dynamic routing between network nodes. A mesh network can contain multiple access points (APs) as well as multiple clients (Clients), in which the access points can be connected to each other via wireless networks or wired Ethernet networks. Clients can be divided into wireless network clients and Ethernet network clients, which represent connections to access points using a Wi-Fi interface and an Ethernet interface, respectively. Access points can be divided into root access points (Root APs) and extended access points (Extender APs).

[0003] Topology Query Message, Topology Response Message and Topology Notification Message are defined in the EasyMesh standard issued by the Wi-Fi Alliance. However, the information in the EasyMesh standard only considers information from wireless network clients and does not take into account information from Ethernet network clients. Since it is still impossible to know which access point the Ethernet client is connected to in the mesh network by collecting the aforementioned information, the topology Map of the mesh network cannot be completely constructed, making debugging the network environment complicated and cumbersome, and it is not easy to understand the connection between the Ethernet client and the access point. It follows that there is currently a lack of an Ethernet network client positioning method and its positioning system in the market, so the relevant operators are seeking its solution. [Invention Contents]

[0004] Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a device location method and system for mesh networks, which utilizes topology information defined by the IEEE 1905.1 standard or vendor-specific information related to the IEEE 1905.1 standard, such as vendor-specific type-length-value (VLV), along with relevant information about access points and client devices, to determine which Ethernet client devices are in the mesh network topology and accurately locate the Ethernet client devices, thereby facilitating environmental debugging of the mesh network and reducing maintenance time and costs.

[0005] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a device location method for a mesh network is provided, comprising: transmitting a topology query packet via a controller at a root access point to a proxy at a plurality of extended access points and a root access point in a mesh network; wherein the mesh network includes an Ethernet client device; the extended access points and the proxy sending back a plurality of topology response packets to the controller based on the topology query packet; and the controller collecting a plurality of custom forwarding databases and a plurality of... corresponding to the extended access points and the proxy from the topology response packets. Port access addresses, wherein these custom forwarding databases contain multiple access addresses; the controller learns a wireless client address from these access addresses based on these topology response packets, and determines that one of these access addresses other than the wireless client address and these port access addresses is an Ethernet client address of an Ethernet client device; and the controller searches for the Ethernet client address from these topology response packets corresponding to these extended access points and agents to decide whether the Ethernet client device is connected to one of these extended access points and root access points.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a device location system for a mesh network is provided, comprising a root access point and a plurality of extended access points. The root access point includes a controller and a proxy. The controller is used to transmit a topology query packet in a mesh network, wherein the mesh network includes an Ethernet client device. The proxy is connected to the controller and receives the topology query packet. The extended access points are coupled to the root access point and also receive the topology query packet. The extended access points and the proxy send back a plurality of topology response packets to the controller based on the topology query packet. The controller collects a plurality of custom forwarding databases and a plurality of port access addresses corresponding to the extended access points and the proxy from these topology response packets, and these custom forwarding databases contain the plurality of access addresses. The controller learns a wireless client address from these access addresses based on these topology response packets, and determines that one of these access addresses, excluding the wireless client address and these port access addresses, is an Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device. The controller then searches for the Ethernet client address in these topology response packets corresponding to these extended access points and agents to decide whether the Ethernet client device connects to one of these extended access points or the root access point.

Implementation Method

[0007] Several embodiments of this disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. For clarity, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the disclosure. That is, in some embodiments of this disclosure, these practical details are not essential. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity, some conventional structures and elements will be shown in the drawings in a simple schematic manner; and repeated elements may be denoted by the same number.

[0008] Furthermore, in this document, when a component (or unit or module, etc.) is "connected" to another component, it can mean that the component is directly connected to the other component, or it can mean that the component is indirectly connected to the other component, that is, there is another component between the component and the other component. Only when it is explicitly stated that a component is "directly connected" to another component does it mean that there is no other component between the component and the other component. The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are only used to describe different components and do not limit the components themselves. Therefore, the first component can also be referred to as the second component. Moreover, the combination of components / units / circuits in this document is not a combination that is generally known, conventional, or customary in this field. Whether the component / unit / circuit itself is customary cannot be used to determine whether its combination relationship is easily completed by someone with ordinary knowledge in the art.

[0009] Please refer to Figures 1 and 2 together, wherein Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a device location method 10 for a mesh network according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a mesh network MN in some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the device location method 10 for a mesh network can be used to locate at least one client device in a mesh network MN. In this embodiment, the mesh network MN includes three access points and three client devices. The three access points may be a root access point 100 and extended access points 210 and 220, respectively, and the three client devices may be Ethernet client devices 310 and 320 and a wireless client device 330, respectively, but the present disclosure is not limited to the number of access points and client devices shown in Figure 2. The device location method 10 for a mesh network includes the following steps S01, S02, S03, S04, and S05.

[0010] Step S01 is to transmit a topology query packet in the mesh network MN through the controller of the root access point 100 to the agents of the multiple extended access points 210, 220 and the root access point 100.

[0011] Step S02 involves the agents of these extended access points 210, 220 and root access point 100 sending back multiple topology response packets to the controller of root access point 100 based on the topology query packets.

[0012] Step S03 is to collect multiple custom forwarding databases and multiple port access addresses corresponding to these extended access points 210, 220 and the agent from these topology response packets by the controller of the root access point 100, wherein these custom forwarding databases contain multiple access addresses.

[0013] Step S04 is to obtain a wireless client address among these access addresses by the controller based on these topology response packets, and determine that one of these access addresses other than the wireless client address and these port access addresses is an Ethernet client address of an Ethernet client device (i.e., Ethernet client device 310 or Ethernet client device 320).

[0014] Step S05 involves the controller searching for the Ethernet client address from the topology response packets corresponding to these extended access points 210, 220 and the agent, in order to decide whether the Ethernet client device (i.e., Ethernet client device 310 or Ethernet client device 320) is connected to one of these extended access points 210, 220 and the root access point 100.

[0015] Accordingly, the mesh network device location method 10 disclosed herein identifies the Ethernet client address by analyzing the information carried in the topology response packet, and then searches for the Ethernet client address in the topology response packet returned by each access point, thereby determining which access point the Ethernet client devices 310 and 320 are connected to, thus achieving accurate location.

[0016] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram illustrating step S01 of transmitting topology query packets 111, 112, and 113 in Figure 1 and step S02 of returning multiple topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221. In some embodiments, the mesh network MN can be a controller-agent-client network architecture, and it can include a controller and multiple agents to provide network services to one or more clients. As shown in Figure 3, root access point 100 can include controller 110 and agent 120, and extended access point 210 and extended access point 220 can respectively include agent 212 and agent 222.

[0017] In step S01, the topology query packet may include multiple topology query packets 111, 112, and 113, that is, the controller 110 of the root access point 100 unicasts these topology query packets 111, 112, and 113 to all downstream agents (i.e., agents 120, 212, and 222), wherein the topology query packets 111, 112, and 113 may be one of the topology query messages defined by the IEEE 1905.1 standard, or one of the vendor-specific message-queries related to the IEEE 1905.1 standard, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In step S02, after receiving topology query packets 111, 112, and 113, agents 120, 212, and 222 will unicast topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 to controller 110, respectively. The topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 can be one of the topology response messages defined by the IEEE 1905.1 standard, or one of the vendor-specific message-response packets related to the IEEE 1905.1 standard, but this disclosure is not limited to these.

[0018] In some embodiments, step S02 may include receiving topology query packets 111, 112, and 113 via each of the agents 120, 212, and 222 through their respective upstream backhaul ports, and then establishing a corresponding bridging forwarding database. Taking root access point 100 as an example, agent 120 can view the Media Access Control Address (MAC Address) connected to the Local Area Network (LAN) using bridging management commands (e.g., brctl showmacs) in the Linux system to establish the bridging forwarding database. Please refer to Table 1, which provides an example of a bridging forwarding database established by agent 120. The bridging forwarding database may list the Media Access Control Address corresponding to different ports, whether it is a local address, and the contact time, but this disclosure is not limited to this. Table 1. Bridge forwarding database established by agent 120 Connector Port Media Access Control Address Is it This location Contact time (seconds) 6 20:cd:6e:da:04:b5 no 0.91 9 58:96:71:7b:64:f3 yes 0.00 11 58:96:71:7b:66:c0 no 2.12 11 58:96:71:7b:67:f0 no 2.51 5 5a:96:71:7b:65:f8 yes 0.00 8 5a:96:71:7b:65:f9 yes 0.00 7 5a:96:71:7b:66:f5 yes 0.00 6 5a:96:71:7b:66:f6 yes 0.00 10 5a:96:71:7b:67:f4 yes 0.00 3 68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc no 0.75 11 d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c no 0.23

[0019] In some embodiments, proxies 212 and 222 of extended access points 210 and 220, and proxy 120 of root access point 100, can learn at least one first access address via their own upstream backhaul ports and delete the learned first access address from the bridging forwarding database. The aforementioned first access address represents a media access control address from an upstream device, rather than a media access control address from a downstream device, in the bridging forwarding database established by proxies 120, 212, and 222 respectively. However, as can be seen from the embodiment in Figure 2, the upstream backhaul port of root access point 100 is not actually connected to any other upstream device or network node. Therefore, the bridging forwarding database in Table 1 will not list the first access address, and proxy 120 does not need to perform the action of deleting the learned first access address.

[0020] In some embodiments, step S02 may further include deleting at least one second access address from the bridging forwarding database by each of the agents 120, 212, and 222, corresponding to a contact time greater than a threshold time, so that the plurality of bridging forwarding databases are reconstructed into these custom forwarding databases; and inserting these custom forwarding databases into topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 by the agents 120, 212, and 2221 respectively, and sending the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 back to the controller 110. Specifically, agent 120 ignores second access addresses in Table 1 whose contact time exceeds a threshold time (e.g., 60 seconds), so that the bridging forwarding database is reconstructed into a custom forwarding database. The purpose of ignoring the aforementioned second access address is to avoid situations where a client device connected to the root access point 100 remains in the topology even after it has gone offline. Finally, the agent 120 can use the topology response packet 121 to include a custom forwarding database and send the topology response packet 121 back to the controller 110. As shown in Table 1, since the agent 120 does not obtain any media access control address from the upstream backhaul port (i.e., there is no first access address), and no media access control address has exceeded the threshold time (i.e., there is no second access address), the custom forwarding database included in the topology response packet 121 sent back by the agent 120 to the controller 110 is equivalent to the bridging forwarding database in Table 1.

[0021] Taking extended access point 210 as an example, agent 212 can also view the media access control address connected to the local area network from the bridging management command in the Linux system and establish a bridging forwarding database. Please refer to Table 2, which provides an example of a bridging forwarding database established by agent 212 of extended access point 210, but the content of this disclosure is not limited to this. Table 2. Bridging and Forwarding Database Established by Agent 212 Connector Port Media Access Control Address Is it This location Contact time 11 20:cd:6e:da:04:b5 no 1.35 11 58:96:71:7b:64:f0 no 0.08 8 58:96:71:7b:66:c1 yes 0.00 9 58:96:71:7b:66:c3 yes 0.00 11 58:96:71:7b:66:c7 yes 0.00 1 58:96:71:7b:67:f0 no 62.05 5 5a:96:71:7b:67:c8 yes 0.00 6 5a:96:71:7b:67:c9 yes 0.00 7 5a:96:71:7b:68:c5 yes 0.00 12 5a:96:71:7b:68:c6 yes 0.00 10 5a:96:71:7b:69:c4 yes 0.00 11 68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc no 2.79 3 d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c no 0.08

[0022] As previously described, proxy 212 learns at least one first access address via its own upstream backhaul port, and deletes the learned first access address and the corresponding second access address whose connection time exceeds a threshold time from the bridging forwarding database. It should be noted that each of the proxies 212 and 222 of extended access points 210 and 220 and the proxy 120 of root access point 100 may contain multiple ports. Proxy 212 determines one of these ports as an upstream backhaul port based on the topology query packet 112; that is, it detects which port receives the topology query packet 112 and can directly determine it as an upstream backhaul port. Proxies 120 and 222 follow the same principle.

[0023] For example, the agent 212 detects that the current upstream backhaul port is port (11) based on the source of the topology query packet 112, and deletes the first access address learned from port (11) from the bridging forwarding database. In addition, as shown in Table 2, since the contact time of the corresponding port (1) is 62.05 seconds, which has exceeded the threshold time (60 seconds), the agent 212 will delete the entry with a contact time of 62.05 seconds from the second access address of the corresponding port (1) from the bridging forwarding database. Therefore, the custom forwarding database included in the topology response packet 2121 that the agent 212 finally sends back to the controller 110 is shown in Table 3 below. Table 3. Custom Forwarding Database Established by Agent 212 Connector Port Media Access Control Address Is it This location Contact time 8 58:96:71:7b:66:c1 yes 0.00 9 58:96:71:7b:66:c3 yes 0.00 5 5a:96:71:7b:67:c8 yes 0.00 6 5a:96:71:7b:67:c9 yes 0.00 7 5a:96:71:7b:68:c5 yes 0.00 12 5a:96:71:7b:68:c6 yes 0.00 10 5a:96:71:7b:69:c4 yes 0.00 3 d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c no 0.08

[0024] Taking extended access point 220 as an example, please refer to Table 4. Table 4 provides an example of a bridged forwarding database established by the agent 222 of extended access point 220, but the content of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Table 4. Bridging and Forwarding Database Established by Agent 222 Connector Port Media Access Control Address Is it This location Contact time 1 20:cd:6e:da:04:b5 no 2.07 1 58:96:71:7b:64:f0 no 0.34 1 58:96:71:7b:66:c0 no 9.48 8 58:96:71:7b:67:f1 yes 0.00 9 58:96:71:7b:67:f3 yes 0.00 5 5a:96:71:7b:68:f5 yes 0.00 11 5a:96:71:7b:68:f6 yes 0.00 7 5a:96:71:7b:69:f8 yes 0.00 6 5a:96:71:7b:69:f9 yes 0.00 10 5a:96:71:7b:6a:f4 yes 0.00 1 68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc no 1.47 1 d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c no 0.87

[0025] For extended access point 220, agent 222 detects that the current upstream backhaul port is port (1) based on the source of topology query packet 113, and deletes the first access address learned from port (1) from the bridging forwarding database. In addition, as shown in Table 4, the connection time of all ports is less than the threshold time, so the custom forwarding database carried in the topology response packet 2221 that agent 222 finally sends back to controller 110 is shown in Table 5 below. Table 5. Custom Forwarding Database Established by Agent 222 Connector Port Media Access Control Address Is it This location Contact time 8 58:96:71:7b:67:f1 yes 0.00 9 58:96:71:7b:67:f3 yes 0.00 5 5a:96:71:7b:68:f5 yes 0.00 11 5a:96:71:7b:68:f6 yes 0.00 7 5a:96:71:7b:69:f8 yes 0.00 6 5a:96:71:7b:69:f9 yes 0.00 10 5a:96:71:7b:6a:f4 yes 0.00

[0026] In step S03, after receiving the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, the controller 110 can obtain the multiple access addresses listed in the fields of Media Access Control Address in Tables 1, 3, and 5, and can also collect the port access addresses corresponding to the root access point 100 and the extended access points 210 and 220. Specifically, taking the root access point 100 as an example, the agent 120 includes a port address table in the topology response packet 121. Therefore, the controller 110 can obtain the aforementioned port address table from the topology response packet 121 to collect the port access addresses belonging to the root access point 100. The method for collecting the port access addresses of the extended access points 210 and 220 is similar. In addition, in the fields of media access control addresses in Tables 1, 3 and 5, the controller 110 can identify the organizationally unique identifier (OUI) of each media access control address. The access addresses with organization unique identifiers "58:96:71" and "5a:96:71" represent the port access addresses corresponding to root access point 100 and extended access points 210 and 220.

[0027] In the EasyMesh standard, the controller 110 can determine, based on topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, that one of the access addresses is a wireless client address. Furthermore, step S04 may include the controller 110 determining, based on the wireless client address, that the wireless client device 330 is connected to one of the extended access points 210, 220, or the root access point 100. Specifically, in the topology of the mesh network MN, the downstream of the root access point 100 can be connected to both the extended access point 210 and the wireless client device 330 via Wi-Fi, while the downstream of the extended access point 210 can be electrically connected to the extended access point 220 via Ethernet. The connection relationships between the aforementioned access points and the client device can be determined through topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, providing the controller 110 with the ability to locate the wireless client device 330. In some embodiments, the controller 110 may also receive multiple topology notification packets (not shown) from the agents 120, 212, and 222, respectively. The topology notification packets may be one of the topology notification messages defined by the EasyMesh standard, and each topology notification packet may also include the wireless client address of the access point to which it belongs.

[0028] Accordingly, the mesh network device location method 10 disclosed herein can determine that the wireless client device 330 is downstream of the root access point 100 based on topology response packets 121, 2121, 2221 or topology notification packets, and can determine which access addresses each access point has learned based on topology response packets 121, 2121, 2221. In this way, the controller 110 only needs to exclude the port access addresses of the wireless client device 330 and the corresponding access points from the collected access addresses, and the controller 110 can regard the remaining access addresses as the Ethernet client addresses of Ethernet client devices 310 and 320. The following is an example of the mesh network device location method 10 being used to locate the Ethernet client device 310 in Figure 2, and the Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device 310 is "68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc".

[0029] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating step S05 of Figure 1, which involves finding the Ethernet client address to determine whether the Ethernet client devices 310 and 320 are connected to one of the extended access points 210 and 220 and the root access point 100. In some embodiments, step S05 may include steps S051, S052, S053, and S054.

[0030] Step S051 involves the controller 110 determining whether the Ethernet client address "68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc" exists in one of the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, and generating a determination result. In other words, in step S051, the controller 110 first determines whether the Ethernet client address "68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc" is recorded in only one of the three custom forwarding databases returned by the agents 120, 212, and 222. When the determination result is "yes", step S052 is executed. Step S052 involves the controller 110 determining that the root access point 100 and the extended access points 210 and 220 that returned the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 are a target access point, and determining that the Ethernet client device 310 is connected to the downstream end of the target access point. Conversely, when the judgment result is "no", steps S053 and S054 are executed sequentially. Step S053 involves assigning a level value to each of the agents 212 and 222 of the extended access points 210 and 220 and the agent 120 of the root access point 100 via the controller 110. Step S054 involves the controller 110 selecting the root access point 100 and the extended access points 210 and 220 corresponding to the level value with the maximum value as a target access point, and determining that the Ethernet client device 310 is connected to the downstream end of the target access point. As shown in Tables 1, 3 and 5, the controller 110 only found the Ethernet client address "68:05:ca:5f:fb:fc" in the topology response packet 121 returned by the agent 120 of the root access point 100. Therefore, the controller 110 determined that the Ethernet client device 310 is electrically connected to the downstream end of the root access point 100.

[0031] On the other hand, the Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device 320 is "d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c". As can be seen from Tables 1, 3 and 5, the controller 110 found the Ethernet client address "d8:c4:97:d6:39:9c" in the topology response packets 121 and 2121 returned by the agents 120 and 212 of the root access point 100 and the extended access point 210, respectively. That is, the judgment result is "no". This means that both the root access point 100 and the extended access point 210 have learned the Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device 320. The controller 110 then needs to determine which of the root access point 100 and the extended access point 210 the Ethernet client device 320 is connected to as a downstream end.

[0032] In some embodiments, step S053 may include setting the level value assigned to the agent 120 of the root access point 100 to an initial value (e.g., 1) by the controller 110, and incrementing the initial value by 1 for each backhaul interface, thereby setting the level values ​​of the extended access points 210 and 220 located downstream of the root access point 100. Specifically, the aforementioned backhaul interface may include either an Ethernet backhaul or a Wi-Fi backhaul, meaning that the initial value is incremented by 1 for each Ethernet backhaul or Wi-Fi backhaul, starting from the downstream of the root access point 100. Therefore, the level values ​​assigned to the extended access points 210 and 220 by the controller 110 may be 2 and 3, respectively. In step S054, since the level value of root access point 100 is 1 and the level value of extended access point 210 is 2, the controller 110 selects the extended access point 210 with the maximum level value as the target access point and determines that the Ethernet client device 320 is connected to the downstream end of the extended access point 210.

[0033] Accordingly, the mesh network device location method 10 disclosed herein can accurately locate Ethernet client devices 310 and 320 by including access point and client device information in the topology response information defined by the IEEE 1905.1 standard or vendor-specific information related to the IEEE 1905.1 standard, thereby facilitating environmental debugging of the mesh network MN and reducing maintenance time and cost.

[0034] Please refer to Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5 together, wherein Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating the device positioning system 20 of the mesh network according to the second embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 5, the device positioning system 20 of the mesh network is configured to implement the device positioning method 10 of the mesh network and to locate the extended access points 210, 220, Ethernet client devices 310, 320 and wireless client device 330.

[0035] The device positioning system 20 of the mesh network includes a root access point 100 and a plurality of extended access points 210 and 220. The root access point 100 includes a controller 110 and a proxy 120. The controller 110 is used to transmit topology query packets 111, 112, and 113 in the mesh network MN. The proxy 120 is connected to the controller 110 and receives the topology query packet 111. The extended access points 210 and 220 are coupled to the root access point 100 and receive the topology query packets 112 and 113, respectively. The proxy 120 of the root access point 100 and the proxies 212 and 222 of the extended access points 210 and 220 respectively send back a plurality of topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 to the controller 110 according to the topology query packets 111, 112, and 113. In addition, controller 110 may also receive multiple topology notification packets (not shown) from agents 120, 212, and 222 respectively.

[0036] Accordingly, the controller 110 can collect the port access address of each access point through topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, and know that the wireless client device 330 is connected to the root access point 100 based on the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221 or the topology notification packets. In addition, the controller 110 can collect multiple access addresses from the custom forwarding database in the topology response packets 121, 2121, and 2221, and identify the access addresses other than the wireless client addresses and port access addresses as Ethernet client addresses, and then execute the mesh network device location method 10 to determine that the Ethernet client device 310 is connected to the root access point 100, and the Ethernet client device 320 is connected to the extension access point 210.

[0037] In summary, the device location method and system for mesh networks disclosed herein have the following advantages: First, they facilitate accurate location of Ethernet client devices. Second, by ignoring access addresses whose connection time exceeds a threshold, they help address the issue of wireless and Ethernet client devices remaining in the topology. Third, by assigning level values, they help quickly and accurately locate which access point downstream the Ethernet client device is located on.

[0038] Although the present disclosure has been disclosed above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the claims defined in the appended patent application. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0039] Figure 1 is a flowchart illustrating a device positioning method for a mesh network according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a mesh network in some embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps of transmitting topology query packets and transmitting multiple topology response packets in Figure 1; Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps of finding the Ethernet client address in Figure 1 to determine whether the Ethernet client device is connected to one of multiple extended access points and root access points; and Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a device positioning system for a mesh network according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A device location method for a mesh network, comprising the following steps: transmitting a topology query packet in a mesh network via a controller at a root access point to a plurality of extended access points and a proxy at the root access point, wherein the mesh network includes an Ethernet client device; transmitting a plurality of topology response packets back to the controller via the extended access points and the proxy based on the topology query packet; and collecting from the topology response packets a plurality of custom forwarding databases and a plurality of port access addresses corresponding to the extended access points and the proxy, wherein the custom forwarding databases contain a plurality of access addresses. The controller learns a wireless client address from the access addresses based on the topology response packets and determines that one of the access addresses other than the wireless client address and the port access addresses is an Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device; and the controller searches for the Ethernet client address from the topology response packets corresponding to the extended access points and the agent to determine that the Ethernet client device is connected to a downstream end of one of the extended access points and the root access point.

2. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 1, wherein the step of sending back topology response packets to the controller based on the topology query packet comprises: receiving the topology query packet via each of the extended access points and the agent through their respective upstream backhaul ports, and then establishing a bridging forwarding database.

3. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 2, wherein each of the extended access points learns at least one first access address via the upstream backhaul port and deletes the at least one first access address from the bridging forwarding database.

4. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 2, wherein each of the extended access points and the agent learns at least one first access address via the upstream backhaul port and deletes the at least one first access address from the bridging forwarding database.

5. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 2, wherein each of the extended access points and the agent includes a plurality of ports, and one of the ports is determined to be the upstream backhaul port based on the topology query packet.

6. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 2, wherein the step of sending back the topology response packets to the controller according to the topology query packet further comprises: deleting at least one second access address corresponding to a contact time greater than a threshold time from the bridging forwarding database by each of the extended access points and the agent, so that the plurality of bridging forwarding databases are reconstructed into the custom forwarding databases; and inserting the custom forwarding databases into the topology response packets by the extended access points and the agent respectively, and sending the topology response packets back to the controller.

7. A device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 1, wherein the mesh network further includes a wireless client device, and the step of determining the wireless client address from the access addresses based on the topology response packets comprises: determining, by the controller, that the wireless client device is connected to one or the other of the extended access points and the root access point based on the wireless client address; wherein, The controller receives a topology notification packet from each of the extended access points and the agent, thereby knowing the wireless client address among the access addresses based on a plurality of the topology notification packets.

8. The device location method for a mesh network as described in claim 1, wherein the step of searching for the Ethernet client address from the topology response packets corresponding to the extended access points and the agent comprises: determining, by the controller, whether the Ethernet client address exists in one of the topology response packets and generating a determination result; wherein, When the determination result is yes, the controller determines that the extended access points and the root access point that send back the topology response packets are a target access point, and determines that the Ethernet client device is connected to the downstream end of the target access point; wherein, when the determination result is no, the controller assigns a level value to each of the extended access points and the agent, and selects the extended access point and the root access point corresponding to the level value with the maximum value as the target access point, and determines that the Ethernet client device is connected to the downstream end of the target access point.

9. The device positioning method for a mesh network as described in claim 8, wherein the step of assigning the level value to each of the extended access points and the agent comprises: setting the level value assigned to the agent to an initial value by the controller, and incrementing the initial value by 1 for each passback interface, thereby setting a plurality of the level values ​​for the extended access points.

10. The device positioning method for a mesh network as described in claim 9, wherein the backhaul interface includes either an Ethernet backhaul or a wireless backhaul.

11. A device location system for a mesh network, comprising: a root access point, including: a controller for transmitting a topology query packet in a mesh network, wherein the mesh network includes an Ethernet client device; and a proxy connected to the controller and receiving the topology query packet; and a plurality of extended access points coupled to the root access point and receiving the topology query packet; wherein, The extended access points and the agent send back multiple topology response packets to the controller based on the topology query packet. The controller collects multiple custom forwarding databases and multiple port access addresses corresponding to the extended access points and the agent from the topology response packets, and the custom forwarding databases contain multiple access addresses. The controller learns a wireless client address from the access addresses based on the topology response packets and determines that one of the access addresses other than the wireless client address and the port access addresses is an Ethernet client address of the Ethernet client device. The controller searches for the Ethernet client address from the topology response packets corresponding to the extended access points and the agent to determine that the Ethernet client device is connected to a downstream end of one of the extended access points and the root access point.

12. A device location system for a mesh network as described in claim 11, wherein each of the extended access points and the agent receives the topology query packet via its respective upstream backhaul port and then establishes a bridging forwarding database.

13. A device location system for a mesh network as described in claim 12, wherein each of the extended access points learns at least one first access address via the upstream backhaul port and deletes the at least one first access address from the bridging forwarding database.

14. A device location system for a mesh network as described in claim 12, wherein each of the extended access points and the agent learns at least one first access address via the upstream backhaul port and deletes the at least one first access address from the bridging forwarding database.

15. A device location system for a mesh network as described in claim 12, wherein each of the extended access points and the agent includes a plurality of ports, and one of the ports is determined to be the upstream backhaul port based on the topology query packet.

16. A device positioning system for a mesh network as described in claim 12, wherein, Each of the extended access points and the agent deletes at least one second access address from the bridging forwarding database that corresponds to a contact time greater than a threshold time, so that the plurality of bridging forwarding databases are reconstructed into the custom forwarding databases; and the extended access points and the agent respectively insert the custom forwarding databases into the topology response packets and send the topology response packets back to the controller.

17. A device location system for a mesh network as claimed in claim 11, wherein the mesh network further includes a wireless client device, and the controller determines, based on the wireless client address, whether the wireless client device is connected to one or the other of the extended access points and the root access point.

18. A device location system for a mesh network as described in claim 11, wherein the controller determines whether the Ethernet client address exists in one of the topology response packets and generates a determination result; wherein, When the determination result is yes, the controller determines that the extended access points and the root access point that send back the topology response packets are a target access point, and determines that the Ethernet client device is connected to the downstream end of the target access point; wherein, when the determination result is no, the controller assigns a level value to each of the extended access points and the agent, and selects the extended access point and the root access point corresponding to the level value with the maximum value as the target access point, and determines that the Ethernet client device is connected to the downstream end of the target access point.

19. A device positioning system for a mesh network as described in claim 18, wherein the controller sets the level value assigned to the agent to an initial value and increments the initial value by 1 each time a return interface is passed, thereby setting a plurality of the level values ​​for the extended access points.

20. A device positioning system for a mesh network as described in claim 19, wherein the backhaul interface includes either an Ethernet backhaul or a wireless backhaul.

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