ARP Frame Forwarding for MAC Address Acquisition During AP Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing Wi-Fi technologies fail to provide the MAC address corresponding to a target IP address during handover between Access Points (APs) in Ultra High Reliability (UHR) architecture, leading to communication disruptions.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for acquiring the MAC address by forwarding ARP request frames between APs, enabling seamless roaming by utilizing multi-link devices (MLDs) to relay ARP requests and responses across affiliated APs operating on different links.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a STA roams from AP1 to AP2, then the STA can maintain connectivity between APs, but the prior art cannot provide the MAC address corresponding to the target IP address during handover
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where AP1 forwards the ARP request frame to AP2 when the STA roams from AP1 to AP2. This intermediary forwarding process enables AP2 to provide the MAC address corresponding to the target IP address to the STA during handover, resolving the information loss problem while maintaining connection reliability.
2Reliability
If the prior art cannot provide MAC address during handover, then the system structure remains simple, but communication disruptions occur during STA roaming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs an intermediary frame forwarding mechanism where AP1 forwards ARP request frames to AP2 during STA roaming. This controlled intermediary process, limited to ARP frame forwarding rather than full packet relay, provides communication reliability during handover while introducing minimal complexity to the AP system architecture.
3Productivity
If AP1 forwards ARP request frame to AP2, then the STA can acquire MAC address during handover, but additional frame forwarding operations are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements an intermediary ARP frame forwarding mechanism where AP1 forwards only the ARP request frame to AP2 during STA handover. This targeted approach improves MAC address acquisition efficiency by ensuring the necessary address information is obtained during roaming, while the complexity is limited to handling only ARP frames rather than all traffic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by having AP1 forward the ARP request frame to AP2 before the STA fully completes the handover process. This preliminary frame forwarding ensures that the MAC address information is prepared and available in advance, improving acquisition efficiency during the critical handover period.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of communications, and provide an MAC address acquisition method and apparatus, a device, and a storage medium, applicable to a first AP. The method comprises : receiving an address resolution protocol (ARP) request frame sent by a station (STA), the ARP request frame being used for requesting to acquire an MAC address corresponding to a target IP address comprised in the ARP request frame; and sending the ARP request frame to a second AP. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, when the STA performs handover between APs, the MAC address corresponding to the target IP address in the ARP request frame can be effectively acquired.