WLAN Roaming Tunnel Establishment for Forwarding Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional WLAN layer 3 roaming solutions experience low forwarding efficiency and prolonged service interruptions due to lengthy forwarding paths when users roam between access points in different service virtual local area networks.
Innovation Solution
The method involves a foreign access point (FAP) receiving packets from a wireless terminal, searching a pre-created user table to find an encapsulation entry for a roaming tunnel, and encapsulating the packets to be forwarded to a home access point (HAP), thereby establishing a direct tunnel between APs to shorten the forwarding path and reduce service interruption time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a conventional forwarding path is used for layer 3 roaming, then the roaming can be supported, but the forwarding efficiency is low and service interruption time is long
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-establishes roaming tunnels between the foreign AP and home AP before actual roaming occurs. When layer 3 roaming happens, packets are immediately forwarded through the pre-configured tunnel, eliminating the need for real-time tunnel establishment and reducing service interruption time
Solution Approach 2:
A roaming tunnel acts as an intermediary communication channel between the foreign AP and home AP. This tunnel encapsulates packets and provides a direct forwarding path, bypassing the conventional long routing path through multiple gateway devices and improving forwarding efficiency
2Productivity
If a long forwarding path is used through gateway devices, then packet forwarding is possible, but forwarding efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-configures roaming tunnels between foreign APs and home APs before roaming occurs. This preliminary establishment of direct communication channels eliminates the need for packets to traverse long conventional paths through multiple gateway devices, significantly reducing forwarding path length and improving efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The roaming tunnel serves as a dedicated intermediary channel that directly connects the foreign AP and home AP. This tunnel encapsulates user packets and provides a short, efficient forwarding path, bypassing the conventional long route through service VLANs and gateway devices
Data Source
AI summary
A wireless local area network (WLAN) user roaming method, apparatus, and system. A foreign access point (FAP) associated after layer 3 roaming of a wireless terminal of the user receives a first packet; the FAP. The user obtains an encapsulation entry of a first roaming tunnel, where a tunnel outer destination IP address in the encapsulation entry of the first roaming tunnel is an Internet Protocol (IP) address of a home access point (HAP) before the roaming of the wireless terminal, and a tunnel outer source IP address in the encapsulation entry of the first roaming tunnel is an IP address of the FAP. The FAP encapsulates the first packet according to the encapsulation entry of the first roaming tunnel, and the FAP sends the encapsulated first packet to the HAP. The user establishes a tunnel between the APs can greatly shorten a forwarding path of the roaming tunnel user.