Methods, systems and computer readable media for network tapping and packet brokering in wireless networks

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10313493-B2
Application number	US-201615383299-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 19, 2016
Priority date	Dec 19, 2016
Publication date	Jun 4, 2019
Grant date	Jun 4, 2019

Abstract

A method for network tapping and packet brokering in wireless networks includes tapping a signal in a wireless network and determining whether the signal is a valid signal according to a wireless network protocol. In response to determining that the signal is a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, the signal is demodulated into a sequence of bits arranged according to the wireless network protocol. In response to determining that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, an indication that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol is generated. A packet in a format compatible with a network tapping and packet brokering system is generated. At least some of the bits or the indication is inserted in the packet. The packet is transmitted to the network tapping and packet brokering system.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for network tapping and packet brokering in wireless networks, the method comprising:
using a wireless network tap to tap a signal transmitted between devices separate from the wireless network tap in a wireless network;
determining that the signal is a valid signal according to a wireless network protocol;
in response to determining that the signal is a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, demodulating the signal into a sequence of bits arranged according to the wireless network protocol;
in response to determining that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, generating an indication that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol;
generating a frame in a format compatible with a network tapping and packet brokering system;
inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits, wherein inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits includes inserting a payload of a wireless network protocol packet in an Ethernet frame; and
transmitting the frame from a network tapping and packet brokering system interface of the wireless network tap to the network tapping and packet brokering system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein determining that the signal is a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol includes decorrelating the signal and determining that the decorrelated signal matches a valid signature for the wireless network protocol instead of a noise signature.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the wireless network protocol comprises a wireless local area network protocol and wherein demodulating the signal comprises demodulating the signal using demodulation specified by the wireless local area network protocol.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the wireless local area network protocol comprises a short range wireless local area network protocol.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the short range wireless local area network protocol comprises an 802.11ad protocol.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits includes inserting an entirety of the wireless network protocol packet in the Ethernet frame.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the frame to the network tapping and packet brokering system comprises transmitting the frame from a wireless network tap to a network tool optimizer device over a wired Ethernet interface.

8. The method of claim 7 comprising, at the network tool optimizer device, brokering the frame to at least one network visibility application.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein brokering the frame to at least one network visibility application includes transmitting a copy of the frame to the at least one network visibility application.

10. A system for network tapping and packet brokering in wireless networks, the system comprising:
a wireless network tap for tapping a signal transmitted between devices separate from the wireless network tap in a wireless network, the wireless network tap including:
at least one processor;
a valid signal determining module implemented by the at least one processor for determining that the signal is a valid signal according to a wireless network protocol;
a demodulator for, responsive to a determination that the signal is a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, demodulating the signal into a sequence of bits arranged according to the wireless network protocol; and
a network tapping and packet brokering system interface for, in response to a determination that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, generating an indication that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol;
generating a frame in a format compatible with a network tapping and packet brokering system, inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits, wherein inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits includes inserting a payload of a wireless network protocol packet in an Ethernet frame; and
the network tapping and packet brokering system interface transmitting the frame to the network tapping and packet brokering system.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the valid signal determining module decorrelates the signal and determines that the decorrelated signal matches a valid signal signature for the wireless network protocol.

12. The system of claim 10 wherein the demodulator demodulates the signal using demodulation specified by the wireless network protocol, and wherein the wireless network protocol comprises a wireless local area network protocol.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the wireless network protocol comprises a short range wireless local area network protocol.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the short range wireless local area network protocol comprises an 802.11ad protocol.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the network tapping and packet brokering system interface inserts an entirety of the wireless network protocol packet in the Ethernet frame.

16. The system of claim 10 comprising a network tool optimizer, wherein the network tapping and packet brokering interface forwards the frame from the wireless network tap to the network tool optimizer.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the network tool optimizer brokers the frame to at least one network visibility application.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein brokering the frame to at least one network visibility application includes transmitting a copy of the to the at least one network visibility application.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon executable instructions that when executed by the processor of a computer control the computer to perform steps comprising:
using a wireless network tap to tap a signal transmitted between devices separate from the wireless network tap in a wireless network;
determining that the signal is a valid signal according to a wireless network protocol;
in response to determining that the signal is a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, demodulating the signal into a sequence of bits arranged according to the wireless network protocol;
in response to determining that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol, generating an indication that the signal is not a valid signal according to the wireless network protocol;
generating a frame in a format compatible with a network tapping and packet brokering system;
inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits wherein inserting, in the frame, at least some of the bits includes inserting a payload of a wireless network protocol packet in an Ethernet frame; and
transmitting the frame from a network tapping and packet brokering system interface of the wireless network tap to the network tapping and packet brokering system.

Assignees

• Ixia
• Keysight Tech Singapore Holdings Pte Ltd

Inventors

• Jackson Stephen Samuel

Classifications

• H04L69/08

  Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04L69/22 Primary

  Parsing or analysis of headers · CPC title

• H04L12/4633

  Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling · CPC title

• H04W84/12

  WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks] · CPC title