Method and apparatus for authentication and identity management of communicating devices

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9967173-B2
Application number	US-201514814619-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2015
Priority date	Jul 31, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a network device that accesses internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices where the network device is a closest network device to the group of end point devices, and transmitting data to another network device responsive to a determination that an internet protocol address associated with the data from an end point device is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A first waveguide system comprising:
a processor; and
a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
receiving data from an end point device;
accessing internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices, wherein the first waveguide system is physically closest, among a group of waveguide systems including a second waveguide system, to the group of end point devices;
determining whether an internet protocol address associated with the data is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices; and
responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, transmitting, to the second waveguide system, electromagnetic waves containing the data, wherein the transmitting is across a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring an electrical return path between the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring a flow of opposing currents on an electrical return path between the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

2. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
generating metadata identifying the first waveguide system as the physically closest waveguide system to the group of end point devices,
wherein the electromagnetic waves transmitted to the second waveguide system contain the metadata.

3. The first waveguide system of claim 2 , wherein the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves containing the metadata causes the second waveguide system to determine a validity of the internet protocol address of the end point device according to the metadata.

4. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the transmission medium comprises power lines, and wherein the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices are stored in the memory.

5. The first waveguide system of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise:
receiving, from a network server, an identification of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices.

6. The first waveguide system of claim 4 , wherein the operations further comprise:
monitoring communications of the group of end point devices; and
determining the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices according to the monitoring.

7. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, blocking the transmitting of the electromagnetic waves containing the data to the second waveguide system.

8. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, analyzing the data to identify a type of data.

9. The first waveguide system of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
responsive to a determination that the internet protocol address associated with the data is not one of the internet protocol addresses associated with the group of end point devices, accessing information stored remotely, wherein the information is associated with a registration for the internet protocol address.

10. A method comprising:
receiving, by a first network device, communications that include data originated at a first end point device and directed to a second end point device;
responsive to a detection, by the first network device, of metadata contained in the communications and inserted by a second network device that identifies the second network device along a path of the communications, determining whether the second network device is a physically closest network device to the first end point device according to network topology information; and
responsive to a determination that the second network device is the physically closest network device to the first end point device, transmitting, by the first network device, the data towards the second end point device.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first network device is a first waveguide system, wherein the second network device is a second waveguide system, wherein the first waveguide system and the second waveguide system transmit and receive electromagnetic waves across a physical interface of a transmission medium, wherein the electromagnetic waves propagate without requiring an electrical return path, wherein the electromagnetic waves are guided by the transmission medium, and wherein the electromagnetic waves have a non-optical frequency range.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the metadata is inserted into the communications by the second network device responsive to a determination by the second network device that an internet protocol address associated with the communications is one of internet protocol addresses associated with a group of end point devices for which the second network device is the physically closest network device.

13. The method of claim 10 , comprising: responsive to a determination that the metadata is not contained in the communications, blocking, by the first network device, the transmitting of the data towards the second end point device.

14. The method of claim 10 , comprising: responsive to a determination that the second network device is not the physically closest network device to the first end point device, accessing information stored remotely, wherein the information is associated with a registration for an internet protocol address associated with the communications.

15. The method of claim 10 , comprising:
responsive to one of a determination that the metadata is not contained in the communications, a determination that the second network device is not the physically closest network device to the first end point device, or a combination thereof:
transmitting an alert to a network server.

16. A non-transitory machine-readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first network device, cause the processor to perform operations, the operations comprising:
receiving communications that include data originated at a first end point device and directed to a second end point device;
responsive to a detection of metadata contained in the communications and inserted by a second network device that identifies the second network device along a path of the communications, determining whether the second network device is a physically closest network device to the first end point device according to network topology information; and
responsive to a determination that the second network device is the physically closest network device to the first end point device, transmitting the data towards the second end point device.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable storage medium of claim 16 , wherein the first network device is a first waveguide system, wherein the second network device is a sec

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp
• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Gross David
• Lackey Joshua
• Levy Donald E
• Piqueras Jover Roger
• Ramachandran Jayaraman
• Serban Cristina

Classifications

• H02J13/1311

  using the power network as support for the transmission · CPC title

• H02J13/1323 Primary

  using optical fibres · CPC title

• Y04S40/121

  using the power network as support for the transmission · CPC title

• H04B2203/5433

  Remote metering · CPC title

• H04B3/54

  Systems for transmission via power distribution lines · CPC title