Peer-to-peer forwarding for packet-switched traffic

摘要

One of the embodiments is directed to establishing peer-to-peer tunnels between clients in a mobility domain. Normally, clients attached to a network having access nodes connected to a central controller transfer all traffic through the central controller via tunnels between the access node and the central controller. A mobility manager operating in the controller tracks access nodes connected to the controller, and clients connected to those access nodes. When the mobility controller recognizes traffic passing between clients in its mobility domain that is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding, it instructs the access nodes supporting the clients to establish a peer-to-peer tunnel between the nodes, and direct the client traffic through this peer-to-peer tunnel. The peer-to-peer tunnel may be session based, or may be aged. Eligibility of traffic for peer-to-peer tunnels may be controlled by rules, such as limiting peer-to-peer tunnels by source or destination, by port or protocol, and the like.

主权项

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium bearing instructions which, when executed by one or more hardware processors, causes performance of operations comprising:
determining that data traffic is passing through a network device while propagating from (i) a first client communicatively coupled to a first access node to (ii) a second client communicatively coupled to a second access node; determining that the data traffic passing through the network device from the first client to the second client is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding: instructing, by the network device, the first access node to open a tunnel to the second access node, wherein the tunnel does not include the network device; wherein additional data traffic eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding travels between the first client and the second client through the tunnel without passing through the network device; and wherein additional data traffic in eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding travels between the first client and the second client passing through the network device.