Initiating peer-to-peer tunnels

Abstract

Initiating peer-to-peer tunnels between clients in a mobility domain. Client traffic in a mobility domain normally passes from the initiating client to an access node, and from the access node through a tunnel to a controller, and then through another tunnel from the controller to the destination access node, and the destination client. When initiated by the controller, the access nodes establish a peer-to-peer tunnel for suitable client traffic, bypassing the “slow” tunnels through the controller with a “fast” peer-to-peer tunnel. Traffic through this “fast” tunnel may be initiated once the tunnel is established, or traffic for the “fast” tunnel may be queued up until traffic has completed passing through the “slow” tunnel.

1 - 18 . (canceled) 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions executed by a processor to:
 forward, at a first network device on a first communication path between a first network node and a second network node, data traffic from a first client coupled to the first network node toward a second client coupled to the second network node;   in response to a determination that the data traffic is eligible for a particular forwarding, instruct at least one of the first network node and the second network node to establish a second communication path that does not include the first network device, for transmitting the data traffic between the first network node and the second network node.   
     
     
         20 . The medium of  claim 19 , wherein the particular forwarding is peer-to-peer forwarding. 
     
     
         21 . The medium of  claim 19 , wherein the instructions are executed by the processor to:
 determine, at the first network device, whether the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding between the first network node and the second network node; and   in response to the determination that the data traffic is not eligible, continue to forward the network traffic through the first communication path.   
     
     
         22 . The medium of  claim 19 , wherein a second network device is also on the first communication path, wherein the second communication path does not include the second network device, and wherein the first network device and the second network device are controllers. 
     
     
         23 . The medium of  claim 22 , wherein the first network device is a first controller to manage the first network node and the second network device is a second controller to manage the second network node. 
     
     
         24 . The medium of  claim 19 , wherein instructions executed to determine whether the data traffic is eligible for the particular forwarding comprises instructions executed to determine whether the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding based on whether a user of the first client is authorized to access the second client. 
     
     
         25 . The medium of  claim 22 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are in a same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet. 
     
     
         26 . The medium of  claim 22 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are in different Internet Protocol (IP) subnets. 
     
     
         27 . A network device comprising:
 a processor; and   memory storing instructions executed by the processor to:
 forward, on a first communication path, data traffic from a first client coupled to a first network node toward a second client coupled to a second network node, wherein the first communication path is between the first network node and the second network node that includes the network device; 
 determine whether the data traffic is eligible for a particular forwarding between the first network node and the second network node; and 
 in response to a determination that the data traffic is eligible for the particular forwarding, instruct at least one of the first network node and the second network node to establish a second communication path to transmit the data traffic between the first network node and the second network node, wherein the second communication path does not include the first network device. 
   
     
     
         28 . The network device of  claim 27 , wherein a second network device is on the first communication path and the second communication path does not include the second network device. 
     
     
         29 . The network device of  claim 28 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are controllers. 
     
     
         30 . The network device of  claim 28 , wherein the first network device is a first controller configured to manage the first network node and the second network device is a second controller to manage the second network node. 
     
     
         31 . The network device of  claim 27 , wherein to determine whether the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding, the instructions are further to cause the processor to determine whether the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding based upon whether a user of the first client is authorized to access the second client the data traffic to the second network device via the first communication path. 
     
     
         32 . The network device of  claim 28 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are in a same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet. 
     
     
         33 . The network device of  claim 28 , wherein the first network device and the second network device are in different Internet Protocol (IP) subnets. 
     
     
         34 . A method comprising:
 forwarding, at a first network device on a first communication path between a first network node and a second network node, data traffic from a first client coupled to the first network node toward a second client coupled to the second network node, wherein the first network device includes a processor;   determining, by the processor, whether the data traffic is eligible for a particular forwarding between the first network node and the second network node;   in response to a determination that the data traffic is eligible for the particular forwarding, instructing, by the processor, at least one of the first network node and the second network node to establish a second communication path that does not include the first network device or the second network device, for transmitting the data traffic between the first network node and the second network node.   
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein determining whether the data traffic is eligible for the particular forwarding comprises determining whether the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding based upon whether a user of the first client is authorized to access the second client. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein determining whether the data traffic is eligible for the particular forwarding comprises determining that the data traffic is eligible for peer-to-peer forwarding when a user of the first client is authorized to access the second client without requiring that the network device filter the data traffic. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein forwarding comprises forwarding the data traffic to the second network device via the first communication path. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein a second network device is also on the first communication path, wherein the second communication path does not include the second network device, and wherein the first network device and the second network device are in a same Internet Protocol (IP) subnet.