Infrastructure coordinated media access control address assignment

Abstract

Described herein are systems, devices, techniques and products for managing the dynamic assignment of media access control (MAC) addresses to wireless network devices, such as by identifying a dynamically assigned MAC address before, after, or during a wireless association process and communicating the dynamically assigned MAC address to a wireless network device. Also disclosed are systems, devices, techniques and products for preventing a denial of service attack on a wireless access point's association table, such as by requiring devices that associate with a wireless access point to respond to a query from the wireless access point shortly after association.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system comprising:
 one or more processors; and   a non-transitory computer readable storage medium coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the non-transitory computer readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 transmitting, by a wireless client device, a frame, wherein the frame includes a media access control (MAC) address corresponding to the wireless client device; 
 receiving a response, wherein the response is related to a network device, and wherein the response includes a designated MAC address; 
 transmitting an association request, wherein the association request includes the designated MAC address; and 
 receiving an association response, wherein the association request is related to the network device, and wherein the association response includes an association identifier. 
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the frame at the network device causes the network device to identify the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the frame includes an identifier corresponding to the network device. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to confirm that the designated MAC address included in the association request is authorized for use by the wireless client device. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an indicator of an availability of designated MAC addresses.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 transmitting a request for a designated MAC address, wherein receiving the request for a designated MAC address at a network device causes the network device to identify a designated MAC address.   
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein receiving the indicator includes receiving a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and wherein the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein a service set identifier (SSID) of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein a vendor specific element of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator 
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 displaying a captive portal website, wherein the captive portal website requests input authorizing use of a designated MAC address;   receiving input corresponding to an authorization to use the designated MAC address; and   transmitting the authorization.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an association query, wherein the association query includes the designated MAC address; and   transmitting a response to the association query.   
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 receiving an authentication query; and   transmitting a response to the authentication query.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein receiving the response to the authentication query at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein the authentication query and the response to the authentication query include elements of an IEEE 802.1X authentication process. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the network device is a wireless access point compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the network device is a network controller. 
     
     
         18 . A computer implemented method, comprising:
 transmitting, by a wireless client device, a frame, wherein the frame includes a media access control (MAC) address corresponding to the wireless client device;   receiving a response, wherein the response is related to a network device, and wherein the response includes a designated MAC address;   transmitting an association request, wherein the association request includes the designated MAC address; and   receiving an association response, wherein the association request is related to the network device, and wherein the association response includes an association identifier.   
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein receiving the frame at the network device causes the network device to identify the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the frame includes an identifier corresponding to the network device. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to confirm that the designated MAC address included in the association request is authorized for use by the wireless client device. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving an indicator of an availability of designated MAC addresses.   
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 23 , further comprising.
 transmitting a request for a designated MAC address, wherein receiving the request for a designated MAC address at a network device causes the network device to identify a designated MAC address.   
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 23 , wherein receiving the indicator includes receiving a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and wherein the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein a service set identifier (SSID) of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein a vendor specific element of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 displaying a captive portal website, wherein the captive portal website requests input authorizing use of a designated MAC address;   receiving input corresponding to an authorization to use the designated MAC address; and   transmitting the authorization.   
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving an association query, wherein the association query includes the designated MAC address; and   transmitting a response to the association query.   
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 18 , further comprising:
 receiving an authentication query; and   transmitting a response to the authentication query.   
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein receiving the response to the authentication query at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 30 , wherein the authentication query and the response to the authentication query include elements of an IEEE 802.1X authentication process. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the network device is a wireless access point compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the network device is a network controller. 
     
     
         35 . A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 transmitting, by a wireless client device, a frame, wherein the frame includes a media access control (MAC) address corresponding to the wireless client device;   receiving a response, wherein the response is related to a network device, and wherein the response includes a designated MAC address;   transmitting an association request, wherein the association request includes the designated MAC address; and   receiving an association response, wherein the association request is related to the network device, and wherein the association response includes an association identifier.   
     
     
         36 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein receiving the frame at the network device causes the network device to identify the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         37 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the frame includes an identifier corresponding to the network device. 
     
     
         38 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to confirm that the designated MAC address included in the association request is authorized for use by the wireless client device. 
     
     
         39 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein receiving the association request at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         40 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 receiving an indicator of an availability of designated MAC addresses.   
     
     
         41 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 40 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 transmitting a request for a designated MAC address, wherein receiving the request for a designated MAC address at a network device causes the network device to identify a designated MAC address.   
     
     
         42 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 40 , wherein receiving the indicator includes receiving a beacon frame or a probe response frame, and wherein the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         43 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 42 , wherein a service set identifier (SSID) of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         44 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 42 , wherein a vendor specific element of the beacon frame or probe response frame includes the indicator. 
     
     
         45 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 displaying a captive portal website, wherein the captive portal website requests input authorizing use of a designated MAC address;   receiving input corresponding to an authorization to use the designated MAC address; and   transmitting the authorization.   
     
     
         46 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 receiving an association query, wherein the association query includes the designated MAC address; and   transmitting a response to the association query.   
     
     
         47 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , further comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations including:
 receiving an authentication query; and   transmitting a response to the authentication query.   
     
     
         48 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 47 , wherein receiving the response to the authentication query at the network device causes the network device to update an association table with an entry for the wireless client device, and wherein the entry includes the designated MAC address. 
     
     
         49 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 47 , wherein the authentication query and the response to the authentication query include elements of an IEEE 802.1X authentication process. 
     
     
         50 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the network device is a wireless access point compliant with an IEEE 802.11 standard. 
     
     
         51 . The non-transitory computer readable medium of  claim 35 , wherein the network device is a network controller.