Patent ID: 9730269
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: G09G,H04L,H04W

Claim:
1. A method comprising: receiving, by a first network device, a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) request packet from a client connected to the first network device on an access network; determining, by the first network device, whether the client is connected on the access network corresponding to a pre-configured virtual local access network (VLAN), wherein the pre-configured VLAN is configured on a plurality of access points but not on network devices, including the first network device, in the access network, and wherein the first network device, the pre-configured VLAN, and the plurality of access points are associated with the same access network; electing, from among the plurality of access points, an access point to act as a virtual controller of the pre-configured VLAN; in response to a determination that the client is connected on the access network corresponding to the pre-configured VLAN, determining, by the first network device, whether the first network device is configured as a DHCP server, wherein the first network device replaces a pre-configured VLAN identifier tag on the request packet with an identifier tag corresponding with a native VLAN, and wherein the first network device forwards the request packet onto a native VLAN; and in response to a determination that the first network device is configured as a DHCP server, obtaining, by the first network device, an Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation for the client from a DHCP service that is on an internal network device of the access network.