5G Core Overload Protection Through Session-Level Traffic Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional 5G core network overload protection methods throttle network traffic indiscriminately, affecting innocent users due to a lack of specific identification of overload causes, and existing solutions like NWDAF require additional implementation and signaling overhead.
Innovation Solution
A network traffic management system monitors and identifies specific types of network traffic and sessions causing overload, allowing targeted mitigating actions to reduce traffic from these sessions, thereby isolating the primary causes of overload.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional throttling methods are applied to all users during network overload, then network load is reduced, but legitimate users' quality of experience is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments network traffic into different types (signal traffic, data traffic, etc.) and identifies specific traffic types causing overload. Instead of applying uniform throttling to all users, the system selectively identifies and targets only the problematic traffic types and their source sessions, thereby protecting legitimate users while addressing the overload issue.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements differentiated treatment for different users and traffic types. By analyzing traffic patterns at the session level and applying mitigating actions only to identified overloaded sessions rather than all users, the system applies local quality control where needed while maintaining normal service for unaffected users.
2Measurement precision
If NWDAF node is introduced for analytics, then UE behavior pattern analysis is enabled, but signaling overhead and implementation complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the analytics functionality from a separate NWDAF node and integrates it directly into the network function that needs the analytics. This eliminates the need for external analytics subscriptions and data feeding, reducing signaling overhead while maintaining the capability to identify abnormal traffic patterns and DDoS attacks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the analytics capability with the network function that performs overload protection. By combining traffic monitoring, pattern analysis, and mitigation actions within the same network function, the system reduces the number of separate components and their interconnections, thereby simplifying the overall system architecture.
Data Source
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AI summary
Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, network traffic management devices and network traffic management systems that provide for efficient overload protection in 5G core networks are illustrated. With this technology, a load at a producer network function (NF) is monitored and in response to determining that the producer NF is overloaded, a plurality of types of network traffic flowing to the overloaded producer NF are monitored. An overloaded network traffic type is identified, which is a type of network traffic flowing to the producer NF that is of an amount that exceeds a first threshold amount above a first baseline amount of network traffic. An overloaded session is identified, which is a session having an amount of the overloaded network traffic type that exceeds a second threshold amount above a second baseline amount of network traffic. A mitigating action to reduce network traffic from the overloaded session is performed.