5G Policy Mapping to the SD-WAN Data Plane for Deterministic QoS
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Solution Overview
Problem
SD-WAN fabric is not a suitable connectivity option for 5G deployments due to the lack of deterministic end-to-end quality of service (QoS) service level agreements (SLAs) in current SD-WAN systems.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for mapping 5G policies to an SD-WAN data plane by using a management controller to identify and communicate identity-based policies to WAN routers, updating them with 5G bindings, and applying these policies to flows between WAN routers, including the creation of a table mapping GTP nodes and establishing PDU sessions to enforce quarantine and notification of quarantined packets.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If SD-WAN fabric is used for connectivity, then network flexibility and ease of operation are improved, but deterministic end-to-end QoS and reliability are not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a policy mapping mechanism as an intermediary layer between 5G network policies and SD-WAN data plane. This mapping mechanism translates 5G QoS parameters into SD-WAN compatible policies, enabling deterministic QoS enforcement while maintaining SD-WAN's operational flexibility. The policy mapping functionality acts as a bridge that reconciles the different policy frameworks of 5G and SD-WAN systems.
2Reliability
If 5G policies are mapped to SD-WAN data plane, then deterministic QoS and reliability are improved, but device complexity and difficulty of implementation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a simplified representation or copy of 5G policies that is compatible with SD-WAN data plane requirements. Instead of directly implementing complex 5G policies, the system generates simplified policy copies that capture the essential QoS requirements while being executable on SD-WAN infrastructure. This copying approach reduces implementation complexity while preserving deterministic QoS guarantees.
3Measurement precision
If identity-based policies are applied to WAN routers, then traffic management precision and QoS enforcement are improved, but processing overhead and loss of time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs policy mapping and identity-based policy preparation in advance, before actual traffic flow processing. The system pre-processes 5G policies, creates the mapping tables, and prepares the policy configurations ahead of time. This preliminary action ensures that when traffic arrives, the precision traffic management can be applied immediately without significant processing delays, thus reducing the time loss while maintaining high precision.
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a method includes receiving one or more 5G software-defined wide area network (SD-WAN) policies, identifying one or more identity-based policies from the one or more 5G SD-WAN policies, communicating the identified one or more identity-based policies to one or more WAN routers, communicating one or more 5G bindings to the one or more WAN routers, and applying the identified one or more identity-based policies to one or more flows between the one or more WAN routers.