Access Point Image Version Synchronization via Hierarchical Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Upgrading access points (APs) in a network cluster can consume significant bandwidth, leading to costly network usage, especially when all APs need to download updated images from a server.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hierarchical upgrade process where a primary AP determines the image version and class of each AP, instructing secondary APs to upgrade from seed APs or the primary AP, thereby limiting the number of APs that directly access the server for upgrades, reducing bandwidth usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If all APs download updated images directly from the server, then all APs can be upgraded to the latest version, but network bandwidth consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a primary AP as an intermediary between the server and secondary APs. The primary AP downloads the image from the server and then distributes it to secondary APs, eliminating the need for each secondary AP to directly access the server. This mediator approach maintains version synchronization across all APs while dramatically reducing network bandwidth consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the image distribution process into two distinct phases: (1) the primary AP downloads the image from the server, and (2) the primary AP distributes the image to secondary APs. This segmentation allows the system to control bandwidth usage by limiting direct server connections to a single AP while still achieving universal upgrade coverage.
2Reliability
If APs are upgraded frequently to maintain security and functionality, then network security and performance improve, but bandwidth costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
By establishing the primary AP as a local repository for images, the system enables frequent security updates without proportionally increasing bandwidth costs. The primary AP caches images locally, allowing secondary APs to receive updates from the local source rather than repeatedly accessing the remote server, thus decoupling update frequency from bandwidth consumption.
3Loss of energy
If a hierarchical upgrade process is implemented, then bandwidth usage is reduced, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the image download and distribution functions into a single coordinated process managed by the primary AP. Rather than implementing complex multi-level hierarchies or distributed decision-making protocols, the system merges control into a centralized coordination model where the primary AP handles both receiving and distributing images, simplifying the overall system architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
Example implementations relate to upgrading access points (APs). In some examples, a primary AP may comprise a processing resource and a memory resource storing machine readable instructions to determine, in response to receiving a data transmission from a secondary AP, whether an image version of the secondary AP and a class of the secondary AP are a same image version and class as the primary AP, determine whether the class of the secondary AP is a same class as a seed AP, and instruct the secondary AP, in response to the seed AP being the same class as the secondary AP, to upgrade the image version of the secondary AP from the seed AP.