Application-Aware Handover for Distributed App Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing handover procedures in distributed applications fail to optimally select access nodes due to limited consideration of UE network and compute resources, leading to suboptimal deployment solutions that do not meet application requirements.
Innovation Solution
Implement application-aware handover procedures that generate an influenced list of access nodes by considering both network and compute resources, using a two-domain approach with UE and Virtual Domain INCFs to aggregate partial deployment solutions, ensuring compliance with application requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional handover procedures are used that only consider network resources, then the handover process is simple and fast, but the deployment solution does not meet application requirements regarding compute resources
Solution Approach 1:
The handover procedure is segmented into multiple phases: traditional radio condition evaluation and a new application-aware deployment solution evaluation phase. The access node separately assesses network resources and compute resources, then integrates both evaluations to select the target access node. This segmentation allows maintaining the simplicity of traditional handover while adding application requirement compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
An application influence function acts as an intermediary between the traditional handover mechanism and application requirements. This function receives deployment solutions from multiple access nodes, evaluates them against application requirements (including compute resources), and provides guidance to the handover decision. The intermediary enables complex application-aware selection without requiring fundamental changes to the underlying handover procedure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the handover procedure considers only the serving access node's network resources, then the procedure is simple, but the available compute resources for distributed application are limited
Solution Approach 1:
Deployment solutions are pre-evaluated and prepared in advance by candidate access nodes before handover is triggered. Each access node prepares its deployment solution including compute resource availability information ahead of time. When handover is needed, these pre-prepared solutions are quickly compared and selected, reducing the time penalty of considering multiple access nodes with different compute resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The handover decision parameters are changed from solely network-based metrics to include application requirement compliance metrics. The system evaluates multiple parameters simultaneously: radio conditions, network resource availability, and compute resource availability. This multi-parameter approach enables flexible deployment solution selection while managing decision time through efficient parameter integration.
3Reliability
If multiple access nodes are evaluated for deployment solutions, then optimal deployment can be achieved, but the handover procedure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The application influence function provides feedback to the handover procedure by evaluating deployment solutions and ranking candidate access nodes based on application requirement compliance. This feedback mechanism guides the handover decision without requiring the UE or access nodes to implement complex evaluation logic. The feedback loop maintains service quality through systematic evaluation while preserving procedural simplicity through centralized decision guidance.
Data Source
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AI summary
A user equipment, UE, comprising means for: obtaining one or more deployment solutions for a distributed application to be deployed, wherein the one or more deployment solutions are compliant with application requirements of the distributed application; sending, to one of a UE serving access node and a discovery function adapted for discovery of deployment solutions in an associated domain including network and compute resources, information on an application-influenced list of access nodes, wherein the application-influenced list of access nodes is limited to access nodes used in the one or more deployment solutions ; configuring the UE to connect to a target access node resulting from the handover procedure, wherein the target access node is selected in the application-influenced list of access nodes.