Back-up Gateway for Broadband Network Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Broadband data communications networks, such as WiMAX, face reliability issues with connections between access gateways and base stations, leading to disruptions in essential functions like user device connectivity and handoff.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a back-up gateway system that generates and uses a data subset to maintain control over broadband communications between base stations and mobile devices when the primary connection with the master access gateway is unavailable, allowing the network to revert to a Profile B configuration and replicate necessary information for continuous service.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single master access gateway is used for controlling broadband data communications, then the network structure is simple and easy to manage, but the reliability of communications between base stations and access gateway is compromised when connection is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A back-up gateway is pre-configured with a data subset copied from the master access gateway before any connection failure occurs. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the master gateway connection is lost, the back-up gateway can immediately take over without service interruption, thus improving reliability while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The back-up gateway acts as an intermediary solution between the master access gateway and the base stations. It maintains a synchronized data subset and can intervene when the master gateway becomes unavailable, providing a mediation layer that enhances communication reliability without fundamentally complicating the core network architecture.
2Reliability
If the back-up gateway maintains a complete data set for full functionality, then service continuity is ensured during master gateway failure, but the data synchronization and storage requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of maintaining a complete data set, the back-up gateway stores only a localized data subset that is specific to its geographic area or service region. This selective data storage approach ensures service continuity for local users while significantly reducing the overall data storage and synchronization burden on the back-up gateway.
Solution Approach 2:
The back-up gateway maintains a partial data set rather than a complete copy of all network data. This partial action approach provides sufficient functionality for emergency service continuity while avoiding the excessive data storage and processing requirements that would result from maintaining a full data set.
3Loss of information
If the back-up gateway periodically updates the data subset during available connections, then the data remains current and useful, but this requires additional communication overhead and processing
Solution Approach 1:
The back-up gateway performs data subset updates periodically during periods when the master gateway connection is available. This periodic action ensures that the data remains current and useful for potential failover scenarios while concentrating communication activities into specific time windows, thereby reducing overall communication overhead compared to continuous synchronization.
Data Source
AI summary
A broadband data communications network includes mobile wireless communications devices, base stations, and a master access gateway for operating using a full data set for controlling broadband data communications between the base stations and the mobile wireless communications devices. A back-up gateway is coupled to a given one of the base stations for communicating with the master access gateway for generating a data subset from the full data set for the given base station and associated mobile wireless communications devices when communications between the given base station and the master access gateway is available. When communications is unavailable, then the back-up gateway operates using the data subset for controlling broadband data communications between the given base station and associated mobile wireless communications devices.