Blockchain Control Plane for Zero-Touch AD-WAN Provisioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wide area networks require significant manual intervention for configuration changes, leading to lengthy setup times and increased opportunities for errors, and existing software-defined networking solutions lack mechanisms to ensure configuration integrity and security.
Innovation Solution
An autonomous distributed wide area network (AD-WAN) utilizing a permissioned blockchain distributed ledger for order management and control plane functions, enabling zero-touch provisioning and secure, automated configuration changes across nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual configuration processes are used in conventional WANs, then network security and control are maintained, but setup time increases to 1-3 months and operational complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-defining network policies, security rules, and configuration templates before actual network setup is needed. When a new network connection is required, these pre-established frameworks enable automated configuration without manual intervention, reducing setup time from months to minutes while maintaining security through pre-validated policies.
Solution Approach 2:
The network system performs self-service through automated configuration where the network itself provisions its own connections, applies security policies, and manages its own state without requiring manual engineer intervention. The system autonomously translates high-level service requests into detailed configuration commands and executes them automatically across the network infrastructure.
2Stability of the object's composition
If centralized control plane is implemented in SD-WAN, then configuration consistency is improved, but configuration integrity verification is lost and network outages may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where configuration changes are continuously monitored and validated. After configuration is applied, the system receives feedback about the actual network state and compares it against expected outcomes, automatically correcting deviations or rolling back changes that cause inconsistencies or outages, thus maintaining both consistency and integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies beforehand cushioning by implementing validation and verification steps before configuration changes are deployed. Simulation environments and dry-run modes allow the system to test configuration validity in advance, identifying potential issues before they cause network outages or inconsistencies.
3Reliability
If manual node management is performed in conventional WANs, then configuration control is maintained, but human resources required increase and error introduction opportunities increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables self-service operation where network nodes automatically manage their own configurations, apply updates autonomously, and maintain their operational states without requiring manual intervention from network engineers. This eliminates repetitive manual tasks while maintaining centralized policy control through automated enforcement mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical manual configuration processes with automated software-based systems. Configuration management is transferred from human operators using command-line interfaces to automated software agents that programmatically apply configurations, reducing operational complexity and eliminating human errors while maintaining control through software-enforced policies.
Data Source
AI summary
An autonomous distributed wise area network (AD-WAN) includes several nodes, where each node connects a local area network to an open wide area network, and provides tunnels over the open wide area network to other nodes in the AD-WAN so that computing resources behind each node can communicate as if they were located on a common intranet. Each node has a blockchain wallet and receives updates to a private permissioned blockchain ledger for that AD-WAN. The updates are provided by a control node. Set up, and subsequent change to the AD-WAN are commenced via a customer portal which provides order information to the control node, where the control node processes the order information and generates a blockchain update that informs the affected nodes in the AD-WAN as to what changes are to be made. As a result, the blockchain provides both control plane and order management operation of the AD-WAN.