Cloud-Controlled CPE for Application-Aware Flow Steering
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many modern customer premises equipment (CPE) devices, particularly thin CPE devices, lack the processing capabilities to execute advanced network functions such as application-aware flow steering and context-aware firewalling, despite the benefits these functions provide in optimizing user experience and security, due to resource constraints.
Innovation Solution
Offloading processing-intensive advanced network functions to a server located in the core network or network edge, which recognizes applications, determines actions to optimize performance, and sends instructions to the CPE devices to execute these functions, thereby leveraging the advantages of advanced network functions without requiring costly upgrades.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If thin CPE devices are used to maintain cost-effectiveness, then device cost and complexity are reduced, but the ability to execute advanced network functions is lost
Solution Approach 1:
A remote server acts as an intermediary between the thin CPE device and the advanced network functions. The server receives data flows from the CPE device, performs application recognition and performance monitoring, determines optimization actions, and sends instructions back to the CPE device. This mediator enables the CPE device to access advanced functions without needing to execute them locally, resolving the contradiction between device simplicity and functional capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the processing-intensive advanced network functions (application recognition, performance monitoring, flow steering decisions) from the thin CPE device and relocates them to a remote server. By taking out these complex functions from the device, the CPE maintains its simplicity and cost-effectiveness while still benefiting from the advanced capabilities provided by the server.
2Productivity
If processing-intensive advanced network functions are executed locally on CPE devices, then network functionality is improved, but device resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote server serves as an intermediary that handles the processing-intensive tasks of application recognition and performance monitoring. This mediator approach allows the CPE device to maintain low resource consumption while still achieving high network function performance, as the server performs the computationally heavy operations on behalf of the CPE device.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the resource-intensive processing functions from the CPE device and relocates them to a remote server. By removing these functions from the device, the CPE's processing resource requirements are minimized, while the server provides the necessary computational power to maintain high network function performance.
3Reliability
If CPE devices execute application-aware flow steering and firewalling locally, then network security and optimization are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The remote server acts as an intermediary that performs application recognition, performance monitoring, and security policy determination. This mediator enables the CPE device to achieve reliable network security through centralized processing, eliminating the need for complex local processing capabilities while maintaining security effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the complex processing functions for application-aware flow steering and firewalling from the CPE device and relocates them to a remote server. This extraction maintains network security reliability while significantly reducing the complexity requirements for the CPE device, as the server handles the complex decision-making logic centrally.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method for controlling customer premises equipment via the cloud or network edge to support advanced network functionality includes detecting a data flow associated with a customer premises equipment device, identifying an application associated with the data flow, monitoring a performance of the application, determining an action to be taken by the customer premises equipment device to optimize the performance of the application, and sending an instruction to the customer premises equipment device to take the action.