Common Control Plane for Seamless Satellite WAN Handover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wide area networks (WANs) face challenges in seamlessly managing connectivity and routing between remote units and multiple WANs without operator intervention, often resulting in service disruptions during handovers between different WAN connections.
Innovation Solution
A WAN communication framework utilizing a common control plane with a master network management system (MNMS) that aggregates control information from various management systems to determine optimal WAN connections, employing a single continuous control channel for seamless handovers and maintaining session and authentication across connections.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional WAN management systems are used without a common control plane, then each management system operates independently, but service disruptions occur during handovers between different WAN connections
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent management systems into a unified common control plane that coordinates WAN handovers. The common control plane aggregates control information from multiple management systems and maintains a unified view of available WAN connections, enabling seamless handovers without service disruption.
Solution Approach 2:
The common control plane serves multiple functions: it acts as a central coordinator for handovers, maintains authentication sessions across different WAN connections, and provides a unified interface for remote units to access multiple WANs. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate management systems for each WAN.
2Ease of operation
If a common control plane with single continuous control channel is implemented, then seamless handovers are enabled, but the system architecture becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The common control plane acts as an intermediary between remote units and multiple management systems. It maintains a single continuous control channel that mediates all control traffic, simplifying the handover process for remote units while managing the complexity of coordinating multiple WANs centrally.
Solution Approach 2:
The common control plane enables remote units to perform self-service handovers by providing them with information about available WAN connections and authentication credentials. Remote units can autonomously select and switch to alternative WANs when needed, without requiring operator intervention.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple management systems control different WANs independently, then each WAN can be managed separately, but coordination between WANs during handovers becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The common control plane implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring the status of multiple WAN connections and available capacity. It uses this feedback information to make intelligent decisions about handover timing and target selection, ensuring reliable transitions while maintaining adaptability to changing network conditions.
Data Source
AI summary
A wide area network (WAN) communication framework having a common control plane and method for using the same are disclosed. In some embodiments, the wide area network (WAN) communication framework comprises: a plurality of management systems, each for controlling access to and traffic for one of a plurality of WANs that include satellite and terrestrial communication networks; a remote unit capable of communicably coupling to the plurality of WANs; and a master network management system (MNMS). The MNMS is communicably coupled to the plurality of management systems and coupled to the remote unit to aggregate control information from the plurality of management systems and the remote unit to determine which WANs of the plurality of WANs for the remote unit to use, wherein the MNMS uses a common control plane communicably coupled to the remote unit for control and routing of control traffic, including information indicating which WANs of the plurality of WANs to which the remote terminal can connect, the common control plane including a single, continuous control channel to which the remote terminal is connectable simultaneously with a connection to a WAN of the plurality of WANs.