Context State Transfer Package for MEC Clusters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems fail to effectively share consistent application context states between Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) clusters, leading to disruptions in user experiences when devices move between coverage areas or when sharing application contexts between users.
Innovation Solution
The method involves encapsulating the client context into a context state transfer package (CSTP) and securely transferring it between MEC clusters, using security checks and MEC orchestrator support to ensure integrity and continuity of user applications across different MEC clusters.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If application context is shared between MEC clusters, then user experience continuity is improved, but security risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an orchestrator as an intermediary component that mediates context transfers between MEC clusters. The orchestrator receives context transfer requests, validates security credentials, and coordinates the actual context sharing, thereby enabling context consistency while maintaining security through centralized control and validation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary security checks and validations before actual context transfer occurs. The system verifies security credentials, validates context data integrity, and establishes trust relationships in advance, preventing security issues from arising during the actual context sharing process.
2Reliability
If context transfer between MEC clusters is implemented, then service continuity is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The orchestrator serves multiple functions including security validation, context management, cluster coordination, and transfer orchestration. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional component, the system achieves service continuity without proportionally increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The orchestrator acts as a mediating layer that simplifies the interaction between MEC clusters. Instead of requiring direct complex peer-to-peer communication and coordination between clusters, all context transfer operations are routed through the orchestrator, which handles the complexity centrally while presenting a simplified interface to individual clusters.
3Reliability
If security checks are performed during context transfer, then transfer integrity is improved, but transfer speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Security credentials and validations are established in advance before actual context transfer. The system performs security setup, credential verification, and trust establishment beforehand, allowing the actual context data transfer to proceed with minimal additional security overhead, thus maintaining integrity while preserving speed.
Data Source
AI summary
A first network device may receive a notification over a network; in response to the notification, cause a virtualized operating system (OS) and a hypervisor of the first network device to obtain state units from one or more of first hardware components and virtual components; create a context state transfer package (CSTP) based on the state units; and forward the CSTP from the first network device to a second network device over the network. The second network device may receive the CSTP from the first network device; unpack the CSTP to obtain the state units; and put, at the second network device, second hardware components and virtual components of the second network device in a same state as the first hardware components and virtual components when the state units were obtained at the first network device.