Core Network Outage Prediction for Satellite Backhaul Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
Satellite backhaul outages due to orbital positions and states of satellites cause communication disruptions between core and radio access networks, necessitating effective methods to mitigate operational issues and improve user experience.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for predicting satellite backhaul outages, allowing proactive actions such as suspending communication, powering down equipment, and providing notifications before and after outages to ensure seamless network operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If satellite backhaul is used to cover large geographic areas, then network coverage area is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to orbital position changes causing outages
Solution Approach 1:
The core network device predicts future satellite outages based on orbital information before they occur, and proactively suspends communication operations or powers down equipment in advance. This preliminary action prevents communication attempts during outages, maintaining reliability while preserving the benefit of wide satellite coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors satellite orbital positions and uses this feedback to predict future outages. By incorporating real-time orbital data feedback into the prediction model, the system dynamically adjusts its operations to maintain communication reliability while utilizing satellite backhaul for extensive coverage.
2Productivity
If communication operations continue during predicted outages, then device productivity is maintained, but energy consumption increases due to unnecessary operations during non-active satellite periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system suspends communication operations or powers down equipment in advance of predicted satellite outages. This preliminary suspension prevents wasteful energy consumption during outages while minimizing impact on productivity, as the suspension is temporary and reversible when satellites become active again.
Solution Approach 2:
The system temporarily discards (suspends or powers down) communication operations during predicted outages, then recovers them when satellites become active again. This approach eliminates energy waste during non-productive periods while maintaining overall productivity through recovery of operations.
3Reliability
If backup gateway switchover is implemented for satellite outages, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to pre-switchover and switchover routines
Solution Approach 1:
The core network device performs preliminary actions by predicting outages before they occur and proactively suspending operations or powering down equipment. This eliminates the need for complex real-time switchover routines, as the system is already in a safe state when outages begin, thereby improving reliability without adding significant complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
For a communication network using a satellite-involved backhaul, the backhaul outage and restoration states are predicted based on satellite motion data. Based on such predictions, devices providing the core portion of the communication network, and nearby Internet or backhaul radio devices can schedule or take actions. Actions can include but are not necessarily limited to: powering equipment up or down, suspending communications, migrating software from servers being powered down, transmitting replies to packets to indicate an anticipated outage and optionally anticipated outage end time, marking packets with congestion indications, closing or reopening certain ports, withdrawing or reinstating routing table addresses, and transmitting outage notifications to users or devices.