Coupling Unit Emulating Network Participants for Cloud Integration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional network systems face significant administrative and configurational efforts when integrating additional network participants across separate sites, requiring setup of telecontrol protocols, VPN tunnels, and dynamic DNS, which are complex and prone to connectivity issues, limiting the expansion of network infrastructure and increasing maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A network system utilizing a coupling unit with a first and second interface, connected to a local network infrastructure and cloud computing infrastructure respectively, emulates additional network participants, allowing seamless integration without prior setup of telecontrol protocols, VPN tunnels, or dynamic DNS, using cloud computing technologies to reduce configuration, administration, and maintenance efforts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If telecontrol protocol and VPN tunnel are set up to connect separate network infrastructures, then data transmission between sites is enabled, but administrative and configurational effort increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a tunnel endpoint device as an intermediary component that simplifies the connection between separate network infrastructures. This device automatically establishes encrypted data channels without requiring manual telecontrol protocol configuration, thereby maintaining reliable data transmission while reducing configuration complexity. The tunnel endpoint device acts as a mediator that handles the complex VPN tunnel setup and management, shielding users from these complexities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs virtualization to create virtual copies of network interfaces and tunnel endpoints. Instead of configuring physical network devices directly, the system creates virtual representations that can be easily configured and managed. This copying approach allows multiple virtual tunnel endpoints to be created from a single physical device, reducing the overall configuration effort while maintaining full data transmission capabilities.
2Reliability
If VPN tunnel is established for encrypted data transmission, then security is improved, but the number of connections is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the connection capacity by creating multiple independent tunnel endpoint devices or virtual interfaces on a single physical device. Each segment can handle a portion of the total connections, allowing the system to scale beyond the limitations of a single VPN tunnel. This segmentation enables the network to support numerous concurrent connections while maintaining encrypted security through each individual tunnel.
Solution Approach 2:
The tunnel endpoint device is designed with multi-functionality to serve multiple purposes: establishing encrypted VPN tunnels, creating virtual network interfaces, and managing multiple simultaneous connections. This universal device can adapt to different connection requirements and scale to handle varying numbers of connections, thereby improving both security and connection capacity.
3Ease of operation
If dynamic DNS service is implemented to handle changing IP addresses, then network accessibility is maintained, but additional configuration effort and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tunnel endpoint device performs preliminary actions by pre-establishing encrypted data channels using identifiable descriptors before actual data transmission begins. This preliminary setup includes pre-configuring the virtual network interfaces and establishing the security context, so that when connections are needed, they can be quickly activated without requiring dynamic DNS resolution at the moment of connection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates virtual copies of network identifiers and interface descriptors that remain stable even when physical IP addresses change. These virtual identifiers serve as consistent reference points for establishing connections, eliminating the need for dynamic DNS services while maintaining network accessibility despite IP address changes.
4Adaptability or versatility
If network infrastructure is expanded to multiple sites, then operational versatility is improved, but setup and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tunnel endpoint device is designed to automatically perform many configuration and maintenance tasks without requiring manual intervention at each site. The device can autonomously establish encrypted channels, manage virtual network interfaces, and adapt to network changes, thereby reducing the need for expensive on-site technical personnel and lowering overall setup and maintenance costs for multi-site operations.
Data Source
AI summary
A network system having a first network infrastructure comprising at least one network participant and at least one coupling unit via which the first network infrastructure is connected to a cloud computing infrastructure having at least one cloud computing-based application. The coupling unit is equipped and designed to emulate at least one additional network participant for the first network infrastructure by interacting with the cloud computing-based application, wherein data can be transmitted between the first network participant and the additional network participant of the first network infrastructure.