Dynamic L2 Tunnel Management for Wireless Service Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing IEEE 802.11u standard requires establishing multiple Layer 2 (L2) tunnels between a wireless local area network (WLAN) and service providers, even if they are not used, leading to unnecessary overhead and processor-intensive security measures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that dynamically sets up and tears down L2 tunnels only when needed, allowing mobile devices to select and authenticate with service providers on-demand, using protocols like L2tpv3 and IEEE 802.11u to establish tunnels only during association and tear them down when no longer in use.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple L2 tunnels are established between WLAN and service providers according to IEEE 802.11u standard, then service providers can be supported, but system overhead and processor loading increase due to unnecessary tunnels and IPsec protection
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic tunnel establishment and teardown based on real-time service provider usage. The access point monitors which service providers are actively being used by mobile devices and establishes L2 tunnels only for those providers. When a service provider is no longer in use, the corresponding tunnel is torn down. This dynamic approach contrasts with the static pre-establishment of all possible tunnels, reducing processor loading for IPsec operations while maintaining adaptability to support multiple service providers as needed.
2Reliability
If L2 tunnels are established for all service providers, then complete service coverage is provided, but unnecessary overhead is created when tunnels are not used
Solution Approach 1:
The access point implements self-service by autonomously monitoring service provider usage and dynamically managing tunnel establishment and teardown without requiring manual configuration or external control. The system automatically detects when service providers are needed based on mobile device associations and actively manages the tunnel lifecycle, reducing operational complexity while ensuring service coverage is maintained for all actively used providers.
3Reliability
If IPsec protection is applied to all L2 tunnels for data integrity and encryption, then security is maintained, but processor-intensive operations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes unnecessary IPsec protection operations by tearing down L2 tunnels for service providers that are not currently in use. By dynamically eliminating unused tunnels, the system eliminates the associated IPsec encryption and decryption operations, significantly reducing processor-intensive workloads while maintaining security for tunnels that are actively protecting data traffic.
Data Source
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AI summary
An on-demand access tunnel to a service provider is provided for a mobile device that first receives information about supported service providers from a wireless communication network entity. The mobile device can select a supported service provider and start an association process to communicate with the selected service provider. The network entity determines the selected service provider and sets up a tunnel connection from an access point of the wireless communication network to the selected service provider. The tunnel connection is torn down when the mobile device dissociates from the access point and no other device is connected to the service provider network using the tunnel connection.