Forwarder Control Signaling via Mobile Context Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
In cloud networks, the migration of user equipment mobile contexts between network elements requires excessive signaling exchange, leading to high transmission resource usage and inefficiencies due to the need for IP address updates across data centers.
Innovation Solution
A control signaling transmission method that uses a forwarder to forward control signaling based on rule matching information, which includes classification and mobile context identifiers, allowing for hop-by-hop forwarding without IP address transmission, and updates only the processing rule when the mobile context is migrated, reducing the need for cross-data center signaling.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the mobile context is migrated between network elements in a cloud network, then the network can achieve load balancing and resource optimization, but excessive signaling exchange is required leading to high transmission resource usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the forwarding decision process into two parts: (1) The SDN controller maintains a mapping between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers, and (2) The forwarder uses this mapping to make local forwarding decisions without requiring signaling exchange. This segmentation allows the network to achieve flexible resource scheduling while reducing transmission resource usage by eliminating the need for extensive signaling during context migration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an SDN controller as an intermediary that maintains the mapping information between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers. This intermediary enables the forwarder to make intelligent forwarding decisions based on pre-configured mapping relationships, thereby achieving load balancing and resource optimization without requiring excessive signaling exchange during context migration.
2Loss of information
If IP address updates are performed across data centers during mobile context migration, then the network can maintain accurate addressing information, but the signaling exchange becomes excessive and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of updating IP addresses across data centers during mobile context migration, the patent inverts the approach by maintaining mapping relationships in the reverse direction: the SDN controller stores the mapping between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers, and the forwarder uses this mapping to determine the correct forwarding destination. This inversion eliminates the need for extensive IP address update signaling while maintaining accurate addressing information.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by having the SDN controller pre-establish and maintain the mapping between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers before any migration occurs. This pre-configured mapping enables the forwarder to make immediate forwarding decisions during context migration without requiring real-time signaling exchange, thereby maintaining addressing accuracy while improving efficiency.
3Productivity
If multiple network elements are deployed for distributed processing, then the network can achieve load balancing, but each network element needs to maintain addressing information for all user equipment increasing system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an SDN controller as a centralized intermediary that maintains the mapping information between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers. This centralization relieves the burden on individual network elements, allowing them to focus on their specific processing functions while the SDN controller handles the complexity of maintaining addressing information across the distributed network, thus enabling load balancing without increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The SDN controller serves multiple functions: it maintains the mapping between mobile context identifiers and network element identifiers, provides forwarding guidance to multiple network elements, and enables load balancing across the distributed network. This multi-functionality allows the system to achieve load balancing without requiring each network element to independently manage complex addressing information.
Data Source
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AI summary
A control signaling transmission method and a device are disclosed. The method includes: receiving, by a forwarder, control signaling carrying rule matching information, where the rule matching information includes classification information and an identifier of a mobile context of user equipment; obtaining, by the forwarder according to the rule matching information, a processing rule corresponding to the rule matching information, where the processing rule includes rule description information and forwarding routing information, and the processing rule corresponding to the rule matching information is a processing rule whose rule description information matches the rule matching information; and forwarding, by the forwarder, the control signaling to a next-hop network element for the control signaling according to the forwarding routing information of the obtained processing rule. In the present invention, control signaling can be transmitted based on addressing of a mobile context of user equipment in a cloud network, signaling exchange across data centers caused when the mobile context of the user equipment is migrated between network elements can be avoided, and transmission resources of the cloud network can be reduced.