Guaranteed Traffic Bandwidth for Intermediate Proxy Nodes

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G telecommunications networks, intermediate proxy nodes such as service communications proxies (SCP) and security edge protection proxies (SEPP) lack mechanisms for guaranteed traffic bandwidth, leading to congestion and potential service starvation for low-priority services, as they cannot register as 5G network functions and lack defined overload handling guidelines.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a Guaranteed Traffic Bandwidth for Services (GTBS) mechanism at intermediate proxy nodes, which allocates reserved capacity to specific services during overload conditions, ensuring that messages for configured services with lower priority are not completely denied, even during congestion, by using per-service buckets to manage and prioritize traffic.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If intermediate proxy nodes route all traffic without bandwidth guarantees, then traffic forwarding capacity is maximized, but service reliability deteriorates due to congestion and service starvation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetraffic forwarding capacityVSAvoidservice reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the traffic bandwidth into service-specific guaranteed bandwidth portions and remaining available bandwidth. Each service is allocated a guaranteed bandwidth portion that is reserved exclusively for that service, while the remaining bandwidth is shared among all services. This segmentation ensures that critical services maintain reliable operation even during congestion, while maximizing overall traffic forwarding capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If guaranteed bandwidth is allocated to all services, then service reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to bandwidth management overhead

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice reliabilityVSAvoidbandwidth management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a universal bandwidth management mechanism that handles multiple services through a common framework. The intermediate proxy node maintains a bandwidth allocation table that applies to all services, using standardized parameters such as service identifiers, guaranteed bandwidth values, and priority levels. This universal approach ensures service reliability across different service types while minimizing the complexity of bandwidth management through consistent handling procedures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP4046345B1Methods, systems, and computer readable media for providing guaranteed traffic bandwidth for services at intermediate proxy nodes
Publication Date: 2024.10.09 ORACLE INT CORP
  • EP4046345B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4046345B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4046345B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for providing guaranteed minimum intermediate proxy node bandwidth for services includes configuring, at an intermediate proxy node, a guaranteed minimum bandwidth of the intermediate proxy node reserved to process messages associated with a service. The method further includes receiving a first message at the intermediate proxy node. The method further includes determining, by the intermediate proxy node, that the intermediate proxy node is in an overloaded state. The method further includes identifying, by the intermediate proxy node, the first message as being associated with the service for which the guaranteed minimum bandwidth is configured. The method further includes determining, by the intermediate proxy node, that a portion of the guaranteed minimum bandwidth for the service is available to process the first message. The method further includes routing, by the intermediate proxy node and to a producer network function (NF) that provides the service, the first message and updating a message count for the service.