Instant IP Relocation via Stateless NAT and BGP

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods for IP address mobility and sharing across geographically distant locations are inefficient, requiring manual intervention and causing delays due to BGP modifications, VPN, and IP tunnels, which are impractical for high-bandwidth applications and redundant network architectures.

Innovation Solution

A system utilizing stateless Network Address Translation (NAT) and Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) to enable instant IP relocation across geographical locations, allowing for automatic traffic redirection and distribution without manual reconfiguration, thereby facilitating virtual machine migration, disaster recovery, and load balancing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If manual IP reconfiguration and BGP modifications are used for IP relocation, then IP address mobility across geographical locations is achieved, but network convergence delays and manual intervention time cause service interruption

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice continuityVSAvoidnetwork convergence delay

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system pre-establishes IP address sharing relationships and routing configurations across multiple geographical locations before relocation is needed. When IP relocation is required, the pre-configured paths enable immediate traffic redirection without waiting for BGP convergence or manual reconfiguration, thus eliminating service interruption.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary IP address sharing mechanism that decouples the relationship between physical location and IP address assignment. This intermediary layer allows traffic to be redirected to new locations through pre-configured routing rules rather than requiring direct reconfiguration of BGP routes, significantly reducing convergence delays.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If VPN and IP tunnels are used for IP mobility, then IP address sharing across locations is enabled, but single points of failure are introduced making them unsuitable for high bandwidth applications

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveIP address sharing capabilityVSAvoidnetwork redundancy

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system segments the IP mobility function from single-point tunneling mechanisms. Instead of relying on a single VPN or IP tunnel that creates a bottleneck and single point of failure, the patent implements distributed IP address sharing across multiple independent network paths, allowing traffic to be load-balanced and failover to occur without affecting the entire system.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

3Manufacturing precision

If manual intervention is required for IP relocation, then precise control over the migration process is achieved, but operational complexity and error potential increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemigration control precisionVSAvoidrelocation operation simplicity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements automated IP relocation that performs the migration process without requiring manual intervention. The pre-configured IP address sharing relationships and routing rules enable the system to automatically redirect traffic when relocation occurs, eliminating human error while maintaining precise control through programmable relocation triggers and validation mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

4Reliability

If BGP modifications are performed during IP relocation, then routing updates are propagated, but convergence delays and upstream provider coordination requirements cause extended downtime

Engineering Contradiction:

Improverouting correctnessVSAvoidrelocation speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary configuration of IP address sharing relationships and routing rules before relocation is needed. This pre-positioning of routing information allows immediate traffic redirection upon relocation without requiring time-consuming BGP modification and propagation cycles, thereby significantly increasing relocation speed while maintaining routing correctness through pre-validated configurations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10587520B2Systems and methods for IP sharing across wide area networks

Publication Date: 2020.03.10 THE VIKI GRP LLC

AI summary

Computer connectivity is dependent on network availability. When networks are offline, relocating systems and data to an available network is an inefficient, time consuming, and error prone process. A system and method is disclosed for instant IP sharing and relocation between geographical locations by combining BGP announcement in one or multiple locations and applying stateless NAT to the IP traffic. Thereby, IP traffic is redirected to the desired location and delivered to the final device using the shared/relocated IP address. This system and method allows a single IP address to actively respond to network requests from numerous locations which can be spread around the globe.