Mobile Core Dynamic Tunnel Endpoints at Application Servers to Reduce Latency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile internet traffic traversing multiple tunnels and hops results in latency and internet congestion due to encapsulation and decapsulation operations across the Core IP Network.
Innovation Solution
Dynamically instantiate a Dynamic Tunnel End Point Processor (DTEPP) at the application server endpoint to directly tunnel mobile application traffic, bypassing decapsulation across the IP network, using technologies like Segment Routing (SRv6) to streamline traffic to the application server.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If mobile traffic traverses multiple tunnels and hops across the Core IP Network, then traffic can be routed through the network infrastructure, but latency increases and network congestion occurs due to repeated encapsulation and decapsulation operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the tunnel endpoint processing function from the traditional Core Network and places it at the application server endpoint. By removing the need for traffic to traverse multiple Core Network hops and by extracting the encapsulation/decapsulation operations to occur only at the application endpoint rather than at multiple intermediate nodes, the patent eliminates the source of latency and congestion while maintaining network routing capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent inverts the traditional tunneling architecture by placing the tunnel endpoint at the application server rather than at the Core Network gateway. This inversion allows traffic to be tunneled directly to the application endpoint, reversing the conventional flow where traffic must pass through multiple Core Network hops for encapsulation and decapsulation, thereby eliminating the associated latency and congestion problems.
2Productivity
If traditional tunneling architecture is used with tunnel endpoints at Core Network, then traffic management is simplified at network level, but repeated encapsulation and decapsulation at multiple hops causes network congestion
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the encapsulation and decapsulation operations from multiple intermediate Core Network nodes and consolidates them at the application server endpoint. This extraction eliminates the harmful repeated wrapping and unwrapping operations that cause network congestion, while maintaining efficient traffic management by placing the processing function where it is most effective - at the application layer rather than at multiple network layer hops.
3Loss of time
If dynamic tunnel endpoint instantiation is implemented at application server, then latency is reduced by direct tunneling, but system complexity increases due to dynamic processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the tunnel endpoint instantiation dynamic rather than static. The system dynamically creates and destroys tunnel endpoints at the application server based on actual traffic needs, allowing the network to adapt to varying application requirements. This dynamic approach reduces latency by establishing direct tunnels on-demand while managing complexity through programmatic control rather than manual configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements self-service by enabling the application server to autonomously instantiate and manage its own tunnel endpoints without requiring extensive manual configuration or complex centralized control. The dynamic tunnel endpoint creation process automatically handles the complexity of tunnel setup, allowing the system to serve itself rather than requiring complex external management.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present technology is directed to a system and method for using cloud based processing to co-locate one or more tunnel end points, associated with mobile user generated traffic traversing a Core network, with the serving machine located on application provider network. The describe system/method involves early stage identification of traffic flow (i.e., at the Packet Data network Gateway device using Application Detection and Control function) and dynamically instantiating an end point for the aforementioned traffic flow at the server where the application request is being served. The traffic is then directly tunneled to the endpoint thus avoiding decapsulated mobile traffic from traversing across provider network.