Mobile Gateway Forwarding State Reduction via Session ID Allocation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Mobile network devices face complexity in managing large numbers of concurrent protocol sessions due to the numerous control and data protocols employed, leading to increased state data and scalability issues in session handling.
Innovation Solution
A mobile gateway device with a decentralized control plane and data plane architecture that aggregates internal forwarding routes and allocates next hops for control and data protocols using contiguous, non-overlapping protocol session identifier ranges, allowing for efficient session management and reduced forwarding state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a centralized control plane architecture is used to manage subscriber sessions, then control protocol management can be consolidated, but device complexity and scalability are limited due to the need to track thousands or millions of concurrent sessions
Solution Approach 1:
The control plane is segmented into multiple service units (e.g., service cards) that are distributed across different processing elements. Each service unit manages a subset of protocol sessions independently, allowing the system to scale by adding more service units rather than increasing the complexity of a single centralized controller.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension for organizing control plane functionality by mapping protocol sessions to physical or logical service units through service unit identifiers. This allows the control plane to be organized along the dimension of service unit distribution rather than relying solely on centralized processing, enabling scalability while managing complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple control protocols (GTP-C, DHCP, RADIUS) are managed simultaneously, then comprehensive service support is achieved, but state data complexity increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The service units are designed to handle multiple control protocols (GTP-C, DHCP, RADIUS) using a unified approach. Each service unit can anchor different types of protocol sessions and manage their state data through a common architecture, reducing the need for separate specialized handling mechanisms for each protocol.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of how protocol sessions are identified and routed by using protocol session identifiers that are mapped to service units. This allows different protocol sessions to be managed through a consistent identification and routing mechanism, reducing state data complexity while maintaining multi-protocol support.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a decentralized control plane with multiple service units is implemented, then scalability is improved, but routing complexity between service units increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces protocol session identifiers as intermediaries that map to service units. These identifiers act as mediators in the routing process, allowing incoming protocol sessions to be directed to the appropriate service unit without requiring complex routing decisions at each hop. The mapping between identifiers and service units simplifies the routing infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
In general, techniques are described for aggregating, within a network device, internal forwarding routes for multiple control protocols and allocating next hops for the routes among individual service units of a decentralized control plane for the network device. The techniques may also include aggregating internal forwarding routes for data protocols and allocating next hops for the routes among individual forwarding units of a decentralized data plane for the network device. In one example, a mobile gateway includes a plurality of subscriber management service units that present a uniform interface to nodes within a mobile service provider network. An allocation manager apportions a control protocol session identifier namespace into a plurality of contiguous, non-overlapping protocol session identifier ranges and allocates the ranges among the service units. The service units execute the control protocol by utilizing respective allocated ranges, which the aggregate internal forwarding routes use to identify the associated service units.