Multi-Server Communication Device for Priority-Based Failover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing communication systems fail to ensure continuous execution of services on edge terminals when a server experiences a failure, as the state information provided is outdated and there is no mechanism to switch seamlessly to alternative servers.
Innovation Solution
A communication device that manages multiple cloud platforms with unique identification and authentication information, allowing edge terminals to switch to higher-priority servers upon detecting failures, ensuring continuous service execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a single server is used for service execution, then the system structure is simple, but the service continuity cannot be guaranteed when server failure occurs
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple servers are merged into a unified system where they share common identification and authentication information. This allows edge terminals to access any server in the group, ensuring service continuity while maintaining a relatively simple structure through information sharing rather than complete system duplication.
Solution Approach 2:
The servers are designed with universal access capability, where each server can fulfill the function of any other server in the group. The common identification and authentication information enables any server to authenticate edge terminals, making the system multi-functional and resilient to individual server failures.
2Reliability
If server identification and authentication information is shared across multiple servers, then service continuity is improved, but security risks increase due to potential unauthorized access
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of authentication information from server-specific to group-common. By using common identification and authentication information across multiple servers, the system enables seamless failover while maintaining security through centralized credential management that prevents unauthorized access to the server group.
3Adaptability or versatility
If edge terminals store multiple sets of identification and authentication information, then the ability to switch servers is improved, but the information management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of storing multiple separate sets of credentials, the edge terminal stores a single set of common identification and authentication information that is valid across all servers in the group. This merging of credential management simplifies the terminal's information storage while maintaining full adaptability to switch between servers.
Solution Approach 2:
The common authentication information serves multiple functions simultaneously: it authenticates the edge terminal to any server in the group, enables seamless server switching, and maintains security. This universal credential eliminates the need for multiple credential sets while providing full server switching capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication device includes a storage, and one or more hardware processors. The storage stores, for each of a plurality of servers, setting information including identification information of the server, authentication information used for connecting to the server, permission information indicating permitted communication with the server, and a priority. The hardware processors select, based on the priority, a first server that is one of the servers. The hardware processors perform, according to the permission information for the first server, communication with the first server that is connected based on the identification information and the authentication information.