NAT IP Address Mapping for Local Service Cloud Handovers
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless radio networks, the lack of unique IP addresses for User Equipment (UE) leads to collisions and interference when routing traffic between local service clouds, particularly during handovers, as the same private IP addresses can be allocated to multiple UEs, causing confusion and connectivity issues.
Innovation Solution
Implementing Network Address Translation (NAT) to create globally unique IP addresses that are valid across multiple local service clouds, ensuring that UE IP addresses are unique even during handovers, using both IPv4 and IPv6 address spaces, and managing address reuse through cloud orchestration servers to prevent collisions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the same private IP addresses are allocated to multiple UEs in different local service clouds, then IP address reuse is achieved within each local service cloud, but IP address collisions occur during handovers between local service clouds
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a cloud orchestration server as an intermediary that coordinates IP address allocation across multiple local service clouds. This server maintains a global view of IP address usage and manages the allocation of unique IP addresses to UEs during handovers, preventing collisions while allowing local reuse. The intermediary resolves the contradiction by bridging local autonomy with global coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the IP address allocation problem from a two-dimensional local service cloud scope to a multi-dimensional global network scope. By introducing hierarchical IP address management with global, regional, and local allocation layers, the system enables IP reuse at the local level while ensuring uniqueness at the global level through additional addressing dimensions.
2Ease of operation
If local service clouds use independent IP address allocation, then local service autonomy is maintained, but network-wide IP address coordination becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments IP address management into hierarchical levels: global allocation by the cloud orchestration server, regional allocation by local service clouds, and device-specific allocation. This segmentation allows local service clouds to maintain autonomy in their IP allocation while the upper levels ensure global coordination, reducing overall system complexity through divided responsibilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The cloud orchestration server performs preliminary IP address allocation and reservation before UEs handover between local service clouds. By pre-coordinating IP address assignments and maintaining a global allocation database, the system simplifies local service cloud operations while ensuring network-wide uniqueness without requiring complex real-time coordination during handovers.
Data Source
AI summary
A method in a network node for handling a traffic flow of a User Equipment, UE. The network node creates a unique Network Address Translated, NAT:ed, Internet Protocol, IP, address mapping to an IP address of the UE. The NAT:ed IP address includes a local IP address prefix assigned to a related first local service cloud. The NAT:ed IP address is usable for the traffic flow both before and after a handover of the UE from the first local service cloud to a neighboring second local service cloud. The NAT:ed IP address is unique at least in all local service clouds neighboring to the first local service cloud, including the second local service cloud. The network node assigns the NAT:ed IP address to the UE for local break out of the traffic flow of the application session to the first local service cloud.