Neutral Host Path Orchestration for SLA-Compliant NaaS
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing network-as-a-service (NaaS) models lack end-to-end path control and on-demand provisioning, leading to challenges in ensuring service providers along a connection path support all required services, especially with diverse service offerings and encapsulations across different parts of the Internet.
Innovation Solution
An end-to-end neutral host network-as-a-service (NHNaaS) system that registers service providers' capabilities, uses a network monitoring service for holistic internet visibility, and computes optimal paths that meet user parameters, enabling SLA-aware tunnel instantiation across multiple providers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple service providers offer diverse services and encapsulations across different parts of the Internet, then service variety and coverage are improved, but path compatibility and service assurance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a neutral host network-as-a-service (NHNaaS) as an intermediary layer between users and multiple service providers. This NHNaaS maintains a comprehensive database of service provider capabilities, service parameters, and internet path characteristics. When a user requires specific services, the NHNaaS acts as a mediator to identify and orchestrate compatible service providers along the connection path, ensuring all required services are supported while leveraging the diversity of available providers.
Solution Approach 2:
The NHNaaS system performs multiple functions: it maintains service provider capability databases, performs path analysis, identifies compatible service combinations, and orchestrates connections. This universal system handles diverse service requirements (traffic engineering, SDCI, SLA slices, Open Roaming) through a single multi-functional platform, resolving the contradiction by providing unified access to heterogeneous service provider offerings.
2Adaptability or versatility
If service providers offer different types of services and cover different parts of the world, then global coverage and service options are improved, but service consumption efficiency deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The NHNaaS performs preliminary actions by pre-mapping service provider capabilities, service parameters, and internet path characteristics into a comprehensive database before actual service consumption. This advance preparation enables rapid service provisioning when users need connections, as the system already has organized information about which providers support which services where, eliminating the need for time-consuming service discovery and compatibility checking at connection time.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms to continuously update its database of service provider capabilities and path characteristics. By monitoring service performance and provider capability changes, the NHNaaS maintains accurate information about service availability and quality, enabling efficient service consumption decisions based on real-time or near-real-time data about service options and their performance.
3Reliability
If it is required to ensure all service providers along a connection path support required services, then service reliability is improved, but connection establishment complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The NHNaaS serves as an intermediary that absorbs the complexity of ensuring service compatibility across multiple providers. Instead of requiring users or individual providers to manually verify service support along the entire connection path, the NHNaaS automatically queries its database, identifies compatible service provider combinations, and orchestrates the connection. This mediates the complexity while maintaining service assurance through systematic capability matching.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service by allowing users to request connections with specific service requirements without needing to understand or manage the complexity of underlying service provider compatibility. The NHNaaS autonomously handles service provider selection, capability verification, and path orchestration, making the complex service assurance process transparent and simple for end users while maintaining high reliability through automated compatibility checking.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for determining an optimal connection path by a NHNaaS are described. The techniques may include receiving, by an end-to-end neutral host NaaS and from a user device, a request for a connection to a remote service, the request including user parameters required for the connection. multiple paths between the user device and the remote service offered by service providers that provide connections having service parameters compatible with the user parameters are determined by the end-to-end neutral host NaaS. The neutral host NaaS identifies an optimal path for establishing the connection between the user device and the remote service based on network performance of the multiple paths. Finally, the neutral host NaaS enables an instantiation of a tunnel along the optimal path between the user device and the remote service.