Policy-Driven Subscriber Sharding in BNG Clusters for Dynamic Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing BNG networks face challenges in scaling up or down to meet varying capacity and bandwidth demands due to increasing or decreasing Internet usage patterns, with vertical scaling being costly and prone to single points of failure, and horizontal scaling introducing complexities like shard exhaustion and uneven data distribution.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a management component that uses consistent hashing and sharding techniques to distribute data across a BNG cluster, coupled with a load balancer that applies intelligent policies for load balancing and traffic redirection, allowing dynamic scaling and efficient distribution of subscriber sessions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If vertical scaling is used to increase BNG capacity, then bandwidth and processing power are improved, but cost increases and single points of failure are introduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the BNG functionality into multiple distributed BNG instances or virtual BNGs (vBNGs) that can operate independently. Each instance handles a portion of the subscriber load, eliminating the single point of failure problem inherent in vertical scaling. The segmentation allows the system to distribute risk and improve reliability while maintaining scalability.
2Reliability
If horizontal scaling is used to increase BNG capacity, then reliability and scalability are improved, but complexities like shard exhaustion and uneven data distribution occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a load balancer as an intermediary component that manages traffic distribution across multiple BNG instances. The load balancer implements intelligent routing algorithms that consider current system state, subscriber profiles, and resource availability to distribute traffic evenly. This mediator prevents shard exhaustion and uneven data distribution by dynamically adjusting traffic flow based on real-time conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic load balancing and traffic routing that adapts to changing system conditions. The load balancer continuously monitors BNG instance health, capacity, and performance metrics, dynamically adjusting traffic distribution to prevent any single instance from becoming overloaded or exhausted. This dynamic approach resolves the complexity of static sharding arrangements.
3Ease of operation
If traditional load balancing is used in BNG clusters, then traffic distribution is simplified, but subscriber synchronization and consistency are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the load balancer continuously monitors subscriber session state, BNG instance capacity, and traffic patterns. This feedback information is used to dynamically adjust routing decisions, ensuring that subscriber synchronization is maintained across instances. The system uses this feedback to prevent traffic from being routed to instances that cannot properly handle or synchronize subscriber data.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical load balancing approaches with software-based intelligent routing that uses subscriber profile data and real-time system state information. Instead of simple round-robin or hash-based distribution, the system uses application-layer awareness to make routing decisions that preserve subscriber session consistency and enable seamless failover.
Data Source
AI summary
A central management component deployed in a cluster of broadband network gateways (BNGs) balances load among subscribers through the cluster by monitoring subscriber states comprising usage of the BNGs based on load parameters to detect an overload condition on any BNG. In the event of an overload condition, the component performs a horizontal sharding operation to move at least some access load from the overloaded BNG to an underutilized BNG. Sharding separates a large group of BNGs into smaller and more numerous BNGs by reassigns one or more subscribers among the gateways. A load balancer applies rules to re-direct traffic based on a defined load balancing rule using one of: preference, present load, proximity, and operating characteristic.