Service-Based Distribution Points for Network Tunnel Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network technologies require individual reconfiguration of services and transport tunnels, leading to inefficiencies and increased costs when adding, changing, or removing services across multiple core networks, as each service must be manually modified and provisioning personnel need detailed knowledge of tunnel configurations.
Innovation Solution
Implementing service-based distribution points (SDPs) that allow services to be bound independently of transport tunnels, using protocols like MPLS, MPLS-TE, or GRE, enabling simplified management and configuration by grouping multiple paths into a single tunnel, and using OAM protocols for monitoring and dynamic remapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If individual services are bound to transport tunnels through cross-connects, then service-specific routing control is achieved, but service management complexity and reconfiguration time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces Service-Based Distribution Points (SDPs) as an intermediary layer between services and transport tunnels. SDPs aggregate multiple services and bind them to transport tunnels collectively, eliminating the need for individual service-to-tunnel cross-connects. This mediator abstracts the complexity of tunnel configuration from service management, allowing services to be added, removed, or modified without reconfiguring individual cross-connects.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges multiple service bindings into a single SDP-to-tunnel association. Instead of managing individual cross-connects for each service, the system combines multiple services under unified SDPs that collectively bind to transport tunnels. This merging reduces the number of configuration elements from O(n) individual cross-connects to O(1) aggregate bindings, dramatically simplifying service management.
2Productivity
If each service requires individual reconfiguration when transport tunnels are modified, then precise service control is maintained, but reconfiguration time and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-aggregating services into SDPs with standardized binding mechanisms to transport tunnels. This preliminary structuring allows services to be rapidly added, removed, or modified without triggering reconfiguration of the underlying tunnel connections. The SDP layer is prepared in advance to handle service changes independently of tunnel modifications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dynamic service binding through SDPs that can rapidly associate or disassociate services from transport tunnels without manual reconfiguration. The system enables dynamic addition and removal of services at the SDP level, while the underlying tunnel configurations remain stable. This dynamic capability reduces reconfiguration time from manual individual service updates to automated aggregate bindings.
3Adaptability or versatility
If detailed tunnel configuration information is required for service provisioning, then precise routing control is achieved, but training requirements and operational costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The SDP acts as an intermediary that abstracts complex tunnel configuration details from service provisioning operations. Service providers interact with the simplified SDP interface rather than directly configuring tunnel parameters. The SDP handles the translation between service requirements and underlying tunnel configurations, shielding operators from complex technical details while maintaining routing control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a universal SDP interface that handles multiple service types and tunnel configurations through a single standardized mechanism. This universal binding approach allows diverse services to be provisioned through the same SDP-to-tunnel association process, eliminating the need for service-specific configuration knowledge. The SDP layer provides multi-functional capability to manage various services uniformly.
Data Source
AI summary
Service-based distribution paths that provide transport tunnels and control capabilities for data communication over a service are disclosed. Service-based distribution paths or transport tunnels include services mapped or bound to the transport tunnel. Encapsulation provides for packet-by-packet handling, including service separation of packets based on header data included within each packet. Services may be monitored, managed, and controlled by performing operational determinations between end points to ensure end-to-end service configuration and connectivity are established.