Socket Layer Network Handover via File Descriptor Mapping
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current network handover methods in cellular networks, particularly in 5G and pre-6G networks, face challenges in seamlessly transferring data sessions between Wi-Fi and mobile networks without disrupting ongoing connections, especially for real-time applications like gaming and messaging, due to network address sensitivity and the need for server-side changes or hardware modifications.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for network handover at Layer 4, utilizing a connection tracker and migrator module to detect deteriorating network conditions and seamlessly switch data sessions from one communication interface to another by mapping socket file descriptors, enabling continuous data sessions without server modifications or hardware changes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If handover is performed at application layer, then handover can be performed independent of path and requires no hardware changes, but handover cannot be applied on plain connections and makes handover application specific
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a socket layer intermediary between the application layer and transport layer. This socket layer acts as a mediator that manages network connections independently of specific applications or paths, allowing universal handover support while maintaining application independence. The socket layer abstracts the complexity of handover management from individual applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If handover is performed on transport layer using MPTCP, then handover can be performed independent of application and data path, but server-side changes are required and most servers do not support MPTCP
Solution Approach 1:
The socket layer serves as an intermediary that implements handover functionality without requiring server-side MPTCP support. By managing multiple network interfaces and sockets at the client side, the system achieves transport-layer handover capabilities while maintaining compatibility with standard servers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the handover functionality into separate socket layer components that can be independently managed. This allows handover to be implemented at the client side without requiring coordinated changes at the server side, effectively decoupling the handover mechanism from server requirements.
3Reliability
If handover is performed at lower layers like layer 3, then transport layer and application layer are enriched with seamless experience, but heterogeneous handover is not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new dimension in the protocol stack - the socket layer - positioned between application layer and transport layer. This additional layer provides a new perspective for managing network connections, enabling both seamless handover experience for upper layers and heterogeneous network support through its ability to manage multiple transport protocols and network interfaces.
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed herein is a method and network handover system for handling a data session in a user equipment (UE). The method comprises initiating a data session of at least one application from a plurality of applications with a first communication interface using a first socket of the UE having a first socket file descriptor (SOCKFD) for the data session, detecting a deterioration in a network connection of the first communication interface, identifying a second communication interface, establishing a second socket having a second SOCKFD associated with the second communication interface and migrating the data session from the first communication interface to the second communication interface by mapping the first SOCKFD corresponding to the first socket to the second SOCKFD corresponding to the second socket.