UE Capability Signaling With Restart Counters for Stale ID Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
The failure of the UE Capabilities Management Function (UCMF) leads to stale UE radio capability IDs being cached in the network, causing inefficiencies and inefficiencies in resource management due to the inability to distinguish between pre-failure and post-recovery IDs.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a restart counter value associated with the UE radio capability ID to indicate whether the ID is stale or valid, allowing the network to inhibit and update stale IDs, ensuring efficient resource management and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the UCMF restarts after a failure, then the system recovers and can continue operation, but stale UE radio capability IDs remain cached in the network causing resource management inefficiencies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a restart counter parameter that changes with each UCMF restart. This parameter is included in UE capability ID allocation messages to indicate whether a capability ID is stale or valid. When the restart counter increments, previously allocated capability IDs become stale, and the network can identify and clear them based on the counter value, thus resolving the information loss problem while maintaining system recovery capability
Solution Approach 2:
The restart counter acts as an intermediary mechanism between the UCMF and the network nodes (AMF, RAN). It mediates the information flow by carrying validity status from the UCMF to the network, enabling coordinated clearance of stale capability IDs without requiring direct communication between all network entities about the restart event
2Loss of information
If the network clears all cached UE capability IDs after UCMF restart, then stale IDs are removed, but additional signaling overhead is required to notify all network nodes
Solution Approach 1:
The restart counter serves multiple functions simultaneously: it indicates UCMF restart status, validates capability ID freshness, and triggers clearance actions across the network. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate signaling messages to coordinate the clearance process, as the same parameter serves multiple purposes in the recovery procedure
3Adaptability or versatility
If UE capability information size increases over time, then more capabilities are supported, but signaling overhead for capability transmission becomes significant
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the validity validation function from the full capability information transmission. Instead of re-transmitting or verifying entire capability data sets, the system only exchanges the compact restart counter parameter to determine validity. This separation allows extensive capability support while minimizing signaling overhead to essential validation information
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, are provided for UE capability signaling. An apparatus is provided that is caused to at least: receive, from a user equipment capability management function, a message including a first restart counter value indicating a restart of the user equipment capability management function; inhibit, in response to receiving the first restart counter value, one or more old user equipment capability identifiers associated with a second restart counter value, the second restart counter value being associated to a pre-restart state of the user equipment capability management function; and send the first restart counter value indicating the restart of the user equipment capability management function. Related systems, methods, and articles of manufacture are also described.